Kirtland Central and Farmington are the apparent front-runners in this district as the Broncos and Scorpions each return enough to give hope for state title aspirations. Kirtland returns standout guard Jaimey Tanner and center Shantel Begay, and the Scorps bring back three starters from a team that made the AAAA postseason. Bloomfield and Piedra Vista will start anew with first-year coaches, and Aztec's Bill McLaughlin begins his second season for the Tigers. Los Alamos may be the prime candidate to step in and take advantage as the Hilltoppers bring back nine players with varsity experience and have a distinct height edge over the rest of the district.
Capital brings back two starters and is a slight favorite, for the moment, to take the district.
Silver begins its quest for a repeat state championship with only three returnees and a new coach. But don't cry for the Colts just yet. The downside for the Knights and Wildcats is youth. We're real young, but this is the most depth and talent I've ever had at one time. Roswell has been stymied the last two seasons playing in the same district with powers Clovis and Hobbs, never able to advance to the state tournament.