Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico • Page 23

SECTION SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2013 THE SUNDAY JOURNAL INSIDE: ISOTOPES D7 AUTO RACING D7 SOCCER D10 SPORTS OUTSTANDING IN OHIO The No. 5-ranked UNM golf team has a final round to remember, capturing the Columbus Regional and an NCAA Championship berth. Page D2 efore he was Lewis the mailman, Cliff sometime protector and sometime nemesis, Sam Scarber was a protector to Rocky Long and a nemesis to football defenses throughout the Rocky Mountain Southwest. In 1970, the New Mexico Lobos averaged a dazzling 350 rushing yards per game out of a triple-option offense. Scarber, a swift, bruising transfer from Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, led the way with 961 yards on 184 carries.

With Long at quarterback, Fred Henry and Nate McCall at the halfback positions and Scarber at fullback, the Lobos went 7-3 just two years removed from an 0-10 season in 1968. helped turn the program said Scarber, who was in Albuquerque on Saturday to play in coach Bob and the UNM Alumni second annual football alumni golf tournament. The tournament is a small part of effort to effect a similar turnaround, building bridges from the past to the present. After Past football players build bridge to present RICK WRIGHT RICK WRIGHT Of the Journal Of the Journal By Richard Rosenblatt The Associated Press BALTIMORE Oxbow put D. Wayne Lukas in the record books again with an upset of Orb in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, giving the Hall of Fame trainer his 14th win in a Triple Crown race.

Kentucky Derby winner Orb was unable to find his rhythm after breaking from the rail, and never challenged in finishing fourth. The loss ended any chance of a Triple try at the Belmont Stakes in three weeks, extending the drought to 36 years since Affirmed in 1978 became the 11th horse to sweep the Derby, Preakness and Belmont. get paid to spoil the 77-year-old Lukas said. we go over here and you mail in. a different surface and a different time.

You gotta line up and win Lukas won his sixth Preakness to move one behind Robert Wyndham Walden for most wins in the second leg of the Triple Crown. The victory was a long time coming for the dean of trainers. The last time he won a Triple Crown race was the 2000 Belmont with Commendable. Before that, he was a regular in the circle after classic races. At one point, he ran off six in a row from the 1994 Preakness through the 1996 Derby.

He also took a run at the Triple PATRICK ASSOCIATED PRESS Jockey Gary Stevens celebrates aboard Oxbow after winning the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. Favorite Orb came in fourth. No Triple Crown, again, as Oxbow upsets Orb Win, place, show 6 Oxbow $32.80 $12.00 $6.80 9 Itsmyluckyday $7.80 $5.00 5 Mylute $5.20 See OXBOW on PAGE D10 See PAST on PAGE D2 PREP STATE TOURNAMENTS Surprise champions La Cueva girls win 5A after a Storm DQ 4x400 relay team crossed over too soon By Glen Rosales For the Journal For a brief moment, the Cleveland girls 4x400 relay team celebrated what they thought was a Class 5A track and field championship after they appeared to win their event in record-setting time. But on the far side of the track, a waggling red flag turned those tears of joy into cries of disbelief, then dismay. Running the second leg, Larimar Rodriguez cut from her lane to the interior turn before it was legal to do so, resulting in the disqualification in the event.

That elevated La Cueva to second in the event and the team title with 87 points, followed by Eldorado, which won the 4x400 in a state record time of 3:55.37, with 80 points and relegated Cleveland to third with 79 points. saw the red flags. I know what it was, but some other coaching friends told me that she had crossed See CLEVELAND on PAGE D4 GREG Parker Jones took first place in the boys 5A 110-meter hurdles in a time of 14.22 during the state track meet Saturday. Softball Piedra Vista wins its eighth consecutive title; Silver captures 3A championship D3 Track and field Final team standings, top performers in events D4 Baseball Hope Christian, St. Pius win it all D5 Online Visit ABQjournal.com/ sports for a photo slide shows from the tournaments and to buy prints MORE COVERAGE MARLA Rio Zak Felix celebrates the victory over Sandia in state Class 5A championship baseball final at Isotopes Park.

By James Yodice Journal Staff Writer This was probably one of the most unlikely cast of characters to ever win a state baseball championship. The unit, otherwise known as the Rio Rancho baseball team, on Saturday afternoon capped a crazy, unpredictable season, scoring two runs in each of the final two innings as the fifth-seed- ed Rams overcame a three-run deficit to upset No. 3 Sandia 4-3 in the Class 5A championship game at Isotopes Park. Marcus sacrifice fly scored Angelo Lujan with two outs in the bottom of the seventh for the walkoff victory. Martinez lofted a medium- length fly ball down the left-field line.

Sandia outfielder Brandon Shaffer drifted into foul territory to make the catch. knew have to make a throw straight through the guy running Martinez said. The throw was up the first-base side, and Lujan, tagging from third, scored without a play, sending the Rams spilling out onto the infield to celebrate the third 5A championship in the past seven seasons. knew whether we had one out left or six outs that we had a said Rio Grant Templin, whose single to center started the game-winning rally in the seventh. kind of in It was a team that rarely sent out the same lineup more than twice in a row this season.

On a team with so many unlikely contributors the result of an ever-expanding injury list perhaps the one who stands out most is sophomore pitcher Wyatt Kelley. Oft-injured Rams persevere to clinch 5A title By Geoff Grammer Journal Staff Writer It lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity for Audrey Velasquez. In a day, a season and a career that seemed to go almost flawlessly, the Las Cruces High senior shortstop just stood a few feet beyond the first-base bag staring into her dugout Saturday afternoon not knowing for sure what was going on. It was the only time all game she seem to be in complete control of Lobo Field. Velasquez had just hit a game-winning RBI in the final at-bat of her high school career, giving the top-seeded Lady Bulldawgs a 10-0 mercy-rule win in five innings over No.

3 Cibola and the Class 5A title. And yet, there she stood crying, happy, confused and alone as the home-plate umpire seemed to be the only one in the park who had lost track of the score, taking an agonizingly long time to signal the game Seniors power Cruces to crown Lady Bulldawgs win state 5A title MARLA Las Cruces High softball players, including Kat Padilla, center, Audrey Velasquez (9) and Briana Minjarez, right, celebrate their state championship. See SENIORS on PAGE D3 See RAMS on PAGE D5.