2015 New Mexico high school golf preview

Class 6A girls golf in New Mexico appears to be a major dogfight this spring, particularly due to Deming's elevation from Class 4A.

The Deming Wildcats won the last six Class 4A (now 5A) state titles under 17th-year head coach James Williams, who is also a pro at Rio Mimbres Country Club.

"It will be more difficult for us to win," he said. "We will be playing at a state tourney site our kids have never played on and Farmington (the site) is an eight-hour bus drive."

Deming returns three of its top five girls, including two-time defending state champion Darian Zachek, who averaged 75 per 18-hole round last year and has signed with the University of New Mexico.

Williams calls Zachek "one of the best the state ever has had. She started competing at age seven and has tons of experience. She is just well rounded and a good thinker. A three-peat is very possible. Probably her biggest competition will come from Dominique Galloway, a junior from Cleveland (Rio Rancho)."

Indeed, Galloway will be a formidable opponent because she already has captured the last two large-class (now 6A) individual state championships. She averaged around 72 last year and already has committed to the University of Texas. In addition she shot a 72 this year to qualify for an LPGA tourney in Texas.

Dominique is joined this year by her eighth-grade sister, Jacque, who already has claimed the No. 2 position on a team which has returned its top five golfers.

"Something's got to give," said Cleveland coach Jim Tillery. "There's not a lot of room for error. We're on a really tough course. I think Dominique has got the advantage."

From a girls team standpoint, La Cueva (Albuquerque) is the two-time defending champion in what now is 6A. Coach Robert Perea lost just his No. 1 player through graduation and will count heavily on returning juniors Sarah Rippberger and Summer Vigil.

The Class 6A boys division also has its share of defending state champions.

Cleveland, also coached by Jim Tillery, won the large-school crown last spring and lost only its No. 3 player through graduation. Senior Paul Montoya returns at No. 1 and plans to attend New Mexico Military Institute next fall. He placed second in the state as an individual.

Las Cruces will counter with senior Davis Chung, who has won the last two large-school individual state championships.

Coach Mike Cruz says that Chung, who has been a varsity member since eighth grade, "is pretty long off the tee, but it's more his composure and his experience. He really has a strong mental game."

With the loss of Deming, Albuquerque Academy hopes to field two dominant teams in Class 5A, both coached by Dave Michel. The girls team finished second the last three years to Deming, but four of the top five return, led by senior Alexis Nelson.

The Academy boys are the defending team state champion, led by individual medalist Ben Albin, who has signed with the University of Notre Dame. Albin fired birdies on the final two holes last year to win the individual crown and give his team a one-stroke championship. He averaged 73-plus.

In the smaller girls class, now A-4A, look for Hope Christian (Albuquerque) and Socorro to field very strong teams.

Girls golf is a family affair with coach Margaret Stanley, who guided Socorro to seven consecutive Class A-3A championships before her team was upset last year. Socorro holds the all-class record for boys or girls with 18 state golf titles. Her father, Dennis Stanley, won four of those titles and she played on three of them. He now is her volunteer assistant.

The Warriors lost only their No. 1 player last year through graduation and will by led by senior Mia Salome, a junior, and Aubry Anaya, a freshman.

On the boys side, Hope Christian could dominate Class A-4A, having won three straight team titles led by individual champion Sean Carlon. A University of New Mexico signee, Carlon could be the No. 1 male golfer in the state regardless of class, according to coach Jon Lehman. He averaged an outstanding 69.3 in the fall.