Texico rallies to make it six straight

RIO RANCHO – For Texico, call it six the hard way.

The top-seeded Wolverines volleyball team captured its sixth consecutive state championship Saturday, but it had to get past an upset-minded, fifth-seeded Mescalero Apache team that Texico had conquered in three sets the day before. Texico prevailed 23-25, 25-19, 24-26, 25-12, 15-11 in the Class 2A title game that took nearly 2 1/2 hours to complete at the Santa Ana Star Center.

Riley Rohrbach's kill on match point enabled the Wolverines (19-6) to win their 16th state title overall and their 13th since 2001.

Though she'd already been on championship teams, the junior outside hitter acknowledged getting the match-winner was a highlight for her high-school career so far.

"It's pretty good, but it wasn't just me," she said. "It was a team effort."

Texico coach Kristen Scanlan said she wasn't taking the Chiefs lightly despite defeating them in three straight games in the quarterfinals Friday.

"Mescalero Apache, man, they were tough," she said. "We knew it was going to be hard because they don't error. They keep the ball in play, and they dig everything. It's hard to put the ball down on them; it's hard to find holes."

Texico probably had an inkling it would face a tough night Saturday after the Chiefs roared to leads of 9-2 and 16-9 in the first game.

"Those first three sets, our kids didn't play their best game," Scanlan said. "But we kept battling. Our hitters came on and got more confident. The seniors stepped up and led."

Rohrbach echoed much of that sentiment.

"We just battled for each other, honestly, to get one point at a time and give it everything we had," she said.

Mescalero Apache finished the season 21-6 overall. After losing to Texico in the quarterfinals, the Chiefs eliminated Penasco in the so-called contenders' bracket and knocked off second seeded Dulce in the semifinals.

Chiefs coach Alice Velasquez said the difference for her team from Friday to Saturday was its mind-set.

"We weren't afraid," she said. "We just decided: 'What have we got to lose?' They just went all-out and played like we should play. We came a few points short, but that's the way it goes."

Texico also vanquished Monte del Sol and fourth-seeded Pecos during the tournament.

Scanlan said she never gets bored with racking up title crowns, but she was quick to credit her players for keeping the string of excellence going.

"You never get tired of this," she said. "The cool thing is the kids just pass the tradition down, and it just makes it easier."