Local athletes continue to gain state-wide recognition as three football players were named to the small-school All-Star game set for Dec. 2 at noon in Artesia.
Estancia quarterback Josh Calhoon leads the way 2,480 yards on the ground with 27 touchdowns, adding another 482 yards passing and four scores.
“He’s been the biggest, brightest spot for us this year,” Coach Stewart Burnett said. “I actually expected he would make the All-Star game.”
Calhoon found many of the gaping holes opening up behind Bears teammate, lineman Edward Lucero, who will join Calhoon on the green team. The games are open only to seniors.
“It’s hard to separate Josh and Edward because their success is absolutely tied together,” Burnett said. “About 90 percent of our run plays, we ran behind him. He’s got a very key role in the blocking scheme. Their success and production is tied together. Everyone sees what Josh does, but it’s much harder to see what’s going on and recognizing what’s going on up front.”
For the first time, they will be facing teammate Seth Dunlap, who is playing linebacker for the red team after compiling 49 tackles with 1½ sacks.
“Seth, he has been one of those great program guys for us,” Burnett said, adding “all of these guys, they show up. These guys are the epitome of that. … It is remarkable that these three were able to be recognized. They are exceptional individuals and succeeded despite the challenges we had as a team this year.”
In soccer, the four local teams each landed at least one player named to the All-State team.
In Class 4A, senior Isaac Dominguez, a three-year starter, was a first-team goalkeeper for the Moriarty boys. He finished with 102 saves—an average of 5.1 per game—and he allowed less than two goals per game.
Junior forward Brooklynn Olivas led the Pintos girls to the second round of the state tournament, finishing with 25 goals—which put her among the top 20 in the state for all classes—and five assists, for 53 points.
In 1A-3A, senior Brycen Smith scored a team-best 10 goals along with four assists to earn a slot as a second-team forward for the East Mountain boys.
And the Timberwolves girls, who lost in the state tournament’s opening round, landed senior Ava Podzemny and sophomores Jacelyn Head and Olivia Kern as second-team defenders, as well as junior Taryn Sveum as second-team goalkeeper.
Kern led the team with 41 steals and Head was second with 38. Sveum tallied 143 saves, averaging 7.2 per game and allowed fewer than two goals per outing.