Boxing bouts come to Rio Rancho
More than two-dozen boxing matches, featuring fighters ages 8-25, are set to take place at Able Strength Fitness on Saturday, June 3.
“The Heart of a Champion” bouts will be held at the workout center, 111 NM 528, at the southwest corner of its intersection with Rockaway Boulevard, starting at 2 p.m. The doors open at 1, with an admission charge of $5 per person.
USA Boxing is sanctioning the event, which is being organized by Steven Padilla.
For more information, visit ablestrengthfitness.com.
Rio Rancho rugby players commit to NMSU
Now that their season is over, Cleveland High School seniors Akong Chungong and teammate Bohdistava Garcia have signed their letters of intent to play rugby at New Mexico State University.
Chungong and Garcia played this season for the City of Rio Rancho Rugby Club, which has have divisions available for girls and boys ages 7-19.
The high school Teams play a combination of tournament 7s, tournament 10s and 15s matches; middle school teams play limited contact games in both 7s and 10s; the youngest players compete in flag rugby.
For more information on the club, check out corrhsrfcrugby.wixsite.com/club.
Former Gladiators QB leads San Diego to win
Nate Davis, the starting quarterback for the Duke City Gladiators when the 2023 season began in March, was 14 of 20 passing for 208 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions Sunday, as the Strike Force (4-5) beat visiting Duke City (3-5) 57-44.
Duke City’s new QB, Charles McCullum, was 17 of 25 passing for 167 yards and five TDs, with one interception.
Duke City is home Saturday at 6:05 p.m. to meet the Northern Arizona Wranglers in the Rio Rancho Events Center. It’ll be Military Appreciation Night.
The Gladiators beat the Wranglers 43-35 in their opener in Prescott Valley on March 25. The Wranglers (5-3) are coming off a 60-34 loss to the Arizona Rattlers in Phoenix on Saturday.
Cleveland’s Castillo tapped for honor
BSN SPORTS, a division of Varsity Brands, and the nation’s largest direct marketer and distributor of sporting goods to the school and league markets, recently named Cleveland High School Assistant Athletic Director Annette Castillo to its 2023 Women of Will Hall of Fame.
In 2018, BSN SPORTS teamed up with Under Armour to create Women of Will, the only girls’ sports high school sponsorship program in the country. The Women of Will Hall of Fame Award recognizes AD’s who lead by example, take an innovative approach to how they showcase their female athletes and have a strong passion for promoting gender equity in sports, on campus and in their community.
Castillo has been at CHS since the doors opened and works hard to ensure all female athletes have the same access to facilities, equipment, budgets, and respect as their male counterparts.
She is also credited with bringing the Under Armour WOW program to CHS and in doing so, female sports there have grown in numbers and success.
Four city softball players recognized
Two softball players from Cleveland High School and two from Rio Rancho High School earned All-District honorable mention honors from 1-5A coaches.
The Storm’s Kayla Abeyta, a junior infielder, and senior catcher Ryen Herman, plus Ram sophomores Olivia Chavez, a catcher, and outfielder Alivia Henderson made the HM list; no city players were honored on the first and second teams this season, a rarity.
Meet the Lobo coaches
The University of New Mexico “Coaches Caravan” starts here in the City of Vision on Thursday, June 22.
Lobo football coach Danny Gonzales and men’s basketball coach Richard Pitino are among the coaches expected to greet the crowd and talk about their teams and the upcoming season at the Rio Rancho Events Center from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
The event is sponsored by the Sandoval County Lobo Club. There is no cost to attend, and finger foods and a cash bar will be available.
Senior Olympics are in Las Cruces
The annual Senior Olympics State Summer Games will take place in Las Cruces June 7-11 with an anticipated 400-600 active adults 50 years of age and older competing in 27 individual sporting events.
Games will take place at multiple sport venues throughout Las Cruces and New Mexico State University.
As the mission of the New Mexico Senior Olympics Organization is to highlight active aging and senior sports, everyone 50+ has the opportunity to still register for the ’23 State Summer Games. The sports include Air Gun, Archery, Badminton, Basketball Free-throw, 3 Point Shot, Cornhole, Billiards, Track & Field, Golf, Horseshoes, Pickleball, Powerwalk, Shuffleboard, Dance and Talent and Swimming, with many more.
Seniors compete in five-year age divisions, starting at 50-54 and ending with 95-99. The Game schedule is available at nmseniorolympics.org and registration is available online. Registration is $60 for up to five sports and will remain open until May 15. You can also register by phone by calling 1-888-623-6676, during normal business hours Monday through Friday.
Pre-pandemic, the Summer Games attracted more than 1,100 senior participants.
It’s time to lace up the shoes, get back in the pool, pick up the racket and play.
For more information on Senior Olympics, including the playing rules, visit the website.
Every other year, the Summer Games qualify New Mexico seniors for the National Seniors Games. The Senior Olympics are funded in part by the N.M. Department of Aging and Long-Term Services. NMSO is a private, non-profit 501(c)3 organization headquartered in Roswell; Cecilia Acosta is the executive director.
