In his second year as athletic director at Volcano Vista High School, Ron McMath saw his basketball programs make history last weekend.
On Friday night, the girls team beat Hobbs in the Class 5A title game to finish the season with a 29-0 record and a championship trophy.
Saturday, the boys team beat Las Cruces in overtime to also finish 29-0 and as state title winners.
“Both of our programs have been strong throughout, but this year was special,” McMath said. “We’re blessed to have great athletes and great coaches.”
Lisa Villareal, who coaches the girls team, also made history. She won her fifth state championship Friday, the most ever won by a woman who coaches girls basketball.
“Coach Villareal is one of the best, and one of the best things about her is she does everything with class,” McMath said. “She has a lot of integrity in her program. She just does things the right way from the bottom to the top. She’s earned her place in history.”
Both the boys and girls were playing for Papa. They dedicated the season to the late Mike Brown, a legendary prep basketball coach.
Brown’s son, Greg, coaches and his grandson Hudson, plays for the boys team. Mike Brown’s granddaughter is a senior guard for the girls.
“It was like divine intervention,” McMath said. “They picked a cause to play for this season, and they played for something bigger than themselves. That was a big factor in the success that they had. It was amazing.”
The crowd was also amazing at the Pit. Friday and Saturday, the Volcano Vista student section was rowdy and raucous. McMath said he estimated that more than 1,000 students attended the games.
“Many people have told me that’s the biggest and the best student section they’ve ever seen,” McMath said. “We’ve had great student sections all season long, our students are amazing, and there’s a lot of excitement around here.”
