The best wrestling of the prep wrestling season can be found this weekend in Rio Rancho.
The annual Conflict at Cleveland, an event with over 80 boys and girls teams from six states, will begin Friday at the Rio Rancho Events Center.
Organizers expect over 1,500 wrestlers to compete during the two-day tournament, which is hosted by Cleveland.
Action begins at 9:30 a.m. Friday, and there will be several championship rounds contested on the first day.
But the bulk of the important matches will be held on Saturday, with quarterfinals, semifinals and championship matches.
The finals are tentatively scheduled to begin about 1 p.m. Saturday, but that time will depend on how long it takes to complete preceding rounds.
In addition to many of New Mexico’s top wrestlers, teams from California, Texas, Colorado, Arizona and Kansas are also scheduled to compete. Colorado is sending 20 teams south to Rio Rancho.
Virtually every school in the metro area is on the list to wrestle, led by three-time defending Class 5A state champion Volcano Vista. Ten of the Albuquerque Public Schools programs are entered; everyone except Albuquerque High, Highland and Valley. Rio Rancho is entered, plus St. Pius, Bernalillo, Valencia, Los Lunas, Albuquerque Academy and Belen. All four of Las Cruces’ public schools also will be in attendance.
Tickets are being sold through Ticketmaster, AXS, and UNATION. Fans can buy a single-day or multi-day ticket; a day pass is required for re-entry on the same day.
AMARO: New Mexico’s most premier running back from the 2025 season has locked into his college choice.
Las Cruces High’s Danny Amaro recently announced his commitment to play for New Mexico Highlands. The signing period for New Mexico’s non-Division I football players comes up in February.
Amaro was brilliant for the Bulldawgs last season, rushing for 1,927 yards with 42 touchdowns as he helped Las Cruces reach the Class 6A state championship game.
SCHOOL RECORD: Over the holidays, Cibola High School had its boys basketball career scoring record surpassed.
Cougars junior guard Elijah Martinez has surpassed Mikal Monette on Cibola’s all-time points list. With a 17-point outing on Dec. 20 versus No. 1-ranked Las Cruces, Martinez, a 5-foot-10 combo guard, has scored 1,466 points.
Monette had the record for many years, with 1,455 points.
LEE: Kelley Lee, most recently the head football coach at Eastern New Mexico — and, once upon a time, the head coach at Valencia (2009-11) — is getting back into the prep game.
Silver has announced Lee as the Colts’ new head football coach.
Lee coached ENMU for the last three seasons before he was fired in November. He actually was the head coach for the Greyhounds for two separate stints.
He replaces Jerome Ortiz at Silver, which was 6-5 last season and lost in the first round to Grants.
JIMENEZ: In November, Easy Jimenez led La Cueva to the Class 5A boys state soccer championship.
He has been rewarded for his work by the United Soccer Coaches as the Far West Regional Coach of the Year. Jimenez’s Bears went 20-1-2 last season, and he was eligible to be named national Coach of the Year.
Jimenez will be in Philadelphia later this month to receive his honor; one of his senior midfielders, Winston Starr, was named a first-team All-American by the USC and will also be going to Pennsylvania.
NATIONAL CHAMPION: When she was a La Cueva Bear, Karyna Werley was one of New Mexico’s most elite and versatile players between her effective work both as a setter and a hitter.
Now Werley is a national champion.
She was a member of the Metropolitan State University of Denver squad that last month captured the Division II title.
In the championship match, Werley had 25 assists and 10 kills as Denver, ranked No. 4, topped second-ranked Concordia University from St. Paul, Minnesota, in four sets in the final in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Werley, a 5-10 freshman, finished the season with 292 kills and 718 assists.