Valencia and Belen racked up numerous all-district honors for their play on the court this spring.
The girls team was dominated by Valencia County athletes as three of the six players chosen were from either Belen or Valencia.
Jasmine Gonzales of Belen was the only Eagle selected, earning a first team place alongside Elena Lucero and freshman Azalia Maliza of Valencia. Deniece Ryan of Highland and Marie Kalb and Amelia Gallegos from St. Pius X rounded out the first team awards.
Lauren Barela of Valencia was the only county athlete selected to the second team.
Valencia finished the year with a record of 5-7, while the Eagles finished the year 3-8.
Highland was well rewarded for their district title, with Ryan earning player of the year and Hornets’ head coach Lonnie Neal winning coach of the year.
On the boys side, Eric Lopez of Valencia was the only county player selected to the first team which was dominated by Highland and Grants.
Dalton Bland earned Belen’s only selection, making the second team, while Jahnai Harris and Preston Lowery of VHS rounded out the county selections.
Jonah Arnett of St. Pius earned player of the year while Highland head coach Justin Woody earned coach of the year for leading his squad to a district title.
The Eagle boys finished the season with a record of 1-11 while Valencia finished the year at 3-9.
Awards for District 5-5A, where Los Lunas plays, have not yet been announced.
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April 19, 2024
