Others come close, but nobody dances like the Roswell Coyotes

Certain schools just do certain sports better than everyone else.

No one excels at boys tennis more than Albuquerque Academy. Boys basketball? That is Volcano Vista’s domain.

Dancing? Look no further than the Roswell Coyotes.

The Coyotes dance squad comes down the ramp of the Pit every March and entertains like no other at the State Spirit Championships. On Friday afternoon, their dominant run continued as Roswell earned its sixth straight Class 5A championship on Bob King Court.

“Today I felt was one of their best performances ever,” Roswell coach Kim Castro said. “But I tell them, if you want to keep winning, you have to go for perfection.”

Roswell scored a combined 177.27 points for its two routines Friday, including one of only two scores of at least 90 points. Volcano Vista (176.47) was runner-up, the Hawks had the single highest-scored routine of the day 90.13 points in their second routine.

“It’s amazing to go out this way,” Roswell senior Malia Salinas said. “We’re just all a sisterhood.”

Roswell has 18 dance titles, and the Coyotes remain very much New Mexico’s gold standard.

“It was really sweet to win today,” junior Natalie Barrientos said. “This team works hard to get here and we really did deserve it.”

The program’s season is more or less geared around this day in Albuquerque, although the Coyotes have other meaningful events on their schedule. It won’t be long, Castro said, before Roswell has a 2027 calendar in front of it and circles the dates for the state competition.

“You know, we come from a town of only two high schools, and a lot of these kids have wanted to be on this team since they were 5 years old,” Castro said. “They want to be a part of what we do. If you want to be on top, it really is never ending.”
La Cueva (169.77) was a distant third in the 5A standings.

CLASS 1A-4A: Sandia Prep was Friday’s other state champion, as the Sundevils won the Class 1A-4A division.

“It’s our third time winning state, and we felt like our routines were really solid today,” said Sandia Prep coach Courtney Giannini. “They left their heart out on the floor. We were really hoping they would get first. They came together and they kicked butt.”

The Diablas had a narrow victory over runner-up Hope Christian, 170.93 points for Prep to 170.7 for the Huskies.

“It was so exciting,” senior Sabrina Stefanovic said. “It never gets old and it’s so special to hear.”

Hozho Academy (168.23) placed third. The top three were the exact top three as last season.

“We didn’t lose any seniors last year, so that made us so much closer,” senior Adalyn Thompson said. “And you could really feel the energy when we were dancing. It’s so special with this group of girls.”

The cheerleading portion of the spirit championships will be held all day Saturday, with the last routine scheduled around 8:15 p.m., followed by the 5A awards.

James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at @JamesDYodice.