By Polo C’ de BacaFor the Mountain Mail
SOCORRO – Seven Socorro High School athletes have been honored as all stars and alternates for the Class 3A North-South football game that will be Saturday in Las Vegas, N.M., on the New Mexico Highlands University football field.
All-South All-Stars Adam Casey, Daniel Boykin, Elias Mora, Alvin Alvarado, Andre Gonzales and alternates Matt Lyon and Sam Jones will represent Socorro on the team.
“I think it means a lot to the school and to the community to have these young men represent us,” Socorro head football coach Damien Ocampo said. “They deserve to go play, and I hope they have a great time, and I hope they cherish every minute of it.”
It is doubtful that Socorro’s primo running back, Alvarado, who rushed for well over 1,000 yards last season, will be able to play. Alvarado suffered a knee injury at the end of last year’s season.
“Because he was voted in, they still want him to go whether he plays or not,” Ocampo said. “But Alvin’s the type of kid that it would drive him nuts if he was there and not playing. If he’s not able to play, then that’s a tough deal.”
Andy Correll will coach the South. He led Portales to last year’s 3A state championship.
“He’s a great coach,” Ocampo said. “I think all of our guys will be starting in some position. I think they’re good enough to do it, and I think they deserve it. I feel that our offense was one of the top offenses in 3A, and these guys were all a major part of it.”
Gonzales, a three-sport athlete, plans to attend Highlands to study environmental science. He said he would like to play baseball, although his favorite sport is football.
Boykin, who also played basketball and was on the track team, plans to attend the New Mexico Military Institute. Coach Chuck Zimmerly advised him about the choice. Boykin said he wants to participate in sports at NMMI.
Casey, who comes from a military family, also plans to attend NMMI.
Mora, a leading receiver for the Warriors last season, has spent the first part of the summer working for State Forestry. Mora said he still hasn’t made up his mind about what school to attend.
“I’d just like to wish all the Socorro athletes good luck,” Ocampo said. “That also includes the basketball players who were selected, along with the football players and all the other athletes who were selected. We’ll be up there watching them.”
This year’s Warrior football hopefuls will attend a passing tournament in Roswell on Friday before the all-star game, before heading to Las Vegas to watch the game.
“Hopefully we’ll take as many kids as possible, 30 or 40,” Ocampo said. “These are the boys who will all be on this year’s Socorro football team. It’s football without the linemen.”
Tony Wragge, an offensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers and one of Ocampo’s good friends, was at Socorro High School on Tuesday to inspire this coming season’s football players. Ocampo and Wragge were roommates in college, and Ocampo was the best man at Wragge’s wedding.
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