By: Jeremy B.
Posted: January 26, 2012
On Saturday, January 8, Kirtland Central High School held a tournament (The Kirtland Tournament.) A total of 150 wrestlers attended. 25 of the 150 were from KCHS.

KCHS was faced against Piedra Vista (PV), Farmington, Shiprock, and Gallup. KC varsity wrestling team had a brutal loss against PV, with no chance to gain an advantage. The KC J.V. wrestling team unexpectedly pulled out a win. The loss to PV did little to inspire Kirtland in a match against Farmington. The wrestlers fought hard but lost by 15.

A turn of events took place when the KC wrestling team beat Shiprock by 20. Gallup couldn’t stop KC’s determination and lost by 30. Three of KCHS wrestlers set records; Samuel Chee 22-7, Nataanii Hatalie 14-5, and Alex Kamae 17-7. None of the wrestlers are individually ranked in the state of New Mexico, “ These 3 wrestlers would probably ranked top 10 in 4A,” said Coach Sandoval.

The KC wrestling team was unable to obtain a victory in the Kirtland Tournament. The day ended with Gallup in 4th, Kirtland in 3rd, Farmington in 2nd, and Piedra Vista with 1st place.

By: Sheldon W.
Posted January 20, 2012
On December 1st the Kirtland Boys Basketball team dominated the Bloomfield Bobcats in the 2011 Webb Toyota Invitational. The Broncos bucked the Bobcats to an 87-59 victory. Thursday night Micah Smith and Cyrus Cly, both seniors at KCHS, led the team with a combined 29 points - Smith with 15 points and Cly with 14 points. While the pair dropped threes, Clay Payne led the Bobcats with 22 points alone almost keeping Bloomfield in the game.

It may have been a sweet sweep over Bloomfield, but Kirtland Central struggled. In the first quarter the Broncos had multiple turnovers that allowed Bloomfield to keep their heads held high. 15 fouls were committed by the Broncos and 10 for the Bobcats. Bloomfield had a chance to get back into the game but trailed behind by 11 points in the 3rd quarter. In the end, Kirtland pulled it together and scored for the win.

By: Jeremy B.
Posted: January 12, 2012

The KCHS wrestling team attended the Farmington invitational Saturday, December 3. Their first dual was against Monument Valley. Even though the team wasn’t able to continue on, they did well considering only seven players were taken.

Sandoval said, “ I only took seven kids, not a full team because I had kids who didn’t show up for practice.” Among the seven athletes who attended were Wesley Pablo (120) 2-3, Emmanuel Simpson (126) 3-2, Bryceson Arthur (132) 2-3, Samuel (Sam) Chee (138) 3-2, Nataanii Hatalie (145) 3-2, Alex Kamae (152) 3-2, and Adam Natonabah (220) 3-2.

Sandoval was only a little disappointed with the results. He was impressed with how well his team continued their efforts. He is hoping for a better outcome in their upcoming match at the Bloomfield Invitational, December 9. They also have another match the next day, December 10, at the Dove Creek Invitational.

By: Kyler S.
Posted: January 12, 2012
The Lady Broncos squared off against the Thoreau Hawks on Monday, November 28.  The game was held in the Bronco Arena at KCHS.  Broncos were the first on the board with a two point shot by number 14.  Hawks number 15 attempted to come back but the ball is stolen by Bronco’s number 30. 

Three minutes into the game Henderson scores the first three point shot of the game.  Shortly after she makes the same shot.  Hawks finally got on the board with a two pointer by number ten.  There was an upset when Broncos number ten falls and the Hawks take the ball in for a two point score.  The first quarter ends with the Lady Broncos up by 23.
 
Broncos work the score up to 38-7 giving the girls a lead of 31.  By the end of the half the broncos were leading by 40 points.  Then just three minutes into the second half the Broncos are leading by 49.  Two minutes left in the third quarter the Broncos are up by 50.  The lady Broncos hold the lead at 65-17 when the 3rd quarter.

The last half was the Hawks bigger scoring game; they scored 15 points in that time.  However, the Broncos end the game with a win at 72-28.

  By: Chera J.
 Posted: January 12, 2012
Head coach John Zecca and the boys basketball coaching staff is looking forward to another competitive season. When asked about his expectations for his varsity squad, Zecca said, “I think a lot of people don’t realize or might be thinking that we’re going to be down a little bit because we lost 8 seniors but really, I think we’ll be even better than we were last year.” Zecca stated that his team “has a lot of good chemistry, meaning that they play really well together.”

“We had probably the most competitive tryouts I’ve seen in my four years here at Kirtland,” Coach Zecca said when asked how tryouts went. He also said that, “the overall quality of the players seems to be better than it ever has been.” There was a good turn out this year and Zecca has “very high expectations” for his team.

Look out for the boys in action on November 22nd when they take on the Hill Toppers in Los Alamos. It will be the boys’ first official game of the season. Their first home game will be held on December 13th against the Miyamura Patriots. Key returning players to look out for are Cyrus Cly (Sr.), Isaiah Raymond (Sr.), Micah Smith (Sr.), Christian Benally (Sr.), Joe Adair (Sr.) and Troy Rocke (Sr.). Zecca stated, “The boys are fairly new, most of them, and they don’t have a lot of varsity experience, but it’s just a good group of guys that have played together for a long time.”

 By: Jeremy B.
 Posted: January 12, 2012
It looks like a good season for the wrestling team, thanks to the coaching of Mr. Sandoval, who has a bit of experience with wrestling. He said, “I have wrestled my entire life. I also wrestled in high school and a bit in the military.” KC has an experienced coach and a good chance for success.

Their first match is on December 3, 2011 at the Farmington Invitational. Coach Sandoval said, “If we maintain intensity, we will be successful.” KCHS not only has a well seasoned coach but also obtained talented wrestlers. “There are a number of kids that are talented. At least 8 or 9 kids will be successful because they work hard.”

The KC wrestling team is determined to gain an impressive record, as Sandoval said, “I was disappointed last year, but it’s going to be better because of work efforts of kids.” Sandoval plans to settle for nothing less than good, considering his wrestling practice. When Bronco Stampede asked of the intensity of practices, he replied, “Practice is intense because a number of kids quit because it’s hard.”

It is certain that Sandoval is just as determined to have a good season as well as the KC wrestling team.  Don’t expect anyone to get cut from the team because of a lack of intensity, Sandoval said. “No one gets cut from the team. Anyone can come and be a part of the team.”

Although this is Sandoval’s second year at KCHS, he has the experience to help the KCHS wrestling team. They have some hidden potential that Sandoval can possibly awaken in the process. As their match date occurs KC students should help this potential arise by attending the match and showing support. This looks like a prosperous season for the wrestling team.