Quick First Step: Eight Teams Off To Fast Starts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025-26 season is now about three weeks old. Several teams are off to hots starts. We tell you who they are:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>East Mountain</strong>: The Timberwolves are still unbeaten at 7-0&nbsp; and will host Oak Grove Classical Saturday in Sandia Park. They've dominated opponents as just one of their seven victories has been by fewer than 11 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>La Cueva</strong>: After exceeding expectations last season, the Bears knew they wouldn't catch teams by surprise in 2025-026. Still, they're off to a 7-1 start after Friday's 72-45 victory over Centennial (CO) Arapahoe in a tournament in Denver. Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2694526' first='Hunter' last='Butler']</strong> is one of the top players in the Albuquerque Metro Region. He averaged 17 points and 9 points per game through the first six games. The Bears reached the 5A quarterfinals last March and seem poised for a deeper run this season. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Las Cruces</strong>: The Bulldawgs are off to a 9-0 start and looking every the part of a state championship contender after Friday night's huge 57-56 victory over Cleveland in a battle between two of the top 5A teams in the state. Las Cruces trailed 56-54 in the final minute when a basket by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2967333' first='Talen' last='Miller']</strong> tied the score and a free throw by junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2173093' first='Josef' last='Brisby']</strong> furnished the winning point. Those two teams are scheduled to clash again on Jan. 2.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Logan:</strong> The defending Class 1A state champions are unbeaten at 8-0 and feature the dynamic combination of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1717249' first='Hayden' last='Bruhn']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1717329' first='Mason' last='Wallin']</strong>. &nbsp;Together, the pair is averaging about 46 points and 22 rebounds per game. Bruhn and Wallin are the primary reason the Longhorns are favored to repeat as 1A champions. Their two district games against Fort Sumner/House will be wars. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mayfield</strong>: The first few weeks have been kind to the schools from Las Cruces. Mayfield started 6-0 before dropping a 63-57 decision to Hobbs Friday night. &nbsp;The Trojans won a tournament at Albuquerque Academy last weekend, beating crosstown rival Centennial in the championship game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2827503' first='Fernando' last='Corona']</strong> is off to a sensational start. He scored 23 and 25 points in the Mayfield's first two games in Albuquerque last weekend. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mesa Vista</strong>: With fewer than 100 students, Mesa Vista qualifies as a Class 1A school. But the Trojans opt to play up to Class 2A. And they deserve to be there as they reached the 2A state championship game last March. This season, Mesa Vista (8-1) raised eyebrows around the state by stunning 5A Hobbs, 60-58, two weeks ago. They have also beaten 4A Espanola Valley. Their only setback was to 1A power Logan. They dealt De Beque (CO) its first loss of the season on Friday. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Santa Fe Indian School</strong>: The Braves were 7-1 heading into Friday night's game against Pojoaque Valley. Last weekend SFIS won a tournament at Capital High School, beating 5A Albuquerque High in the championship game. The Barves have already beaten crosstown rivals Capital and St. Michael's. Are they the best team in Santa Fe? The Braves are led by brothers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2833709' first='Dontrey' last='Callado']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2839393' first='Taivian' last='Callado']</strong>. SFIS reached the semifinals of the 3A playoffs last March and they look ready for another deep playoff run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tularosa</strong>: The Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season on Friday against St. Michael's after winning their first seven games. <strong>Jacoby Apachito</strong> is Tularosa's top scorer. He had 21 points in their last win, a 71-39 romp past Mescalero Apache. In the loss to St. Michael's, he scored 14 points. Tularosa is off until early January when they head north for a two-game road trip to Las Vegas to face West Las Vegas and Robertson. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bears are the Champs! [player_tooltip player_id='2822061' first='Payton' last='Fuller'] &amp; [player_tooltip player_id='2694512' first='Tony' last='Trujillo']: All Tourney<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2694526' first='Hunter' last='Butler']: MVP 🏆 <a href="https://t.co/E9wMjAoGaW">pic.twitter.com/E9wMjAoGaW</a></p>&mdash; lchsbbasketball (@lchsbasketball5) <a href="https://twitter.com/lchsbasketball5/status/2000023751254224962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hub City Champs ‼️🏆 <a href="https://t.co/kzcb4xHW5U">pic.twitter.com/kzcb4xHW5U</a></p>&mdash; Cruces Boys' Basketball (@CrucesBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrucesBB/status/2000061526934524008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->