The CobreHigh.com News center was designed to post the latest news stories going on campus and in the community. Read about sports highligts, community activities, and much more.

Cobre High head coach Howie Morales has announced the District 3-3A All-District selections for this year. The Indians had six first-team picks, two second team, and two honorable mention. Socorro followed, with five first-team, while Hatch and Hot Springs had three make the first team. Chaparral had one player on the first-team roster. Cobre also swept the Most Valuable Player honors, as Jordan Stailey was the All-District Offensive MVP and Eric Martinez was the All-District Defensive MVP. Morales was the District 3-3A Coach of the Year. “Jordan had such a breakout season,” Morales said. “He led the state in batting average, home runs, runs batted in, and on the mound led Class 3A in strikeouts. He was such a go-to guy, and did a great job offensively and on the mound all season long. His work all year truly paid off for him. “Eric will be missed,” Morales said. “He has been our starting catcher since his sophomore year and became the ideal complement to our pitching staff. The left-handed curveball is so tough to hit, but it is only as effective as your catcher behind the plate. Eric instilled the confidence in our pitchers to throw the curveball in the dirt and he would block each pitch so fluently.” The Tribe had Frank Morales, Shawn Esparza, Matt Ordonez, Isaac Castillo, Chris Martinez and Robert Peru make the first team. “Frankie is really deserving of all honors he is receiving,” Howie Morales said. “He displayed great leadership skills on the field and in the classroom. He was challenged to assume the role of a leader, and he responded in such an admirable way.” According to Morales, Chris Martinez is one of the most mentally tough players who have come across the Cobre program. He was versatile in that he could hit for power or lay down a perfect bunt. Morales said his defensive play was near flawless this season. “Robert suffered an early preseason injury that he had to overcome,” Morales said. “We knew his pitching was going to be key in winning a state championship, but his timely hitting proved to be just as important for us this season.” According to Morales, Castillo worked very hard on his game. His play at shortstop was consistently solid; he made the routine plays look easy, and the great plays amazing to watch. His offensive performance was vital to Cobre’s success, as he delivered one key hit after another. “Shawn is truly a student of the game,” Morales said. “His passion for perfection was evident throughout his whole career. Whether there was a fall league game going on or a regular-season event, you were always sure to see Shawn hitting the cages till the lights had to be turned off.” According to Morales, Ordonez really developed solidly as the season progressed. “He came to us later in the preseason as he was playing basketball,” Morales said. “He really came along quickly. His work in the offseason helped him find a spot in the starting lineup, as his hot bat dictated his role. He was asked to play positions he never played in the past, and did so with positive results.” Morales said Dominguez added potency to their lineup. His foot speed and great bat speed put pressure on the defensive teams faced, and at the state tourney he was the spark that helped the Tribe attain positive results. According to Morales, Madrid was asked to meet the expectations set forth, and did so productively. His glove was a solid addition to this year’s squad, and he will always have the memory that will live with the team forever, as his putout was the last of the 2008 season at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque.

By DANNY UDERO Daily Press Sports A huge blow to the wrestling community in the southwest has been narrowly averted. Arizona State University announced the discontinuation of three varsity sports programs, effective May 13, and wrestling was at the top of the list, along with men’s swimming and men’s tennis. But, with the help of local civic leadership in Arizona, the wrestling program was fully reinstated Friday, May 23. ASU President Michael Crow and Vice President for University Athletics Lisa Love made the discontinuation announcement May 13, saying the university is facing budget cuts, and intercollegiate athletics can’t expect the university to make up the difference. Love told the Arizona Republic that her primary concern was the immediate future of the student-athletes and coaches who were affected. She said these three sports were selected because of financial impact, potential competitive success, conference/regional support and gender equity. Love also stated that the reduction from 22 to 20 varsity sports will reduce expenses totaling approximately $1 million annually, eliminating 70 student-athletes and six full-time coaching positions at Arizona State. Former Iowa State wrestling coach Bobby Douglas mourned ASU’s decision to drop wrestling, saying it was a death blow to the sport in the Western United States. Douglas led ASU to the 1988 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I championship, making it the only team west of the Rockies to win the title. Douglas told the Des Moines Register that if “Arizona State goes, the West goes.” Douglas was head coach at ASU for 18 years before going to Iowa State in 1992. ASU Head coach Thom Ortiz had a link to Iowa. He was Douglas’ assistant at Iowa State for nine seasons. The three-time All-America wrestler compiled a 74-52-1 record in seven seasons at ASU. He was 9-8 in duals last season, including tying Michigan State for 28th place in the NCAA tournament. The team’s highest finish under Ortiz was fifth in 2003. Arizona State University’s decision to drop wrestling reduced the number of Division I programs to 87 — 15 of which are located west of Iowa. The reinstatement put 88 teams back into the mix, and 16 are now located west of Iowa. Dan Gable, a former Iowa head coach and Olympic champion, told the Des Moines Register, “Division I is in crisis mode. They still aren’t looking out for their own youth, that’s the bottom line. I was just in Arizona a couple of weeks ago putting on a clinic, and there are plenty of kids wrestling in Arizona. All they did was rob them of an opportunity, and that just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. There is an alternative … go to work and do a little better job of raising more money.” Ken Chertow, who conducts Gold Medal Training Camps around the country in the sport of wrestling, called to action everyone to attempt to save ASU’s program. Chertow announced on his Web site for the entire Southwest wrestling community to voice concerns via e-mail or fax to ASU officials. Some of the speaking points Chertow said to make were that intercollegiate wrestling fully supports the mission of Arizona State University, the PAC10 Conference and the NCAA, specifically, one of the primary components of the ASU athletic department is to “maximize human potential in the pursuit of comprehensive excellence.” Chertow stated that, historically, the ASU wrestling program has played a major role in replenishing the depleted pool of high school and middle school teachers/wrestling coaches in Arizona and throughout the Southwest. There are 5,474 high school wrestlers in Arizona, 1,488 in New Mexico, 2,995 in Utah, 2,240 in Nevada, and 25,896 in California vying for 275 roster spots at the 11 schools that have wrestling in the West. Chertow said state-funded schools like ASU should have an obligation to provide activities that are deeply embedded in their state’s culture. He further stated that Arizona taxpayers shouldn’t have to send their sons out of state to pursue their academic/athletic dreams when the sport is so popular in Arizona. Love had said that if the wrestling community were able to raise enough financial support for the wrestling program, the sport would be reinstated. The commitment was there and proved to be astounding in Arizona, as the sport was reinstated 10 days after it was dropped. Love said that fundraising for the sport of wrestling would be an ongoing process, stating that the objective was not just to sponsor wrestling as a varsity sport, but also to position the sport as one of the top programs in the country. “It is with great pleasure that I announce the reinstatement of the varsity sport of wrestling at ASU,” Love said in a statement on ASU’s Web site. “The wrestling community, both locally and nationally, accepted this as a challenge to do something wonderful for the sport. ASU is grateful for that passion and unwavering support. Something special is happening on our campus thanks to civic leadership that cares deeply about ASU wrestling.” Rio Rancho High School’s Vicente Varela — a freshman — is the only New Mexico wrestler on the roster, but 13 wrestlers hail from Arizona. El Paso, Texas, resident Angel Alegre of Ysleta High School is also on the roster as a sophomore.

“One run at a time,” were the words coming from Cobre High head coach Howie Morales, during Friday’s Class 3A state championship baseball game against Portales at Isotopes Park. The Indians got some timely hitting, while Jordan Stailey pitched a complete game, and the Tribe earned another state championship — Morales’ first — during Friday afternoon’s 5-1 rainy victory on the diamond in Albuquerque. “This one’s for the entire baseball community of Grant County,” Morales said. “This victory is for every Cobre player that ever put on a baseball uniform and to the future ballplayers of the Indians.” Cobre got back into the championship game for the second straight year, and this time the Indians pulled together for a victory that made the pain the players felt after last year’s defeat slip away into the gloomy dark sky. “We didn’t want to feel that pain again,” Morales said. “After we saw our young men get on the bus after last year’s loss to Raton, we decided right there that we were going to work hard to not feel that pain again … and the kids did exactly that, work harder than they ever had.” Stailey got the call to start – a game-time decision made by Morales. “I asked Jordan if he was feeling OK to pitch, because he went five innings two days ago. Jordan told me to give him the ball and that he felt good.” The senior went seven innings, giving up only one run on five hits, while striking out six and walking four batters. “I pitched in last year’s title game and got the loss,” Stailey said. “Coach Morales asked me how I felt, and I told him that I was ready to go. I felt pretty good up until about the seventh inning. I then got kind of shaky … but I was confident that all I had to do was throw strikes and let my defense back me up. They were so awesome today.” Cobre struck first in the top of the first inning. Frank Morales was hit by a pitch to reach first base. Third-base coach Artie Sanchez gave the bunt sign to Chris Martinez, and he delivered with perfection, moving Morales into scoring position. Stailey followed with an RBI single to center field to push Morales across home plate. Portales tied the game at 1-all in the bottom of the first inning. A leadoff single by Shawn Carrasco saw him reach first base. He later scored in the inning off a throwing error by Cobre’s Isaac Castillo. The Indians added a single run in the top of the second inning to take a 2-1 lead. Robert Peru singled to lead off the inning. Jay Dominguez followed with a single to push Peru into scoring position. Peru stole third base on a failed bunt attempt by Castillo. Castillo then ripped a shot to the shortstop, who misplayed the ball, allowing Peru to cross home plate. In the third inning, Matt Ordonez led off with a double into left field. Eric Martinez followed with a single to push Ordonez to third base. Jessie Lopez came in to pinch run for Martinez, and stole second base. On the throw to second, Ordonez stole home plate to give the Tribe a 3-1 lead. The fourth inning saw Cobre tally two runs to gain a 5-1 advantage. Morales added another walk to his résumé, and reached first base. He stole second base to move into scoring position, and Chris Martinez hit an RBI single to score Morales. Shawn Esparza later hit a single to score Chris Martinez. Rain began to come down in the fifth inning, and with a runner on first, Portales decided to make a pitching change. The grounds crew then called for a rain delay, and after about 30 minutes, play resumed again on the diamond. “I don’t think the rain delay hurt Stailey,” Morales said, “but it definitely cooled our bats down.” The Tribe didn’t score the rest of the way, and Stailey gave the fans some added grey hairs, as the bottom of the seventh inning got interesting. He gave up Back-to-back-to-back hits. Eric Martinez threw out a base runner trying to steal third for the first out of the inning. Stailey then gave a free pass to first base to load the bases. But, he got a key strikeout at the top of the order, and then got the No. 2 hitter to bounce into a ground out to end the game. “I was concentrating on throwing my slider,” Stailey said. “That was the pitch that was working for me today. I wanted to get that pitch across the plate and then use my fastball to set up a double play. I was fortunate to get the strikeout and then D.J. got the grounder for the last out of the game.” Hitting for the Indians were Eric Martinez, 2-for-4; Chris Martinez, 1-for-2, with an RBI, a sacrifice, a walk and one run scored; Jay Dominguez, 1-for-3, with a sacrifice; Matt Ordonez, 1-for-3, with a double, a walk and one run; Stailey, 1-for-4, with an RBI; Esparza, 1-for-4, with an RBI; Peru, 1-for-4, with one run; Morales, 0-for-1, with a walk, two hit by pitches and two runs; and Castillo, 0-for-3, with a walk. Cobre finished the year at 26-5 overall, going 12-0 in District 3-3A. Portales ended its season at 23-8.

Cobre High’s Isaac Castillo came up to bat in the top of the second inning at La Cueva’s baseball field in Albuquerque, with a couple of runners in scoring position. After fighting off a 1-2 count he popped up to the second baseman to end the inning. Castillo came up to the plate again with a runner in scoring position in the top of the fourth inning, with the second-seeded Indians trailing No. 3 Bloomfield, 1-0, in the semifinals of the Class 3A Baseball Championships. This time, Castillo ripped a triple past a diving center fielder to score Jay Dominguez, who singled to lead off the inning, tying the game at 1-all. Castillo’s hit kick-started a 10-run fifth inning rally for the Tribe, and Cobre rolled over the Bobcats, 12-1, in six innings, to advance into the championship game of the tourney for the second straight year. The game began with a classic pitcher’s duel. Cobre’s Robert Peru went the distance to pick up the victory. He allowed one run on three hits, while striking out 12, and walking five batters. A.J. Perryman got the start on the hill for Bloomfield, and lasted 4.1 innings before he was pulled. Perryman got the loss, and gave up four runs on five hits, while striking out one, walking one and hitting one batter. After two scoreless innings, the Bobcats put together enough firepower to push a run across home plate in the bottom of the third inning to take a 1-0 lead. Cody Cummings led off with a single, and advanced to second when Lalo Chavez hit a bomb to center field. Cobre’s Frank Morales made a spectacular diving catch to save extra bases. Perryman then came up to bat and doubled in Cummings for the first run of the game. Coming into the top of the fifth inning, Cobre head coach Howie Morales challenged his hitters to see a little bit more pitches, and to score six runs. “I told our young men to go deeper into the count,” he said. “I noticed that the innings before we weren’t seeing many pitches before we tried to hit the ball. I also told the young men that we needed to score six runs in the inning.” Chris Martinez, Jordan Stailey, Peru, Dominguez and Castillo tallied hits in the inning. Chris Martinez, doubled, while Dominguez, singled and doubled, and Castillo, tripled and doubled. Bloomfield went through three pitchers before it could extinguish Cobre’s fire. The sixth inning saw the Tribe hold a 10-1 lead. Stailey led off with a walk, and scored when Eric Martinez hit an RBI single to left field. Pinch runner Steven Molina crossed home plate on a passed ball to put the Indians up 12-1. Bloomfield failed to score in the bottom of the sixth inning, and Jason Detrick hit into a lined double play to end the game. “I just kept telling our young men that we needed to play within ourselves,” Morales said. “Bloomfield’s pitcher did a great job of keeping us off-balanced in the first part of the game, and I knew once our hitters made the proper adjustments, we would be Ok.” Hitting for the Indians were Castillo, 2-for-3, with a double, a triple, three RBIs and two runs scored; Dominguez, 2-for-4, with a double, two RBIs and two runs; Peru, 2-for-4, with an RBI; Chris Martinez, 2-for-3, with a double, an RBI, a sacrifice and one run; Stailey, 1-for-2, with two RBIs, a sacrifice, a walk and two runs; Matt Ordonez, 1-for-3, with one hit by pitch and one run; Eric Martinez, 1-for-4, with an RBI; Frank Morales, 0-for-1, with two walks, one hit by pitch and one run; and Shawn Esparza, 0-for-3, with one hit by pitch and one run. Hitting for the Bobcats were Cummings, 1-for-2, with a walk and one run; Lane Pablo, 1-for-2, with a walk; and Perryman, 1-for-3, with a double and an RBI. Cobre played in windy weather Wednesday and Thursday’s contest began with rain and ended with hail falling on the field. “I think or young men have the mental preparation that it takes to play any opponent in any kind of weather conditions,” Morales said. “I don’t think the weather has affected us at all over here.” The Indians were to play No. 4 Portales today at 3:30 p.m., at Isotopes Park. The Rams routed No. 1 St. Michael’s 16-0, to gain entry into the title game. Cobre played Portales last year in the semifinals of the state tourney, and the Indians beat the Rams, 10-7. “One thing about getting back to the championship game was that I saw how hurt our young men were last year after we lost to Raton.” Morales said. “I told our young men that the coaching staff was going to do whatever it takes to get back into the championship game again, and this time come out with a win. We remain confident that we can continue to play solid baseball. “I want to thank all of the fans that braved the weather and made the trip to support our team,” Morales added. “I also want to thank the Daily Press for allowing coverage of the tourney, and the school administration for all of their support.”

The wind was the calm before the storm in Sandia High School’s baseball field Wednesday afternoon. Cobre High routed Lovington, 12-2, in five innings of play, in the quarterfinal game of the Class 3A New Mexico Baseball Championships, held in Albuquerque. Jordan Stailey went the distance, giving up only two hits, while striking out eight and walking six batters, to pick up the win. Lovington’s Manuel Munoz was saddled with the loss, going 4.1 innings. He allowed nine runs, while striking out two, walking one and hitting one batter. Nat Hernandez came in for some relief work for the Wildcats. He went one inning, allowing three runs on three hits, while walking two batters. The last time these two teams faced each other in last year’s quarterfinals, the battle was a four-hour slugfest that ended with Cobre coming from behind to win the game and move on in the tourney. This time there would be no battle, as the Indians made sure a massacre was on the card. The Tribe put together 14 hits in five innings of play, including seven for extra bases. Stailey was shaky on the mound to start things off in the top of the first inning. He struck out the first batter he faced and then couldn’t find the strike zone as the next four batters reached base by a single and three walks. Stailey had four walks in the inning to force two batters across home plate for Lovington. But in the bottom of the first inning, Stailey hit a two-out home run over the center-field fence to soothe his nerves and put the Indians on the scoreboard. Shawn Esparza tallied the other run in the inning to tie the game at 2-all. He was hit by a pitch and then crossed home plate on an RBI double from Eric Martinez. “Even though this is our third straight trip to the state tourney,” head coach Howie Morales said, “our kids are human, and still get nervous. I think once we settled down, we were able to relax and play Cobre baseball. I went out to the mound in the first inning and told Stailey that no one works harder than him. I said that he needed to find the strike zone and let his defense back him up. “I also think once Stailey hit that home run, it helped him relax a little bit more,” Morales added. “The homer took some tension off, and we were able to get good results.” Cobre took the lead for good in the second inning of play. Isaac Castillo blasted a shot into left field for a base hit. After Frank Morales was hit by a pitch, Chris Martinez belted an RBI double into right field to score Castillo. Esparza hit a two-RBI single into left field to push Morales and Martinez across home plate, giving the Indians a 5-2 advantage. The third inning saw the Indians add a single run to gain a 6-2 lead. Jay Dominguez reached first base on a fielder’s choice and later scored when Castillo smashed a shot off the left field wall. In the fourth inning, Cobre rallied for five runs to improve its advantage to 11-2. Chris Martinez started things off with a single. After stealing second base, Martinez scored off of Esparza’s RBI double. After Matt Ordonez hit into a fielder’s choice, Eric Martinez had an RBI single to score Esparza. Lovington went to the bullpen, but it didn’t help, as Robert Peru doubled. Dominguez followed with an RBI triple over the center fielder’s head. He scored the last run of the inning on a wild pitch. The game ended in the fifth inning when Chris Martinez led off with a walk. He stole second base, and then crossed home plate off of Stailey’s RBI single to center field. “I think the key continues to be our pitching,” Morales said. “Staying in the zone and keeping our team in a position to win games is what we are looking for. We also continue to score runs, and even though we have some kids that didn’t have a good day at the plate, the ones that followed them came through. We are finding ways to hit the ball, and finding the gaps to gain extra-base hits.” Hitting for the Indians were Stailey, 2-for-3, with a home run, a walk, two RBIs and one run scored; Chris Martinez, 2-for-3, with a double, a walk, an RBI and three runs; Eric Martinez, 2-for-3, with a double and two RBIs; Peru, 2-for-3, with a double; Castillo, 2-for-2, with a double, a walk, an RBI and one run; Esparza, 2-for-2, with a double, one hit by pitch, three RBIs and two runs; Ordonez, 1-for-3, with one run; Dominguez, 1-for-3, with a triple, an RBI and two runs; and Morales, 0-for-3, with one hit by pitch and one run. The victory put the Indians into the semifinal against No. 3 Bloomfield. The Bobcats beat New Mexico Military Institute, 12-9, in a come-from-behind victory. Bloomfield had a grand-slam home run that helped lift them into the win column. Cobre was to face Bloomfield today at 11 a.m., at La Cueva High School. The Class 3A championship game has been changed to Friday at 3:30 p.m. The game was to be played Friday at 11 a.m., previously. “I just want to thank the fans for making the trip up here,” Morales said. “They always provide an energy that gives us some spark during our game. I encourage everyone that has an opportunity to come up and watch us play do so.”

Cobre High softball head coach Gibby Munoz released the District 3-3A All-District selections. The Lady Indians had six on the first team and five on the second team. Munoz was named District 3-3A Coach of the Year. Making the first team were Jenisha Gomez; Vanessa Diaz; Jerica Huerta, who is a four-time All-District selection; Jade Luna, a three-time selection; Christeen Gonzales; and Angelica Ramos. Second-team selections were Brittany Madrid, Angelita Amador, Kayleen Padilla, Brianna Laguna and Alysia Rascon. Munoz also announced that the Class A/AA/AAA North/South All-Star Game will be held at Tom Powers Field in Bayard. “Mr. Powers will throw out the first pitch, which is only right,” Munoz said. “The games will be held June 11-14. The AAA teams will play a single game on Friday, June 13, with a doubleheader Saturday, June 14.” Cobre finished off the year going 2-2 at the New Mexico State Softball Championships in Farmington last weekend. The Lady Indians picked up victories over Sandia Prep, 12-2, and Laguna Acoma, 18-2, before being knocked out of the tournament by St. Michael’s, 4-3. Jenisha Gomez tallied the win against Sandia Prep, going three innings. She gave up five hits, while striking out three. She also gained the victory against Laguna Acoma, giving up six hits, while striking out two. “We put the ball in play, and came out swinging the bats against Sandia Prep,” head coach Gibby Munoz said. “We were hitting the gaps well, and ran the bases very good. It was a total team effort, as we had 11 hits in the three innings played. The whole team pulled together.” Against Laguna Acoma, Cobre continued its hot hitting, as the Lady Indians tallied 19 hits in three innings of play. The Tribe scored 11 runs in the first inning, and added eight in the second to continue its determination of moving on in the tourney. But, Cobre hit a speed bump when it faced St. Michael’s. The Lady Indians fell 4-3, but were right in the game until a fly ball was hit to the outfield and Cobre’s defensive player slipped on the wet grass, which allowed a couple of runs to score. “Against St. Michael’s, it was a great game,” Munoz said. “The girls never gave up. It had been raining a lot, and the conditions were very wet in the outfield. I was very proud of them. I was very proud of Angelita Amador. She did an outstanding job pitching the entire game.” Amador was saddled with the loss, but allowed only five hits in seven innings. She also had five strikeouts. Munoz said he wanted to thank the coaching staff for everything they did this year, and the fans for making the trip to Farmington. “The biggest person that I would like to thank is my wife, Martha,” Munoz added, “and from the administration through the maintenance crew.”

The Grant County Striders, a Silver City running club, announced that the 37th annual Fort Bayard Wilderness Run will be held Saturday, May 24, at 8 a.m. Fort Bayard Medical Center will be the site for the start and finish of the races. Southwest Bone and Joint, AmBank, Morning Star and 1st New Mexico Bank will sponsor the race. Events include the 8-mile run, which is a scenic cross-country course on Forest Service trails and roads, and a new 5K run and 5K walk, which is on trails and pavement around the Fort Bayard grounds. Registration will take place on the day of the race from 7 a.m. until 7:45. T-shirts and water bottles will be given to each participant, with winners gaining trophy awards that were designed by local potter Robin Parsons. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Silver High cross-country team. The fee is $25 before May 21 and $30 on race day. Entry forms are available at Morning Star, Gila Hike & Bike, and the Billy Casper Wellness Center. Participants may also register online at www.zianet.com/ftbayardrun or www.activeusa.com. For more information, contact race director Sue Schiowitz at 590-4012.

Getting back to Albuquerque was a milestone that the Cobre High baseball team wanted to accomplish this season. The Indians are the Class 3A New Mexico state runners-up and received the No. 2 seed in this year’s state tournament. Cobre hosted Robertson High in the first round Friday and Saturday in a best-of-three-games series. The Indians had little trouble advancing into the quarterfinals, with 8-1 and 14-0 victories over the Cardinals. Friday night saw the Tribe earn an 8-1 win, with Robert Peru going the distance on the mound. He gave up five walks, while striking out 14 batters. Hitting for the Indians were Frank Morales, two walks and one run scored; Chris Martinez, 2-for-2, with an RBI and one run; Jordan Stailey, 2-for-2, with two RBIs and two runs; Shawn Esparza, 1-for-3, with a walk; Matt Ordonez, 2-for-3, with a walk, an RBI and one run; Jay Dominguez, 2-for-3, with an RBI; Peru, 1-for-3, with one run; and Isaac Castillo 2-for-3, with two runs and an RBI. Stailey rolled to the 10-run-rule win in the second contest, 14-0. He had 12 strikeouts, while giving two free tickets to first base. Hitting for Cobre were Morales, 1-for-2, with a sacrifice, a walk, a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored; Chris Martinez, 1-for-2, one hit by pitch and two runs; Stailey, 1-for-2, with a triple, a walk and two RBIs; Esparza, 1-for-3, with an RBI; Ordonez, 2-for-3, with an RBI and one run; Eric Martinez, 1-for-3, with an RBI and two runs; D.J. Madrid, 1-for-1, with an RBI and one run; Dominguez, one walk and one run; Peru, 1-for-1, with a walk and two runs; and Castillo, 3-for-3, with two RBIs and one run. The Indians will play Lovington in the quarterfinals Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Sandia High School in Albuquerque. If Cobre wins, it will advance to the semifinals Thursday at 11 a.m. at La Cueva High School. The championship game is slated for Friday at noon at Isotopes Park. Other action in Class 3A saw No. 1 St. Michael’s down No. 16 Tohatchi; No. 9 Hope Christian beat No. 8 Raton; No. 5 Sandia Prep beat No. 12 Ruidoso; No. 3 Bloomfield beat No. 14 Hatch Valley; No. 11 New Mexico Military Institute beat No. 6 Socorro; and No. 7 Lovington beat No. 10 Pojoaque.

The Cobre High softball team went 2-2 in the Class 3A New Mexico State Softball Championships, being held in Farmington this past weekend. The Lady Indians dropped their opening game to Raton, before bouncing back to win their next two contests against Sandia Prep and Laguna Acoma. Cobre fell to St. Michael’s 4-3 in the bottom part of the bracket Saturday to fall out of the tourney. St. Michael’s made a run being the sixth seed of the tourney. The Lady Horsemen knocked off Portales, Santa Fe Indian School and No. 2 Hope Christian to gain entry into the championship game from the bottom side. St. Michael’s beat No. 1 Bloomfield in the first contest, but fell in the “if” game. The Lady Bobcats won the championship.

Davida Aragon led the Cobre High girls’ tennis team going into the quarterfinals of the New Mexico Class 3A State Singles Competition. Aragon held the seventh seed, and downed Ruidoso’s Alex Chavez, 6-0, 6-1, in her first round Friday morning. Aragon fell to No. 2 Chelsea Lehman of Sandia Prep, 6-1, 6-1, in the semifinals. April Kishbaugh and Anissa Nunez teamed up to represent the Lady Indians in doubles play. They fell to No. 7 Lovington, 6-1, 6-4, in the first round. Benjamin Acosta and Michael Holguin saw action in singles, and both fell in the first round. Acosta dropped his match to No. 8 Wes Seaton of Ruidoso, 6-0, 6-0, and Holguin fell to No. 6 Emil Tsao of Bosque School, 6-0, 6-0.