Football Stars Shine in the San Luis Valley

In late November, a big deal went down in the San Luis Valley. The Class 1A All-South-Central League football team was announced. This is a huge honor for high school football players in the area. A total of 29 student-athletes from the valley made the cut. Centauri High School came out on top with 10 players earning spots on the team. Seven of them made the first team. Carson Shawcroft, Spencer Smith, Cole Jackson, Marcos Atencio, Leland Chacon, and Dallyn King were among them. Three more players, Sean Jarvies, Blake Johnson, and Donovan Jarvies, were second team selections. Drake Gallardo got an honorable mention. Shawcroft wasn't just any player. He was named the Offensive Player of the Year. And the coach, Kyle Forster, was honored as the Coach of the Year. That's a big deal! Monte Vista High School wasn't far behind with eight players making the team. Azaraiah Hurtado, Kelby Mondragon, Chayse Bouet, Zach Gallegos, and Manny Jiron were all on the first team. Mason Mondragon and Jon Enderle were second team selections, and Domyon Naranjo got an honorable mention. Hurtado wasn't just any defensive player. He was named the Defensive Player of the Year. That's a huge honor! Del Norte High School had seven players on the All-League team. Morgan Howell, Brendan Hemmerling, Asher Albright, and Liam Kreutzer made the first team. Wyatt VanZalinge and Landan Velasquez were second team, and Trenton Woolf got an honorable mention. Center High School rounded out the list with four players. Ivan Guaderrama and Devan Garcia were first team, Jaiden Martinez was second team, and Mario Mendoza got an honorable mention. These players worked hard to get where they are. They're not just good at football. They're also students. It's a big deal to be recognized like this.