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In this file photo Grants High School boys head coach Landon Chavez talks to players at halftime in a locker room earlier this year. "This season was unprecedented... we experienced it tall," said Chavez as he looked back at the 2021-2022 season. Franklin Romero - CC
GRANTS, N.M. – March Madness is sweeping the state. However, both the Grants Highs School boys and girls programs exited early in the district tournament after one game. “Looking back on a 9-15 record I can’t help but feel a sense of disappointment not because we didn’t achieve enough, but because I knew we had so much more potential this season,” said GHS head boys coach Landon Chavez. “This season was unprecedented and unlike any other---with mask mandates, Covid cases, and tons of other adversity---we experienced it all.”
The Pirates went 2-6 in their district this year, and in fact 3 teams (Highland 23-3, 8-0, Belen 17-11, 4-4 and St. Pius 18-8, 5-3) from the district 5 4-A are still in the state tournament after the first round of play. “After seeing the first round of the state tournament, 3 teams in our district have advanced to the Elite 8. We were definitely in tough company in our district and all season,” said Chavez of the teams district play. “Tough company” – indeed. The Pirates also played and lost to the state’s top 3-A teams to Socorro High School (21-5, 6-0), who is the number 1 seed in the state basketball tournament, and 3rd seed Sandia Prep (15-11,8-0) and the number 1 seed in 1-A, the Madgalena Steers (28-1, 8-0).
The Pirates will lose nine seniors this year. “Our seniors will be missed tremendously, and I am honored to have coached them these past few seasons,” said Chavez. The seniors are Nicholas “Nico” Miera, Tomas Chavez, Isaiah Hernandez, Colton Moore, Tyler Everhart , Joshua Canaba, Ruben Shroulote, William Archuleta and Andre Louis.
“Our record may not reflect the team we had this season---but I am beyond proud of every single player on that team. They never gave up and played their best every single night---I hope they learned some life lessons,” said Chavez as he summed up the season. “It was an honor; now it’s time to get back to work because we have unfinished business.”
The lady Pirates wrapped up the year with an 8-17 and 3-5 record and will be graduating 4 seniors. “We had a very challenging schedule---this season was definitely a learning experience for both the girls and us coaches,” said first year lady Pirates head coach Douglas “Dougie” Hickman. “The girls learned how to compete against larger schools and us coaches learned how much heart these girls have.”
The lady Pirates at any given week were playing top teams from three different classifications across the state. Five of the 4-A girls teams (Gallup 24-4, 9-1 Kirtland Central 24-5, 9-1, Highland 21-5,8-0, Valencia 18-11, 5-3 and Bernalillo 26-1, 7-1) that they played and lost to in the regular season and district play are playing in the Elite 8 at the state tournament this weekend.
Also, the lady Pirates played and lost to 3-A Thoreau High School (18-0,7-5) the eighth seed in the state basketball tournament, and the 2nd seed Tohatchi High School (21-7, 11-1), whom the lady Pirates played earlier in the regular season. Both those teams are playing in the Elite 8 this weekend. The lady Pirates also played 5-A Rio Rancho (14-4,4-4) , Clovis (18-11,2-4) and Mayfield (17-12 8-4) high schools.
“We will build upon the foundation that was created this year and over the summer we will attend team camps and tournaments,” said Hickman of his programs summer plans. “Also, we will continue to work on our fundamentals and get in the weight room to build our strength.” The seniors graduating this year are Iyessa Arriaga, Skylar Charlie, Aaliegh Albert and Aubrey Trujillo.