Youth peppers Pirate boys’ and girls’ squads

    GRANTS - What's more exciting than report card day at Grants High School? The announcement of the boys' and girls' basketball rosters and a look at both reveals lots of new faces, in particular on the girls' side.

    The 2009-10 Pirate girls' roster contains only one senior and a whopping five freshmen, including Veronica Lopez, Sydney Mares, Ashley Masters, Myranda Rodriguez and Catherine Tena. The lone senior is Lorri Padilla, who spent most of her season last year on the JV squad.

    “Last year I didn't really play a lot,” Padilla said of her surprise at earning a varsity spot. “But I had one of the best scores on the fitness test this year. I worked a lot on conditioning in the offseason.”

    Last year, Grants began the year a healthy 10-6, but lost seven of eight down the stretch to finish at 11-13 overall and on the outside looking in, in terms of the state tournament. So what will this year's inexperienced varsity squad - one that also includes Kyla Elkins, Haili Emerson, Julie Gallegos and Kalleen Shutiva - accomplish? Padilla said the jury is still out, but she is hopeful for success.

“We haven't played with the freshman girls yet, so I don't know how they'll play,” Padilla said. “But we have time to come together.”

    On the boys' side there were not too many surprises, save perhaps the inclusion of sophomores Logan Lewis, Ryan Ramirez and Weston Zeller on the varsity squad. But the same squad is peppered with names that Pirate fans will find familiar: Eloy Augustine, Landon Chavez, Richard Fortenberry, Eddie Gonzales, Chris Lopez, Brandon Rael and Isiah Whitmore.

    Augustine, Rael and Whitmore comprise the only seniors, and the three return from last year's team that finished 18-11 overall and easily advanced to the state tournament.

    Fortenberry, one of Zeller's prototypical players - fast and lanky - said even he was a bit surprised at his selection.

    “I did expect it this year, but it was still exciting when I saw my name on the roster,” he said. “I didn't step it up last year, and that might have brought into question this year a little bit.”

    Now with both rosters set, the girls' team at least has a little more time than the boys to prepare for its season opener at Taos on Nov. 20. The boys' team hits the hardwood at home on Nov. 19 against visiting Shiprock, a thought that excites Fortenberry, who started two games last year in the absence of then-senior Roman Zeller.

    “It's pure excitement when you get out and run around that court,” Fortenberry said of playing in the Port of the Pirates.

    The boys play three games in a span of eight days, beginning with Shiprock. After the girls open up at Taos, their next game takes place at home on Dec. 4 against Piedra Vista.