Prep notes: All-state basketball teams; All-Metro baseball; All-Americans at Volcano Vista and Organ Mountain

The all-state high school basketball teams for the 2024-25 season have been announced. The Class 5A boys first team, as selected by the New Mexico High School Coaches Association, is topped by Volcano Vista senior forward Kenyon Aguino.

Two members of the team the Hawks beat in last Saturday’s state final, guards Zaire Ndyabagye and Thomas Adams, also are on the first team representing Sandia.

Cleveland guard Remy Albrecht and Albuquerque High forward Ethan Oetzel round out the top five.

Latavious Morris of Atrisco Heritage and David Lunn of Volcano Vista were voted to the second team. So were Abraham Pena of Hobbs, Lenny Washington of Organ Mountain and Rylan Sarracino of Roswell.

Three Albuquerque players were on the first team in boys 4A: Mason Montoya of St. Pius, Eli Dominguez of Albuquerque Academy and Jesus Licon of Highland. Charlie Campbell of state champion Artesia and Josiah Fresquez of Española Valley were the other first-team choices this season.

Sophomore Josiah Wilson of Bosque School earned first-team honors in Class 3A. Bryant Scales of Legacy Academy was a first-team player on the Class 2A squad.

The girls 5A first team is led by Sandia senior Sydney Benally. Joining her on the first team are La Cueva’s Jordyn Dyer, Hobbs’ Bhret Clay, Farmington’s Kjani Anitielu and Sandia’s Audri Wright.

Three other players from Hobbs — Brynn Hargrove, Nakia Mojica and Kyndle Cunningham — are part of the second team, along with Hope Giddings of Sandia and Abbey Dugan of Carlsbad.

Rylie Whitehair and Kayden Tsosie of Gallup head up the girls 4A first team. Allyson Tsosie of Kirtland Central, Jadyn Montoya of Valencia and Jacqueline Aguayo of Deming also were named to the first team.

METRO BASEBALL: The Albuquerque Metro Baseball Championships are scheduled to begin Tuesday afternoon, with expected heavy winds in the forecast.

The top four seeds are La Cueva, Cleveland, Rio Rancho and Sandia. These eight, first-round games are set for 3:30 Tuesday afternoon.

The games on the top half (La Cueva) part of the bracket are Albuquerque High at La Cueva, No. 9 Los Lunas at No. 8 Rio Grande, No. 12 Valley at No. 5 Volcano Vista and No. 13 Hope Christian at No. 4 Sandia.

On Cleveland’s bottom half, it is the Storm hosting No. 15 Manzano, No.10 Atrisco Heritage visiting No. 7 Cibola, No. 14 Albuquerque Academy at No. 3 Rio Rancho, and No. 11 St. Pius at No. 6 Eldorado.

An APS spokesman said Monday that it will be up to the teams themselves to decide if they want to play in the wind on Tuesday.

The quarterfinals are scheduled Wednesday, the semifinals Friday and the final at 10 a.m. Saturday at the site of the highest seed.

VOLCANO VISTA ALL-AMERICANS: Two Volcano Vista wrestlers, and brother and sister, are All-Americans after their showing last weekend at the USA Wrestling Nationals in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Hawks’ boys and girls teams both entered the event, the first time both genders competed at this tournament.

Siblings Esperanza Gallegos and Lorenzo Gallegos were All-Americans following their performances at the event.

Esperanza, a freshman who won a state title for Volcano Vista last month, placed third in the U16 100-pound division. Lorenzo finished fourth in the junior folkstyle 144-pound bracket, which featured several of the top 20 wrestlers in the country at that weight.

“This is a huge moment for our programs and for the two athletes who earned this honor,” Volcano Vista coach Ahren Griego said.

ORGAN MOUNTAIN ALL-AMERICANS: Corbin Coombs earned All-America standing when he placed second last Thursday in the 2-mile race at the Nike Indoor Nationals at The Armory in New York City.

Coombs finished in 8 minutes, 45.88 seconds. Georgia’s Tommy Latham (8:44.35) placed first. Rio Rancho’s Charlie Vause was seventh in this race (8:51.63).

Coombs on Sunday placed fourth and Vause eighth in the 1-mile race. The top six are All-Americans.

But Organ Mountain athletes, running under the Sun Dragons Track Club banner, won a national title in the distance medley relay.

Jeron Wisner opened by running 1,200 meters, followed by Donnail Escudero doing a 400. Jake Medina ran 800 meters, then Coombs was the anchor with the final 1,600.

Their winning time was 10 minutes, 6.09 seconds, and they won by less than a second.

Wisner recently became the second Organ Mountain senior to sign with a college; he signed with Gonzaga. Coombs earlier this year signed with Wake Forest.

CIBOLA CHANGES: Cibola has been searching for new head coaches in volleyball and girls soccer.

Heath Weihe, who led the Cougars to a girls soccer championship in 2021, has resigned. He coached for nearly a quarter century in APS at Del Norte and then at Cibola.

“The last year or so, I felt I didn’t have the energy to give both teaching and coaching the energy they require and I was drained,” Weihe said.

Christina Norton led the Cougars to the 5A volleyball final in the 2023 season. She, too, is stepping down. She will take a assistant coaching position at Colby Junior College in Kansas, Cibola athletic director Doug Dorame said, adding that he hopes to fill both positions over the next few weeks.

THIS AND THAT: Cleveland High lineman Moses Sparks has received recent Division I offers from Arizona and Boise State. … Former Belen Eagle and UNM football player Mike Nesbitt is the new offensive coordinator for Houston Christian. … Alex Rivera (6-4, 290), who’ll be a senior next fall at Lovington and plays tackle and defensive end, has announced that he has committed to Fresno State.