When converted referee Ben Martinez accepted the opportunity to guide Bayfield girls basketball this winter as head coach, he did so for multiple reasons – not the least being the players’ apparent unity.
“One of the reasons I took the job was because I saw the ‘team’ aspect of it last year,” he said, early in the 2024-25 campaign, “and … they’re embracing it. They’re helping coach each other … and so I’m pleased with this team.”
And even though injuries and other factors combined to chop Martinez’s varsity roster down to sometimes as few as seven or eight players, his cornerstone couldn’t be broken.
Known throughout the 3A/4A Intermountain League as THE Wolverine to stop by practically any means, Renae Foutz still managed double-digit scoring for most of her senior season and often approached double-digit rebounding. Though BHS finished 6-17 overall and came up empty in hunting a league win, she was voted first-team All-IML.
Joining her were player of the year Karsyn Shahan of Pagosa Springs plus fellow PSHS seniors Elizabeth Currier and Kylie Ketchum. Seniors Braelyn Tucker and Hannah Curtis represented league champion Centauri, along with junior Joselyn McCarroll and sophomore Rylie McCarroll. Alamosa senior Morgan Ortega and junior Aubrey Rothermich also were First Team picks, as were Montezuma-Cortez senior Taylor Whited and Monte Vista senior Allessah Archuleta.
On the other side of the same four-team regional, 29-seed Ignacio lost 55-32 to No. 4 Cedaredge – leaving Travis Nanaeto’s Lady Bobcats (4-8 IML) standing 8-15 overall. Seniors Victoria Brown and Marissa Olguin were named honorable mention all-league along with CHS senior Jocelyn Jarvies, Pagosa Springs junior Amber Snarr, AHS junior Jaelin Garcia and MVHS senior Daylin Castro.
Most recently, Foutz received honorable mention All-3A for her end-to-end efforts.
