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By DANNY UDERO Daily Press Sports It wasn’t the best of meets for the Cobre High boys’ and girls’ cross country teams over the weekend. The Tribe participated at the Coronado Cross Country Invitational in El Paso, Texas. The Indians finished 13th, with 341 points. Montwood of El Paso was first, with 104, while Austin of El Paso was second, at 116, and Jefferson of El Paso was third, at 126. Xavier DeLaTorre paced the Indians, finishing in 10th place with a time of 17 minutes, 7 seconds. Whit Garcia was 66th, at 18:49; Luis Flores, 87th, at 19:28; Nick Delgado, 92nd, at 19:33; Daniel Briles, 98th, at 19:57; and Robert Peru, 101st, at 20:04. The Lady Indians took 15th place, with 390 points. Americas of El Paso took the top spot, with 74 points, while Eastwood of El Paso was second, at 101, and Del Valle of El Paso was third, at 102. Jasmine Padilla led the way for the Lady Indians, with a 68th-place finish, at 15:52 in the two-mile event. Victoria DeLaTorre was 74th, at 16:03; Alyssa Maynes, 96th, at 17:55; Amber Woods, 97th, at 17:55; and Jessica Trujillo, 100th, at 18:18. “I thought we were pretty flat,” head coach Kelly Osuna said. “I think a lot of the kids freaked out when they saw how big this event really was. We have young teams, and I don’t think they ever recovered from the initial shock. It was good experience for us, and definitely an eye-opener.” In junior varsity action, Andrew Gonzales led the boys, placing 33rd in 16:35. A wrong turn sent the runners to a 2.5-mile trek versus a 3-mile run. Austin Nolan was 52nd, at 17:11; Ben Acosta, 55th, at 17:16; Kevin Maynes, 79th, at 17:52; and Rodney Gavaldon, 99th, at 19:19. Brianna Aragon placed 66th, at 19:02, while Gabrielle Udero was 69th, at 19:11; and Cindy Coba was 90th, at 23:29. Cobre will return close to home Saturday, as it participates in Silver’s cross country meet.

By DANNY UDERO Daily Press Sports After rolling in pool play and taking care of Bernalillo in the quarterfinals, the Cobre High volleyball team beat Cuba in the semis of the Sandia Prep tourney Saturday. The Lady Indians got by the Lady Rams in three sets, 25-12, 25-19 and 25-14. Celina Medina led in passes, with nine, while Jenisha Gomez led in hits and points, with nine and 12, respectively. Defensively, Christeen Gonzales tallied 16 digs, while Erica Diaz was great at serving up 12 points. In the championship match, the Tribe fell to Raton, 3-1. The Lady Tigers took care of the Lady Indians, 25-19, in the first set, before Cobre won the second, 25-13. Raton then rolled in the next two, 25-11 and 25-19, to capture the title. Gonzales led in passes, with 18, while Medina followed, with 14. Diaz tallied 14 sets and eight points. Gomez led in hits, with nine, while Vanessa Diaz had eight hits and 15 digs on defense. Medina followed in digs, with 13, while also posting seven points. “I was very impressed with our attitudes and work ethic,” head coach Debra Montes said. “Everything was positive about this tourney. The only thing that hurt us in the championship match was Raton’s tipping. They did a good job of that, and tipping is something new to us. It’s the first time we have seen that, and we weren’t prepared for that kind of play … we need to work on that.” Montes said Cobre’s serving was excellent, and the Lady Indians are getting better on their passing. “It’s just a matter of putting it all together,” Montes stated. “We need to work on that before district comes.” Cobre will head to face Quemado on Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday’s contest against Espanola was canceled.

By DANNY UDERO Daily Press Sports There were plenty of things to celebrate about during Friday night’s homecoming contest in Bayard. The Cobre High football team rolled all over Thoreau, 64-0, to post its third win of the season — all at home. Everyone got in on the effort, as the Indians utilized a lot of players in an effort to get some playing time for some underclassmen. “We really improved a lot of our last week,” head coach Brian Miller said, “but we still had way too many penalties, and mental mistakes. But everyone got to play a lot, and I was really pleased with the way our second string kids played.” The game was over in the first quarter, as the Tribe’s J.J. Dominguez recovered an onside kick by Elon Cox to give Cobre’s offense a first-and-10 inside the Thoreau 38-yard line. Cox scampered to the 24-yard line, and quarterback Justin McNett found some running room to the 15-yard line. Cox then found pay dirt, with a 15-yard carry to give the Tribe a 6-0 lead, with 9:25 to play in the first quarter. Cox added the extra point, and Cobre led 7-0. The Indians’ defense also got rolling early, as a quick sack by Tyler Westbrook forced the Hawks into a punting situation. Cox returned the punt the Thoreau 15-yard line, and then tallied a 16-yard scamper to find the end zone again to put the Tribe up 13-0, with 7:26 to play. Cox added the extra point to make the score 14-0. Cobre’s tough defense forced Thoreau into another punting situation deep inside the 10-yard line, and a bad snap saw the ball sail out of the end zone, giving the Indians a safety and a 16-0 lead. In the second quarter, McNett went to the air, and connected with Nick Madrid on a 29-yard touchdown pass to put Cobre up 22-0. Cox added the extra point, and the Tribe led 23-0, with 9:03 to play in the half. The Indians tallied another couple of sacks, and forced the Hawks to punt the ball again in a fourth-and-long situation. Madrid got the call as a back, and used some shake and bake to ward of Thoreau’s defenders to scamper for 52 yards into the end zone, giving the Indians a 30-0 advantage with Cox putting the extra point through the uprights. The final score of the half came when the Hawks tallied a couple of penalties that kept Cobre’s drive alive. Dominguez got into the end zone on a 19-yard touchdown run to put the Indians up 37-0, with Cox adding the extra point. Cobre didn’t waste any time putting the nail through the coffin, as McNett hooked up with a wide-open Joe Rodriguez on a post route for a 66-yard touchdown strike that gave the Indians a 43-0 lead. Cox kicked the extra point, and the Tribe went up 44-0 at the 11:01 mark. The rest of quarter saw Miller shuffle in and out reserve players from the bench, and Tobias Rodriguez had a 59-yard touchdown run come back because of a penalty. But, on the next play, freshman Jake Vega scampered for 56 yards to reach the end zone and tally his first rushing touchdown of his high school career to put the Tribe up 50-0. Cox added the extra point, and the Indians led, 51-0. Dominguez had a 22-yard touchdown on a fumble recovery, with 3:45 to play in the third quarter, to give Cobre a 57-0 lead. Thoreau called a timeout and was able to block the extra point attempt. The final score came in the fourth quarter. Defensive freshman Andrew Alvarez muscled the ball away from a Thoreau back and raced for 25 yards to find pay dirt. The fumble recovery for a touchdown put the Indians up 63-0, with 8:20 to play, and Cox’s extra point made the score 64-0. “We weren’t trying to score the final two touchdowns,” Miller said, “but what can you tell your players … not too play hard. You can’t do that.” Miller stated that the coaching staff has done a great job in preparing the team to play, and Friday night’s victory was a total team effort. The Indians improved to 3-1 overall, and will host Deming on Friday in what should be a very tough test for Cobre.

Cobre High football head coach Brian Miller announced a parent meeting will take place Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Cobre football field. The first practice for the players will be Monday at 6:30 a.m. at the football field. For questions, contact Miller at 313-1210.

The New Mexico Activities Association has revised the alignment and classification for the 2008-10 seasons. Silver will remain in Class 4A, while Cobre is in Class 3A and Cliff is in Class 1A. In baseball, Class 5A will have 23 schools, while Class 4A has 26, and Class 3A has 24 schools. Class 1A/2A will have 35 schools. Silver High is in District 3. Chaparral is the newcomer to the district, with Deming and Santa Teresa staying home. Cobre also remains in its district (3), while the loss of Chaparral keeps Hatch, Hot Springs and Socorro opponents for the Indians. In basketball, Class 5A will have 23 schools, while Class 4A has 26, and Class 3A has 27. Class 2A will field 35 teams, while Class 1A has 45. Silver, again, is in District 3, with Chaparral, Deming and Santa Teresa. Cobre is in District 3 with Hatch, Hot Springs and Socorro. Cliff remains in Class 1A and is in District 5 with Animas, Quemado and Reserve. In cross country, Class 5A has 23 schools, while Class 4A has 26, and Class 3A has 22. Class 1A and 2A are combined for 37 schools. Silver is in District 3 with Chaparral, Santa Teresa and Deming, while Cobre is in District 3 with Dexter, Lovington, New Mexico Military Institute and Ruidoso. In football, Class 5A has 23 schools, while Class 4A has 26, and Class 3A has 20. Class 2A will field 19, while Class A has 10. Eight-man will see 16 schools participate, while six-man has eight. Silver is in District 3 with Chaparral, Deming and Santa Teresa, while Cobre is in District 3 with Hatch, Hot Springs and Socorro. In golf, Class 5A has 23 schools, while Class 4A has 26 and Class A/AAA has 35 schools. Silver is in District 3 with Chaparral, Deming and Santa Teresa, while Cobre is in District 4 with Capitan, Cloudcroft, Hot Springs, Mesilla Valley, Ruidoso and Socorro. In soccer, Class 5A has 23 schools, while Class 4A has 26, and Class A/AAA has 22. Silver remains in District 3 with Chaparral, Deming and Santa Teresa. In softball, Class 5A has 23 schools, while Class 4A has 26, Class 3A has 25, and Class A/AA has 19. Silver is in District 3 with Chaparral, Deming and Santa Teresa. Cobre is in District 3 with Hatch, Hot Springs and Socorro. Swimming and diving will have only one class, with 45 schools participating in four districts. In tennis, Class 5A has 23 schools, while Class 4A has 20, and Class A/AAA has 20. Silver is in District 3 with Chaparral, Deming and Santa Teresa. Cobre is in District 3 with Ruidoso. In track and field, Class 5A has 25 schools, while Class 4A has 26, Class 3A has 27, Class 2A has 36, and Class 1A has 45. Silver is in District 3 with Chaparral, Deming and Santa Teresa. Cobre is in District 3 with Hatch, Hot Springs and Socorro. Cliff is in District 5 with Animas, Quemado and Reserve. In volleyball, Class 5A has 23 schools, while Class 4A has 26, Class 3A has 27, Class 2A has 34, and Class 1A has 42. Silver is in District 3 with Chaparral, Deming and Santa Teresa. Cobre is in District 3 with Hatch, Hot Springs and Socorro. In wrestling, Class 5A has 21 schools, while Class 4A has 25, and Class A/AAA has 16. Silver is in District 3/4 with Chaparral, Deming, Santa Teresa, Goddard and Roswell. Cobre is in District 3 with Bataan Military, Cloudcroft, Foothill and Ruidoso. There are some new rules that pertain to athletes, school personnel and coaches who are ejected from a game or contest. The ejected person must complete an online educational program in order to be approved to participate again. The ejected person will read materials regarding Victory With Honor — the NMAA’s sportsmanship initiative. The person then must write a 250-word summary on what he or she has learned from the materials. The board of directors also approved a revision to the seeding and criteria for state championships. The regular-season district champion will be the only team automatically advancing to any state championship event. The only time a regular-season district runner-up will automatically advance is if it wins the district tourney. Volleyball and basketball are the only sports that have a district tourney. The district champ will be seeded with the at-large teams depending on the number of teams in the bracket. Football will have 12; soccer, 12; volleyball, 12; basketball, 16; softball, 16; and baseball, 16.

Cobre High volleyball coach Debra Montes announced that tryouts will be held Monday through Friday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The tryouts are mandatory for girls interested in playing volleyball. Players must have a physical and proof of insurance before tryouts begin. For questions or more information, contact Cobre High at 537-4020.

Snell Middle School will hold volleyball tryouts Thursday and Friday at the Central Elementary School in Santa Clara. Eighth-graders must attend Thursday from 9 am until noon, while seventh-graders will try out Friday from 9 a.m. until noon. Volleyball practice will begin Monday, Aug. 11 at 4 p.m., at Central Elementary. All athletes need to have a physical, insurance and parental permission. For more information, contact Snell Middle School at 537-4030.

By DANNY UDERO Daily Press Sports The countdown to the Olympics is on, and only four days remain until countries will compete against on another in several sports. One of those countries — China, which is also hosting the event — sought an advantage in attaining a gold medal in this year’s softball competition. Since winning a silver medal in the first Olympic softball tourney, in Atlanta, Ga., 12 years ago, the Chinese national team has finished fourth in five consecutive major championships. The squad toured the U.S. this summer, and played every team in the National Pro Fastpitch League. They also competed in the World Cup in Oklahoma City, Okla., and made stops in New England and Rockford, Ill. The Chinese also hired veteran American coach Michael Bastian to help bring a more Western approach to their game. The idea was to bring power and aggressiveness into the lineup. Though, that was not seen during the exhibition games in the U.S. It seems like the Chinese reverted to their short game in a slap-and-run style that they used in the 1996 Olympics. In last summer’s World Championships in Beijing, China, the Chinese outscored opponents 34-3 under Bastian, but settled for fourth place, falling to Team USA, Australia and Japan. The Chinese also tapped into another resource in their bid to achieve a gold medal. With the assistance of Kanshine Sports in Beijing, the Chinese purchased a pitching simulator from ProBatter Sports, a New England company. Computer/video baseball pitching simulators manufactured by ProBatter Sports have become very popular over the recent years. Major League Baseball teams, including the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates have integrated the sophisticated machines into their training regimen. The Chinese learned about the pitching simulator through their men’s baseball coach, Jim Lefebvre, a former MLB Rookie of the Year. Kanshine Sports entered the picture from there and it took several years to get a deal, but one was finally approved. “The Chinese Softball Association is dedicated to fielding the best, most competitive team possible at this year’s Olympics,” president of Kanshine Sports, James Nee, said. “We were very pleased to help bring the ProBatter system to Team China because it helps hitters prepare for the highest level of competition better than anything else available.” According to vice president of sales and marketing for Pro Batter Sports, Adam Battersby, the idea to develop a pitching machine started in his backyard with him and his father. “We grew up putting a batting cage in the backyard, which was always a two-wheel pitching machine,” Battersby said. “My father was always coaching, and kids would always show up to the house to use the machine.” Battersby and his father developed a video machine that allows a hitter to face a DVD-quality image of a real pitcher, which is projected onto an 8-by-10-foot screen, delivering virtually any pitch a human being can throw. Synchronization is precise and the effect is extremely realistic. Hitters can be challenged by an endless array of fastballs, drops, risers, change-ups, and so forth. Moreover, the pitches can be delivered with pinpoint accuracy and thrown to pre-selected locations inside and outside the strike zone. “We had heard about rumors from the Chinese wanting to purchase one of our machines for several years,” Battersby said. “We were then contacted by Kanshine Sports, and we were able to sign a deal with them and the Chinese softball team purchased the machine.” Battersby said the machine has become extremely popular throughout the baseball world to include college programs, Major League Baseball teams and the 2005 Japan Series champions, Chiba Lotte Marines, under leadership of former big league player and manager Bobby Valentine. “It was great to get the Chinese in on our product,” Battersby said. “It really shows that our machine is a serious piece of equipment. It’s also great to have our machines installed internationally, because it shows that different countries are training like Americans for sports.” Battersby said his machine is the only one used by MLB. “We consulted with Major League players and coaches,” he said. “We feel that our pitch database stands out the most. The timing of our video allows batters to get into a rhythm. If you can’t time the ball properly, you’re always hitting off your front foot. “The Yankees purchased one and then came back to buy four more for their Minor League affiliates. The Indians have three and the Pirates, Red Sox and Mets have one apiece.” ProBatter Sports has redesigned the machine, and said the old one runs for $45,000, while the top end new one is around $75,000. “We are always looking to improve our machine,” Battersby said. “The PX2 just came out. We have some new ideas in lower levels, and right now are working with some well-known people in the vision industry.” Originally founded around the ProBatter Professional system, the ProBatter product line has substantially expanded since its inception in 1999. It now has products such as the Pro Batter II retrofit kit for commercial batting cages, ProBatter Professional Softball System, and a host of ancillary products, including a smart card control system, a scoring system, feeder systems and the ProBatter seamed pitching machine balls. The ProBatter line of products has received 13 U.S. patents and more than 20 international patents. Olympic softball consists of one tournament with games played over a nine-day span. A round-robin is held with the top four teams with the best records advancing into the medal rounds. Team USA has three gold medals, while Australia has one silver and two bronze, and Japan has one silver and one bronze. Team China has one silver. The eight teams that will vie for medals this year are Team USA, Venezuela, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Netherlands, Japan and Australia.

By DANNY UDERO Daily Press Sports Classification among high school teams has always been up for debate. Each state’s ethical attempt to divide teams into classes for equal competition seems to come up short year after year, and in a California town it has brought innovation to the sport of football. Piedmont High School director of football operations Steve Humphries and head coach Kurt Bryan last spring masterminded a revolutionary offense titled the A-11. The idea came when the two were brainstorming at Humphries’ home on how to effectively level the playing field for Piedmont High, with an enrollment of less than 1,000, when the Highlanders were facing schools with student bodies nearly twice that. Humphries came up with the idea of putting two quarterbacks in a shotgun formation, thus making every player on the field a potential receiving threat. “Statistically all over the country, small schools have the same problem of trying to compete with bigger schools,” Bryan said. “If we didn’t have this situation we would never have been forced to come up with this offense. I feel that if we — as a coaching staff — are not doing our job in being innovative in whatever … if we are not pushing the envelope, we should be fired.” The base offense of the A-11 is a six-receiver, three-lineman setup. A center and two tight ends surround the football, while three receivers are split left and three are split right, and two quarterbacks stand in the backfield in a shotgun-type formation. One of the quarterbacks has to be at least 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage. This offense meets the criteria for a scrimmage kick formation, which makes any player with numbers 1-49 or 89-99 eligible to catch a pass. The A-11’s Web site explained that by spreading the potential eligible receivers across the entire field, it forces the defense to account for every possible receiver on each play. Of course, on any given play, only six of those players can go downfield to catch a pass, and the five covered players remain ineligible to catch a downfield pass on that particular play. Bryan said he and Humphries dissected the rule book, checked with the National Federation of State High School Associations and the California Interscholastic Federation, and spent countless minutes talking to referee organizations to make sure their new offense was legal. “It wasn’t tough at all,” Bryan said. “We knew we were groundbreaking, but we weren’t sure about it. So we compiled a comprehensive package, which was extremely detailed, and submitted it to the national level in Indianapolis, Ind. They said it looked good, and the package then took several months of review in California. We got the approval, and talked about it as a coaching staff and decided to go with it last year.” Bryan said he then put on a clinic for the key officials near Piedmont, and that was an important step in helping them utilize the package. “Yes, we developed an offense on the field,” Bryan said, “but we also developed a system on how to bring it to your area. We showed what it takes to address people, and it’s been heavily reviewed.” Bryan explained that coaches can go to www.A11Offense.com and get the inside track on how to get this system approved in their state. Of course, as with anything new and groundbreaking, there are people out there who don’t like it. “There have been a few loud minorities of people in other areas that don’t like it,” Bryan explained. “We don’t have to answer to them. They have to answer to us, when we use it. I predict that there are going to be many more schools that use this offense … far more than can be imagined. I have been shocked on how many schools have contacted us about the A-11.” How has it worked at Piedmont High in its first year of inception? Piedmont High hadn’t won a playoff game since 2000, and when the Highlanders decided to use the A-11 last year, Piedmont fell in its first two games. This opened criticism by many fans, but the coaches continued to review videotape of the games lost, and noticed that the game could have been turned around if it wasn’t for a couple of blown assignments. Once those assignments were cleaned up, Piedmont marched off seven straight victories, using the A-11 about 65 percent of the time. This year, Bryan said, he plans on using this high-octane offense about 85 percent. “We take great pride in this package because we have learned so much,” Bryan said. “This year, we have installed about 20 new plays, and we feel really excited about it.” Bryan stated that the A-11 is fun and exciting. It involves a lot of skill players. He said because of this he flipped his traditional linemen to defense, and was able to keep fresh legs in the game at all times. “Let’s say a small school only has about 25 to 30 players on the team,” Bryan said. “You get your skilled players on offense, which takes 11, and you can use the rest on defense so that you don’t have to get your offense to go both ways. Everyone is playing, which means more snaps per game, and the players are a lot happier.” Bryan explained that it seems like the safety issue is bad, but he had a 128-pound quarterback who doesn’t have to bang heads with the defense all the time. “It’s quite the opposite,” he said. “Your small quarterback is going to survive a lot more in this offense. People think that the quarterback is going to get killed, but the ball moves faster than man.” Bryan explained the situation: “Put yourself in the shoes of a defensive end or linebacker trying to sack the quarterback. First you have to find out whom the ball is going to be snapped to. Then is the play a run or a pass, a screen or a draw? Is the quarterback rolling to the left or right? Is he faking to the left or right? The strain is on the linebackers and the reality is that the quarterback rarely gets touched.” Bryan has also said that he has received numerous calls from college coaches and one un-named NFL head coach. “I have been meeting with colleges a lot,” Bryan stated. “At the National Collegiate Athletic Association level, they are more restrictive on this kind of play, but there are at least 12 to 15 possibilities throughout a game that a coach could utilize it. College coaches have said this can be the difference between playing in the Rose Bowl or playing in the outhouse. “I can’t name the NFL team that contacted me, but let’s just say it’s an NFC team and it’s going to be interesting to see how they are going to use it. We are excited to watch teams use this offense.” Has this crazy new offense hit New Mexico yet? “I have heard that one team in New Mexico was looking at it,” Bryan said.” I know a few coaches as far east as Florida have contacted us about the offense.” The New Mexico Activities Association learned about the A-11 Wednesday during a rules clinic. “We had an official who was from the California area give our clinic to coaches,” associate director of football for the NMAA, Mario Martinez, said. “He did a short presentation with some slides about it. It looked quite interesting, and you can tell there was a lot of creativity there. I can see how it could create some problems for our officials with the numbering system and who is eligible to catch a pass.” Martinez did say that he hasn’t been contacted by any coaches on getting it approved in New Mexico. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I got some phone calls about it in the next couple of days,” Martinez said. “I can’t really say much without knowing more about it. If it’s legal, basically, we can’t deny it. If I got coaches wanting to use it, I would probably contact the official again to look more closely at it.” Western New Mexico University head football coach Bernie Busken said he hadn’t heard about the A-11, but when told about the offensive setup said it sounded like a variation of some different offenses that he has seen at the college level. “It sounds pretty interesting,” he said. “Bring it in and I would love to take a closer look at it.” Silver High head coach David Carrillo and Cobre High head coach Bryan Miller were unavailable for comment on the system. “I think this is going to be the new offense of the future,” Bryan said. “It’s going to be the ultimate small school and urban offense.” Bryan did say that he wanted to express that he is a big picture guy, but Humphries was a creator of thinking. “Our whole staff worked together on this,” Bryan said. “Everyone had a part in it.”

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.