Congrats to Sunset state champs

The Sunset Little League’s team of 9-10-11 all-stars recently won the state title in Clovis at Beachum Field, where they came up through the losers’ bracket to defeat Artesia twice for the title. The SLL team earlier won the District 8 title, although there were only three teams competing in it.

“Baseball occupies a huge percentage of our lives, which we enjoy,” team manager Greg Jaramillo said.

Members of the state champs were Noah Cardenas, Logan Gary, Hunter Jaramillo, Anthony Knoll, Ethan lee, Logan Lemons, Javier Molina, Chase Rivera, Noah Segura, Hunter Solwick, Wyatt Tinker and Antonio Vialpando.

Jaramillo was assisted by coaches Cody lee and Gerald Segura.

“We are very fortunate to be surrounded by tremendous kids and families,” Jaramillo said. “I am also a partner in the Brew Lab 101, where our banners are hanging.”

Jaramillo said the players will get championship rings and receive them at a team barbecue.

The team was honored at the July 24 meeting of the Rio Rancho Governing Body.

Also in District 8 Little League news, longtime umpire and former West Mesa Little League president Mario Martinez will be umpiring at the annual Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. He’s the fourth District 8 ump to achieve that destination, and the sixth from the state.

 

Middle school coach sought

Eagle Ridge Middle School needs a football coach.

If interested, call the school’s athletic coordinator, Phil Schroer, at 238-4231.

 

Football officials are needed

The Albuquerque Football Officials Association is seeking game officials for high school football games.

No experience is necessary; the AFOA will train. This is not a full- or part-time job, and pay is on a per-game basis.

For more information, or to register to wear stripes, contact Ken Murphy at 385-4367.

Latest from the lanes

Dana Miller-Mackie won the Scratch Match-Play series tournament at Tenpins & More on July 21, beating Jeremy Medina 215-179 in the title match.

But it was an earlier game that sent shock waves through the other 15 finalists.

In that first-round match against local PBA member Gerry Smith, Miller-Mackie connected for a 300, her third in July, a career-best for the southpaw.

“I’ve never had three 300s in a calendar month before,” she said. It was almost four, as she also bowled a 299 in a Thursday league match, leaving a 7-pin on the last shot.

In round two, she put last event’s winner, Paul Carper, into the losers’ bracket, 233-192, then topped Santa Fe’s Marcus Medina, 204-167, before her initial encounter with Jeremy Medina, a 258-197 win.

In the losers’ bracket, more history played out, as Angel Ortega bowled his 20th perfect game, eliminating Carper, who rolled a 279, making that the highest singles’ match-up in the 18-year tournament series.

Ortega then beat John Hayes Jr., 234-211, before losing a tie-breaker, 40-39, to Medina after the two knotted at 235 apiece.

In qualifying rounds, Dan Brenning took the top slot carding 1,496/6, a 249.3 average.

The next event is being re-branded as the “Hammer Grand Prix Scratch Series.” It starts in mid-September with a minimum guaranteed $1,000 to each tournament winner.

* The field for the New Mexico Open tournament, set for Aug. 16-18 at Tenpins & More, has surpassed last year’s 171, with more expected before those opening rounds on the 16th, while the three rounds on the 17th are full, with wait lists.

Thirteen states and former US Open champion Francois Lavoie of Canada are represented, including first-time states Oregon and North Carolina. Recent sign-ups also include bowlers from Colorado, Arizona, Kansas, Texas, California and New Mexico.

Tournament director Steve Mackie believes last year’s field of 171 will be eclipsed.

“The car for a championship-round 300 from the Pitre dealership is generating a lot of interest,” Mackie said.

*Jason Schindwolf, a former Cibola High bowling team standout, was the top qualifier for last Sunday’s New Mexico Open win-a-spot tournament at Tenpins & More.

He put together a six-game series of 1,367to move ahead of fast-starting Melissa Danks (1,355).

Third-seeded Christian Apolonio, who closed with 224 to run down Santiago Chavez by four pins, ran in to a nine strike game from Danks to lose, 248-213, in the first elimination round. But Schindwolf was unable to continue, succumbing to a thyroid condition which weakened him, so Danks won her way to this month’s $64,500 final by default.

* Fall leagues get underway at Tenpins & More over the next few weeks, with more than 700 expected to get involved in both traditional 34-week seasons as well as short-season loops.

Sign ups are taken in person at the center, by phone at 892-7117 and at the website (tenpins-more.com).

* A $3,000 “shoot-out” has a number of Rio Rancho bowlers qualified for the finals on Labor Day, Sept. 2.

They include Danks and Schindwolf, Carlos Fourzan, Billy Grant, Dana Miller-Mackie, Eleanor and Michael Parrent, Kathy and Bobby Leitch, Kym Bradley-Hanon, Marcus Sanders, Raquel and Ronald Smith, Robert Edwards, Paul Carper and Dan Brenning.

Last-chance qualifiers are coming up Aug. 11 at Tenpins & More, at Holiday Bowl Aug. 25, and then Tenpins & More again on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.

New Mexico Runners head coach Steve Famiglietta goes over a few things with the first session of campers Tuesday afternoon at Santa Ana Star Center, where his indoor soccer team held a two-day youth camp in partnership with the City of Rio Rancho Parks and Recreation Department and the Star Center, the team’s home arena. Campers worked on soccer drills with Runners players, including former Cleveland High standouts Dominic Valenzuela and Korbin Krupiak, as well as Famiglietta. The chance to work with these athletes gave the kids a glimpse of what it’s like to play on the same field as the players and get to know them better, noted team owner Andres Trujillo. The two-day camp is a community event initiative that has continued to bridge a solid partnership with the New Mexico Runners, City of Rio Rancho Parks and Rec, and the Star Center. The Runners are gearing up for their second Major Arena Soccer League 2 season, slated to in December. (newmexicorunners.com)

Oops: Wrong Legendre

In the July 21 issue of the Observer which contained more good news about the soccer fortunes of Gabe Legendre, we mistakenly accompanied the articles with a photo of his younger brother, Nicholas, a gifted player in his own right.

Please accept our apologies for the photo mix-up.