There was the time, back in 2008 during his first year guiding the Monarchs, when Manzano tied for first with Cibola at what was then called the city meet. Somewhere in his past, there also might have been the weekend camping trip or just a couple of days just taking it easy that could have been categorized as enjoyable.

This past Friday and Saturday, however, did not peg Sparago's fun meter. Indeed, the arrow didn't even quiver.

The Monarchs, with no wrestlers making it to the finals and only one individual advancing to the top four in any of the 14 weight classes, took a disappointing 11th place with 45 points in the 13-team Albuquerque Public Schools Metro Championships at Eldorado.

Monarchs sophomore Aundre Huynh was Manzano's sole placer. He was fourth in the 135-pound division.

"We weren't real happy," said Sparago, whose boys were fresh off a victory at the Monarchs-hosted Sam C'de Baca Memorial Tournament on Jan. 23. "I hope it was just a bad weekend for us. Let's see. We'll see, I guess, in a few weeks."

The Metro meet, on the other hand, was a joyous outing for Volcano Vista first-year coach Jimmy Melek. The Class 4A Hawks, aided by six gold medalists, outclassed a mostly 5A field for the team title.

Melek's grapplers scored 180 points. Their closest challenger, 4A St. Pius, trailed VVHS by 60 1/2 points when all was said and done.

Rio Grande was the top 5A finisher. The Ravens were 65 points behind the winners.

Melek credited his wrestlers for having worked hard, and the team's parents and the school's administration for providing outstanding support. He even praised his predecessor, former Volcano Vista coach Michael Zufall for leaving him some experienced talent.

Ironically, Zufall also coached Manzano the season prior to the Monarchs, under Sparago, tying for first place at the city meet in 2008.

Melek, however, replied with a definitive "No" when asked if he felt the Metro win was any indication his team should be a runaway favorite for the state 4A title come Feb. 19-20. The season finale will he held at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho.

"I know coach (Dennis) Friedland pretty well," Melek said of his fellow 4A coach at Moriarty. "He'll have his team ready before state. It'll be close between us and his team. I do expect it to be between the two of us, but it'll be a barnburner between those two teams."

Manzano also competed in a dual at Belen late Wednesday.

Moriarty

Friedland, the Pintos' coach, was on the same page with his Volcano Vista counterpart. The Hawks were ranked No. 1 in the latest New Mexico High School Coaches Association Class 4A poll, and Moriarty was No. 2.

"It's going to be close (at state) between us and them if we wrestle up to our potential and they wrestle up to theirs," Friedland said. "We're hoping someone else will knock some of their guys off, and they're hoping someone else will beat our guys.

"We just don't match up with each other," Friedland continued. "Their good guys don't go up against our good guys, and our good guys don't go up against their good guys."

Besides, Friedland contended, the Metro field must not have been very strong this year.

"St. Pius was second, and they're not that good," he said.

While Volcano Vista was winning the Metro competition, the Pintos were up north competing in the Cardinal Classic at Las Vegas Robertson. But Moriarty's trip to the San Miguel County seat on Friday, the two-day meet's first day, was canceled because the Pintos' school was closed due to a snow day.

Moriarty's grapplers were thus only able to compete on Saturday, the concluding day of the meet.

"We just went up there to get some individual matches in," said Friedland, who said his team, as a result, was not in the running for a tournament placement.

Tourney officials put the Pintos, as best they could, into open spots, Friedland said. Some of Moriarty's top wrestlers weren't able to get a gold-bracket slot.

Of those who did get a berth, sophomore Curtis Apodaca and junior Jacob Griego did the best, the coach said. Respectively, they were first in the 189- and 171-pound categories.

The Pintos' other placers included senior Keaton Chancellor (second, 112), freshman Daniel Avila (third, 119), junior Jeremy Gonzales (third, 135) and senior Stephen Apodaca (third, 145).

The coach said Roger Vega, who earlier in the season had battled Andrew Foster for the Pintos' No. 1 position at 135, has quit the team.

Manzano hosts quadrangular, Friday, 4 p.m.

Moriarty at Valley Quad, Friday, 4 p.m.