Sports with Steve Bortstein

06/09/2025

The final tally...

The sports department of the Tricityrecordnm will wrap up coverage of the 2024-25 high school season this week with our final choices for the top student athletes this spring.

With those stories coming out on Monday and Wednesday, I did the math and came up with the following.

More than 450 stories containing more than 270,000 words, as well as more than 400 photos in the paper and nearly a hundred videos posted online.

Not bad for three people!

Thank you to Jaeden Day. Thank you to Turkeyboy Photography. Thank you to W. Dean Howard Photography. Thank you to Lee Begaye Photography. Thank you to Chancey Bush, Jon Austria, the folks at the The Durango Herald, Cortez Journal and everyone who helped lend a hand along the way.

02/03/2025

Shakers No Secret, a two-time winner at Sunland Park, also owns a win in the 2023 West Texas Maturity. He now has 10 wins from 29 career starts and has recorded earnings of more than $712,000.



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Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino
Q-Racing

SUNLAND PARK – Under strong urging from Sunland Park's leading quarter horse jockey Christian Ramos, Shakers No Secret earned his second Grade 1 victory Sunday afternoon, capturing the 23rd running of...

02/01/2025

The victory over the Tigers snapped a two-game losing streak for the Broncos and evens their district record to 2-2 heading with six more games remaining on the schedule.



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Turkeyboy Photography
KIRTLAND CENTRAL BRONCOS athletics
Aztec High School Athletics & Activities

KIRTLAND – Freshman Kollin Brady capped off a Kirtland Central boys basketball rally Friday night, hitting a 3-point shot at the buzzer as the Broncos topped Aztec 56-53 in an emotional District 1-4A ...

01/31/2025

The Eagles will look to extend their winning streak Tuesday night when they visit Tohatchi. Navajo Prep topped the Cougars 57-29 at the Eagles Nest last month in the opening game of the district slate for both teams.



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Turkeyboy Photography

FARMINGTON – Maintaining their unblemished record atop the standings in District 1-3A, the Navajo Prep girls basketball team won at home Thursday night, beating district rival Newcomb 52-46 at the Eag...

01/30/2025

Juniors Chenoa Parrish and Kjani Anitielu each scored in double figures for the Scorpions, improving their overall record 14-5. With a 2-1 mark in District 1-5A play, Farmington is tied with Volcano Vista for second place in the district, both teams trailing Cleveland with a record of 3-0 in the district standings.



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Turkeyboy Photography

FARMINGTON – The Farmington High girls basketball team bounced back Wednesday night after a tough loss last weekend at Cleveland, holding off Volcano Vista for a 40-35 win at the Scorpion Arena. The v...

01/26/2025

Kirtland Central led from start to finish, improving their overall record to 16-2 on the season (2-0 District 1-4A) while picking up their fourth consecutive win. Coming into the week, the Broncos were the top-ranked Class 4A team in the state ahead of Gallup, according to Maxpreps.



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Turkeyboy Photography
Kirtland Central High School

KIRTLAND – Junior Haylee Nocki scored 21 points, including five 3-point shots, and the defending Class 4A state champion Kirtland Central girls basketball team put forward one of its most impressive d...

01/24/2025

The Storm, which came into the contest ranked fourth in the most recent Class 5A Maxpreps polls, were led by junior Remy Albrecht, who scored a game-high 24 points, including ten in the fourth quarter. The win improves Cleveland’s record this season to 13-5 overall (2-0 District).

Farmington Scorpion Boys Basketball
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Turkeyboy Photography
W. Dean Howard Photography

FARMINGTON – The Cleveland High School basketball team earned its second win of the District 1-5A campaign on the road Thursday night, slipping past Farmington 57-56 at the Scorpion Arena. The Storm, ...

01/23/2025

The matchup featured two top-10 ranked teams in Class 5A, with Farmington ranked fifth in the most recent Maxpreps polling and Rio Rancho ranked sixth in the classification.

FARMINGTON – Four players scored in double figures for the Farmington High girls basketball team and the defense came up with a superb performance as the Scorpions rolled to a 63-44 win Wednesday nigh...

01/21/2025

In addition to being the team’s second leading scorer this season with an average of more than 15 points per game, Anitielu has started every game this season for the Cowgirls and leads the team with 76 total rebounds, 30 steals and 16 blocked shots.

New Mexico Highlands University


Turkeyboy Photography
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New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA)

LAS VEGAS – New Mexico Highlands University freshman women’s basketball player Kapiolani Anitielu, formerly of Farmington High School, has enjoyed quite a remarkable run with the Cowgirls program. In ...

01/20/2025

Check out the Tricityrecordnm preview of the upcoming District 1-4A boys and girls basketball seasons, including players to watch and key dates on the upcoming schedules.

Turkeyboy Photography
W. Dean Howard Photography
Shiprock Chieftain
KIRTLAND CENTRAL BRONCOS athletics
Bloomfield High School
Aztec High School Athletics & Activities

KIRTLAND – The battle for supremacy in Class 4A girls basketball will, once again, likely run through the same two teams which have combined to win the past four state championships. Gallup and Kirtla...

01/18/2025

The win for Navajo Prep couldn’t have come at a better time, particularly after a tough 60-44 loss earlier in the week on the road in their district opener against Tohatchi.

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Turkeyboy Photography

FARMINGTON – Sophomore JJ Belin found himself wide open – if only for a moment – on the far corner as he fired off a 3-point shot that gave Navajo Prep a 66-64 win Friday night over District 1-3A riva...

01/17/2025

American Cherub, a 3-year-old statebred filly by American Anthem, earned her second career victory from four starts in capturing the La Senora Stakes and has now earned nearly $75,000.

SUNLAND PARK – Glen Robertson and Bobby J. McQueen's American Cherub rallied along the inside in deep stretch to post a narrow upset score in Thursday's $90,000 La Senora Stakes under jockey Elvin Gon...