Sports

In Alpine’s biggest rivalry game of the season, the Bucks came up short by just a touchdown, falling 28- 21 to the Crane Golden Cranes at home after a furious fourth quarter. Coach John Fellows must wonder what if? What if he had saved some timeouts on his last offensive drive and used them to stop Crane as they milked the clock and were seen celebrating on their sideline and the visitor grandstand.

Alpine beat the Tornillo Coyotes 3-1 on Oct. 26 to go to 10-14 on the season. With just two games left until the playoffs, teams all over the state are jockeying position for seeding and the final rankings in District. The Presidio Blue

Jayden Canaba is your typical stud athlete in high school. He’s always willing to do whatever he can to help whichever sport he’s playing win. Be that football, basketball, baseball, track, or golf, he’s ready to win. And whenever he is not playing you can usually see him cheering on the girls’ volleyball team at the Gallego Center or the Alpine middle school footballers. He loves sports, so it’s natural Canaba will compete at the next level.

On Oct. 25 Hope Dominguez, Hatfield Cason, Marco Martinez, Martin Sablatura, Javier Prieto, Fernis Daley, and Aaron Miller participated in the Regional cross country track meet in Lubbock. The boys team became the first Alpine varsity boys team in over a decade to qualify for the Regionals championship. In the photo, Assistant Coach George Hazelhorst, Dominguez, Tannin Ritchie, Head Coach Cory Cason, Hatfield Cason, Daley, Martinez, Prieto, Sablatura, and Miller. Courtesy photo

At the District 4-3A Cross Country Championship on Oct. 14, Marco Martinez, Hatfield Cason, Aaron Miller, Martin Sablatura, Javy Prieto, and Ferris Daley became the first Alpine varsity boys team in over a decade to qualify for the Region 1 Cross Country Championships, and the road was definitely not easy.

“This is the level of play this team is capable of. We as a team discuss how, if we work together, we will see results like we saw tonight. This is an amazing team with a high level of talent. Combining all the strong pieces we have, to create a winning powerhouse team is who we are, and it showed tonight,” Alpine Head Coach Rick Garcia told the Avalanche after Tuesday night’s game in Kermit.

Two weeks after its most debilitating loss of the season to El Paso Riverside, Alpine was on the other end of a blowout against another El Pasoarea team, the Tornillo Coyotes, cruising 47-0. It was all Alpine Bucks this past Friday night, and this one counts.

Football Oct. 21 @ Crane JV 6 p.m.

During a beautiful evening in Tornillo, the Alpine Fightin’ Bucks kneel in respect of the flag before the kickoff. The Bucks came out ahead 47-0 against the Coyotes in the first district game of the season. Avalanche photo by J.T. Maroney

The old saying about being out-gunned was exactly what happened to the young Lady Buck volleyball team this past weekend down on the border. The Presidio Blue Devils have always been a sticking point for the Bucks, but this year was an exception. Presidio has seven seniors on its roster, and Alpine has three and one that starts in the rotation. It was easy for all spectators to see a huge size difference on the court when you have 18 year-old girls competing with 15-16 year olds. It makes a big difference. Not to make excuses for the loss that occurred on Oct. 9, but sometimes a team is just outweighed, and that is exactly what is happening this year.