Team Preview: St. Michael’s

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Michael's had a magical run in the boys 3A State Tournament last season. The Horsemen finished the year 16-15 and 7-3 in district play. They finished 3rd in 3A-District 2 before the State Tournament. The Horsemen secured the 4th seed in the 3A State Tournament. In the First Round, St. Michael's defeated #13 Tohatchi 76-33. In the Quarterfinals, they defeated #5 Navajo Prep on the road in a narrow 41-40 victory to advance to the 3A Semifinals. In the Semifinals, St. Michaels upset #1 Socorro in blowout fashion 63-33 to advance to the 3A State Championship Game. The Horsemen's season ended vs #2 Robertson after losing in the Championship 65-56. Despite losing to Robertson, it was a great season for the St. Michael's Horsemen. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Key Losses: <strong>Devin Flores</strong> a wing player from last season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class: 3A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>District-2: (Robertson, Raton, St. Michael's, Santa Fe Prep, Santa Fe Indian and West Las Vegas).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Returning Varsity Players: [player_tooltip player_id='1301617' first='Adam' last='Montoya'] (Team Captain), <strong>Lucas Gurule</strong>, <strong>Santiago Sandoval</strong>, <strong>Marco C De Baca</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2684199' first='Reed' last='Bass']</strong>, <strong>Josh Sanchez</strong>, <strong>Sabiani Rios Guevara</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2394866' first='Donevan' last='Ricker']</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Key Additions: <strong>Taven Lozada</strong> a transfer center from Santa Fe High School. He couldn't play last season as a junior. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Analysis: The St. Michael's Horsemen are bringing back eight of their players from last season, which is impressive for any basketball program, especially coming off a State Championship Game appearance from last year. This team will be led by Star Shooting Guard [player_tooltip player_id='1301617' first='Adam' last='Montoya'] who is quietly one of the states more underrated players. Adam led the team in scoring averaging 18.5 points per game and was a huge key in the team's playoff run. Transfer, <strong>Taven Lozada</strong> will take pressure off Adam with his scoring down low in the post area and with his pick and roll play. Expect <strong>Taven</strong> to be the missing piece to the puzzle this year and help the Horsemen bounce back this season. <strong>Santi Sandoval </strong>will play a bigger role this season after floating a lot during his sophomore year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2684199' first='Reed' last='Bass']</strong> is a reliable forward player that plays his best when he's aggressive on the floor. <strong>Sabiani Rios</strong> is the heart and soul of this roster that plays with a ton of intensity which is contagious to the team. He knows how to hype up this team with his defensive play. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2394866' first='Donevan' last='Ricker']</strong> is a big man that will make a presence on both sides of the ball. Many people around the community look at the St. Michael's Horsemen as legit title contenders in the 3A Class, especially with unfinished business to settle in this upcoming season. They are one of my early preseason picks to appear in the 3A State Championship Game this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Roster: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1301617' first='Adam' last='Montoya'] (Team Captain)</strong>, <strong>Taven Lozada</strong>, <strong>Lucas Gurule</strong>, <strong>Santiago Sandoval</strong>,<strong> Marco C De Baca</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2684199' first='Reed' last='Bass']</strong>, <strong>Josh Sanchez</strong>, <strong>Sabiani Rios Guevara</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2394866' first='Donevan' last='Ricker']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Head Coach: <strong>Gerald Garcia</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Assistant Coaches: <strong>Donald Flores</strong>, <strong>Frankie Leyba</strong>, <strong>Israel Perea</strong> and <strong>Jordan Romero</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->