High School
Boys Basketball
The St. Pius X boys basketball team had a dominant week, going 2-0 with impressive wins over Grants and Valencia. The Sartans traveled to Grants and secured a 67-47 victory before returning home to defeat Valencia 46-36 on Friday night. With these wins, the Sartans improved to 19-5 overall and remain undefeated in District 5-4A play at 7-0.
Next Up: The Sartans will host Highland High School on Friday at 7 p.m., looking to maintain their perfect district record.
Girls Basketball
The St. Pius X girls basketball team picked up a crucial 35-26 win over Valencia on Friday night, creating a first-place tie in the District 5-4A standings. Both teams now sit at 6-1 in district play, setting up an exciting final week of the regular season. The Sartans improved their overall record to 16-7 with the victory.
Next Up: The Sartans will wrap up their regular season on Friday night at Highland High School.
Cheer
The St. Pius X Cheer team brought the energy and spirit to the Santa Fe Demons Invite, earning 1st place in the 4A Game Day Cheer division! Congratulations to our talented cheerleaders for their hard work and dedication!
Swimming
The St. Pius X swim team put together a strong performance at the District 5 Championships Swim Meet held at Albuquerque Academy over the weekend.
The Sartan girls finished in fourth place with a team score of 216. A standout performance came from the relay team of Ava Machtinger (Senior), Audrey Phelps (Junior), Danira Madrid (Junior), and Madelym Garcia (Sophomore), who clocked a time of 2:01.56 in the District 5 Championship Meet.
On the boys’ side, the Sartans delivered an impressive showing, finishing as district runner-up with a team score of 235. The relay team of Dominic Martinez (Senior), Justin Duran (Senior), Isaiah Martinez (Senior), and Brandon Whitson (Sophomore) posted a strong time of 1:43.48 in the District 5 competition.
Next up, the Sartans will compete at the State Meet on February 21-22, 2025, at Albuquerque Academy. The team will be represented by District Champions: Justin Duran and Audrey Phelps along with team captain qualifiers: Dominic Martinez and Ava Marie Machtinger. Additional State Qualifiers: Branson Whitson, Danira Madrid, Madelyn Garcia, Isaiah Martinez, Griffin Wells, Isaiah Barela, John Carney and Brody Dexel as well as relay alternates; Captain Santi Lopez and Sydney Dexel will compete on Friday with finals on Saturday.
Wrestling
The St. Pius X wrestling team delivered an outstanding performance at the regional tournament, with the boys’ team securing a third-place finish and 10 wrestlers punching their tickets to the state championship.
Leading the charge for the Sartans were three regional champions: Dane Padilla (107), Matthew Longdon (127), and Valentine Popadiuc (152), who dominated their weight classes to claim titles. Mycah Gachupin (139) battled his way to a runner-up finish, further adding to the team’s success. Other key performances included Zachary Katz (5th, 145), Santiago Aragon Roybal (4th, 172), Jacob Silva (5th, 189), TJ Maldonado (7th, 160), Lance Yarbrough (6th, 133), and Alfredo Martinez (6th, 114).
On the girls’ side (as mentioned last week), Zia Budagher (152) led the way by claiming a regional championship. Isabella Vallejos (4th, 126) and Claudia Aragon (6th, 138) also earned their spots at state, while Abigail Rael (132) and Avi Phlieger (120) received wild-card selections to join their teammates in the final competition of the season.
With 15 total Sartans ready to compete at state, St. Pius X will be well-represented in the championship rounds. The 2025 NMAA State Wrestling Championships will take place on February 21-22 at the Rio Rancho Events Center, where the Sartans will look to make their mark against the best in New Mexico.
For brackets, schedules, and event details, visit NMACT Wrestling.
Middle School
Boys Basketball
On Monday, 8th grade boys basketball defeated Sandia Prep (C-Team) while the 6th grade (white team) defeated Albuquerque Academy. The gold team dropped a tough one to Albuquerque Academy On Tuesday, the 8th grade team fell to Eldorado (C-team). 6th grade teams (white and gold) both won against Albuquerque Academy.
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