Peerman's Power Rankings: The 10 best things in New Mexico sports this week (Nov. 19)
Nov. 19—Welcome to Peerman's Power Rankings (PPR), the 10 athletes, teams and story lines that have Journal sports editor Lucas Peerman's attention. Look for a new power rankings list every Sunday.
Have a suggestion, complaint or compliment? Email lpeerman@abqjournal.com or contact me on X @LucasPeerman.
10. Charlotte Kohl
This 6-foot-5 German is a force down low for the UNM women's basketball team. She tallied 14 points and 20 rebounds (Gut gemacht!) in the Lobos' 75-74 victory over Texas A&M Commerce Lions on Wednesday. UNM is 4-0 and playing tough, despite little help from the reserves.
9. New Mexico United
The soccer club may have found a permanent home within a proposed stadium at Balloon Fiesta Park. The Albuquerque Environmental Planning Commission approved the project on Thursday and if the City Council gives its blessing this coming Monday, then it's nearly a done deal. (Though it's ultimately a win, there is a bad beat here — a stadium on the north side means The Curse won't be close to In-N-Out Burger).
8. Habtom Samuel
He's the UNM cross country program's top runner — and the nation's second-best. Samuel was the runner-up Saturday in the men's NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. Not bad for a freshman. Not bad at all.
7. Donovan Dent
The Lobos' backcourt is no longer a dynamic duo of seniors Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr.; it's a terrific trio with the sophomore Dent as the young gun who's ready for prime-time. Dent took center stage Thursday with a career high 25 points — including going coast-to-coast in under 5 seconds for the game-winning layup — in UNM's 82-80 win over UT Arlington.
6. Cleveland-La Cueva football
These two 6A powerhouses will meet again in the state championship game on Saturday. Can they top last year's barn burner of a title match, which the Storm won 75-61? Not likely. But still, we're looking at an immovable object (Cleveland's D) vs. an unstoppable force (La Cueva's O) to determine the state's second best football program. Should be fun.
5. Roswell-Artesia football
These two powerhouses meet in the 5A title game in Artesia on Saturday. The Coyotes beat the Bulldogs 29-8 earlier this season in Roswell and Artesia did not score an offensive point in that game. Think the Bulldogs are ready for revenge? Think the Coyotes are going to give an inch? This will be a battle to determine the state's top football program. Should be a whole lotta fun.
4. Jacory Croskey-Merritt
JCM, who goes by his nickname "Bill," is a force at running back for UNM, which snapped a three-game losing streak in an improbable 25-17 win at Fresno State on Saturday (the Lobos were 22.5-point underdogs). Bill racked up 200-plus rushing yards and two touchdowns, giving him 16 six-pointers on the season. Bill's chasing Lobo DonTrell Moore's single season record of 19 TDs (2003); and he could break or tie that record at home vs. Utah State this Friday if the Lobos employ their Destiny's Child offense: "Bills, Bills, Bills."
3. Diego Pavia
At Volcano Vista, he captured a state wrestling championship. At New Mexico Military Institute, he quarterbacked a national title-winning team. At New Mexico State, he's suplexing SEC dudes on the gridiron. Good lord, Diego!
2. Gianna Rahmer
The top cross country runners from high schools in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada gathered Saturday for the Nike Cross Regionals Southwest 5k race just outside Phoenix. They all lost — to an eighth-grader. Gianna, who attends Hoover Middle in Albuquerque, is a phenomenal runner whose next challenge will be racing the top high schoolers from around the country at nationals. As prep sports editor James Yodice has said on multiple occasions, this is the best New Mexico high school sports story of the fall, and it's not even close (kind of like the rest of the field at the state cross country meet).
1. New Mexico State football
The Aggies (9-3) are having a special, special season. They beat rivals UNM and UTEP (which would have meant a success of a season even if they lost every other game). They've qualified for the Conference USA title game (in their first year in CUSA). They'll play in a bowl game for the second straight year (which hasn't happened since the early 1960s). And on Saturday, they beat an SEC team for the first time in 27 tries (and got paid $1.8 million to do so). Did PPR say "beat"? We meant they "absolutely demolished" Auburn, winning by three touchdowns against a team sportsbooks had as a 25.5-point favorite at kickoff. The Aggies' win represented the second largest upset of the college football season. Wobble on, Aggie fans, wobble on!
Honorable mentions
Texico won both the 2A volleyball and football titles on Saturday (and these Wolverines ain't cheatin').
St. Pius won the 4A boys soccer title (beating Hope Christian) last week and added a 4A volleyball championship (beating Albuquerque Academy) on Saturday. Give the Sartans the private school crown (for fall sports, anyway).
Las Cruces High volleyball coach Keith Leupold not only won his 600th volleyball match earlier this season, his Bulldawgs won the 5A crown on Saturday, giving him 6 Blue Trophies in his career.
End of the bench
New Mexico State men's basketball program. Nov. 19 marks the one-year anniversary of a deadly shootout between an NMSU basketball player and a UNM student. Arguably, this wasn't the low point of the Aggies season. A hazing scandal ended their season prematurely and last week, three players were charged with rape and other sex crimes related to those alleged incidents. PPR is glad to see the team tear down and start anew under coach Jason Hooten and glad to know the alleged victims were compensated by an institution they say let them down. But this weekend is a painful reminder of what happens when the adults in the room fail to establish a culture of personal responsibility.
