Sports
Lady Pintos Turning Support Role Around

Young Pinto Wins Moriarty Practice Meet

Pintos Finish Opening Tournament in Fourth Place

Sports Shorts

Moriarty Kicks Off Against Pius

Manzano Starts With New Coach

Monarchs Ready for Season

Monarchs Want To Build on 6th-Place Finish at State

Freshman Gives Softball Ol' College Try

EMHS Excited About Gym

More
Sports

HOME	CLASSIFIEDS	OBITUARIES	SPORTS	OPINION

Thursday, August 21, 2008

EMHS Excited About Gym

By Harold Smith
Mountain View Telegraph
          All good things come to those who wait.
        "We've got a new gym now," East Mountain High athletic director David Naylor said Saturday. "Now, we can play in our own gym, have a real summer program and be able to practice over the holidays."
        The 2008-09 Timberwolves boys and girls basketball teams will play home games at their new digs in the Fisher and Smith Memorial Gymnasium on the grounds of Vista Grande Community Center, next to the charter school's campus.
        "And we have a new boys basketball coach in Matt Pribble," Naylor said. "There's a lot more to him than just his track record. Joe Butler (the Moriarty High AD, who formerly held the same position at St. Michael's in Santa Fe) says he's one of the top five coaches in the state. He's really good. I don't think we could've done any better."
        Pribble guided St. Mike's to two state Class 3A championships in 2002 and 2003.
        Former East Mountain coach Wade Swift resigned after one year. The T'Wolves were 5-20, 0-6 in District 8-2A last season and fell in the district tournament's first round.
        "And next year, we plan on forming a volleyball team, now that we have a gym," Naylor said.
        The gymnasium will be dedicated in a ceremony conducted inside the facility during the Deputy James McGrane East Mountain Celebration at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 6, Bernalillo County Commissioner Michael Brasher said Tuesday.
        "We've got the best gym in the state for a 2A school," Naylor said. "The county has been very cooperative with us (regarding the use of the joint facility). I don't think we've ever had it this good."
        EMHS also hired Mike Kleist as the Lady T'Wolves' new girls soccer coach. He previously led the East Mountain Xtreme youth club soccer team for four years.
        Under former coach Jack Veenhuis, who spent four years at the helm, the East Mountain prep girls were 3-17, 2-6 in District 5/1A-3A in 2007.
        Kleist brings five freshmen, including his daughter, Amanda, off his Duke City Metro League challenger club team to the Timberwolves' roster.
        Cross Country
        Naylor is also East Mountain High's cross country coach.
        The Timberwolves' key returning boys are juniors Matt Broomfield and Dillon Waldbauer.
        The team will open the 2008 season at the Alamogordo Invitational on Sept. 6. EMHS will host its invitational, on Oct. 4, and tentatively, the District 7/1A-2A Championships on Nov. 1.
        Though Naylor expects to field a full male harrier squad, his off-track crew did lose some talent, including Noah Duran, to graduation. In addition, Sam Cordova and Ben Lauder transferred to other schools.
        "I think I'll get at least three freshmen boys to start running," Naylor said.
        The East Mountain girls have more depth, although they were hurt by the transfer of Elora Overbey to Albuquerque Academy. But the females return standout sophomore Georgia Kaufman and will have her freshman sister, Caroline, on the rolls this year.
        Naylor's other girls include Cathy Abeyta, Anika Poli, Acacia Prechtel and Jessica Snyder.
        Boys Soccer
        East Mountain High is in District 4/1A-3A along with three of the best small-school teams in the state — Sandia Prep, Hope Christian and Bosque School. In 2007, the T'Wolves were 5-14, 0-6 in 5/1A-3A and did not qualify for state.
        "Right now, our main goal is to build the program," said David Lang, East Mountain's second-year coach. "This year, we've got a great freshman class. That's a good thing for any program. For us, this year, we're just trying to be a competitive team. But before district, we've scheduled teams that we know we're competitive with. We're playing Santa Fe Waldorf and Española Valley this year."
        The eight T'Wolves seniors are Robert Aylworth (5-foot-10, 160-pound defender), Luis Contreras (5-5, 120, defender/sweeper), Calvin Gipson (6-foot, 160, defender), Evan Godin (5-11, 160, forward), Nick Golightly (6-1, 150, center-mid), Richard Mackoy (6-foot, 150, center-midfielder), Zane Morgan (6-foot, 173, goalkeeper) and Sean Poitras (5-8, 135, defender).
        Contreras and Morgan are the team co-captains.
        "I also play forward when they need me," said the speedy Contreras, who missed qualifying for the state track meet in the 200-meter dash by a second this past spring. "As a captain, it's about motivation. You have to set the example. You have to keep your grades up to show them it can be done."
        A third captain will be named prior to the team's first game versus Santa Fe Desert Academy at East Mountain's home pitch at Vista Grande on Sept. 3, Lang said.
        "I think of being captain as a job," Morgan said. "There's a lot of organizing that needs to be done. People need to know where to go. You need to do the things, the right things, be a leader, especially as a goalkeeper."
        The T'Wolves also have a couple key juniors back.
        "We've got Chase Benton and Kevin Pohl," Lang said. "Pohl scored a couple nice goals for us last year."
        Girls Soccer
        The East Mountain females have Menaul in addition to the trio of perennial powers in their 4/1A-3A lineup. The Lady Timberwolves also did not advance to the state finals in 2007.
        "We were able to field a JV team this year," Mike Kleist said. "With a school population of about 350, that's pretty good. We're sitting right now with 40 players. They're all really good kids."
        It'll take awhile.
        "With a little time, we're hoping we can close the gap a little bit against Sandia Prep, Hope and Bosque," Kleist said.
        The EMHS seniors include Angel Arbuckle (5-1 sweeper), Savanna Hands (5-1 stopper), Kacie de Somer (5-1 stopper/forward), Elizabeth McLeod (5-6, midfielder/defender), Danae Kornegay (5-1 forward) and Lani Kai Knepper (sweeper).
        "Our goal for this year is to give those three schools a fight," Kornegay said. "Our team is looking really good this year, and our new coach is awesome. He's getting us in good shape. We really do hope to give those schools a good game."