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Where are they now? A look back, and a look at the present, for some former local high school standout athletes (10 a.m.)LAS CRUCES, Jul 08, 2011 (Las Cruces Sun-News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Wondering what ever happened to Nathan Enriquez? Or C.J. Oakley? Want to know where Dante Caro stands on the University of New Mexico football depth chart? We thought so. Today, we take a look back at recent standout prep athletes from the local level and ask the question, where are they now? We found some interesting answers. Nathan Enriquez The past: A standout football and baseball player at Mayfield High School, Enriquez graduated in the spring of 2008. Making his mark as a clutch athlete, Enriquez was a wide receiver/defensive back on three state-championship football teams at MHS, while starring as a pitcher and an infielder on the baseball diamond. Fork in the road: Enriquez would redshirt his freshman year at the University of New Mexico as a football player. He would start a portion of the following season for first-year head coach Mike Locksley before leaving the program prior to the 2010 season. Where is he now? Enriquez is currently playing baseball at College of the Canyons, a junior college in Southern California. Last year he platooned as a center fielder, batting close to .300 in about 20 games. He has one year of eligibility remaining at the school. James Hall Jr. The past: A gamebreaking running back for the Las Cruces Bulldawgs football team, Hall rushed for over 2,000 yards his senior year. In turn, LCHS won the 2008 state championship, with Hall as one of the team's centerpiece players. Fork in the road: After receiving a football scholarship to attend New Mexico State University, Hall went from running back, to wide receiver -- where he suffered an ACL injury -- and then back to running back this past spring. Where is he now? Hall's still part of a crowded Aggie backfield that features starter Robert Clay, H-back Kenny Turner and newcomer Germi Morrison. It seems unlikely Hall will get many carries this year, assuming those in front of him stay healthy. Madison Spence The past: Spence was a two-time Class 5A Player of the Year in New Mexico on the basketball court, leading the Mayfield Trojans to two state championships as the star point guard. She was a four-time All-State selection on the prep level. Fork in the road: Playing for her father Darin at New Mexico State University, Spence was a four-year starter on the Aggies, averaging 12.3 points per game during her career. Where is she now? Spence is currently working at a research lab, where she is trying to extract DNA from wood chips. She plans to graduate from NMSU next spring and is currently applying for medical school. The rundown Other former notable local high school athletes, and there whereabouts: Zach Daugherty: The former Onate linebacker redshirted his freshman year at the University of New Mexico and seems to be a candidate for playing time this year for the Lobos. C.J. Oakley: Oakley's odyssey continues. A three-year football player at Onate, he garnered significant attention from colleges prior to his junior season for his physical gifts at running back. He would transfer to Alamogordo for his senior season as the Tigers would lose to Mayfield in the 2006 state championship game. Oakley would then head to the University of New Mexico for about a month before attending New Mexico Military Institute. Then it was on the Colorado State-Pueblo, a Division II college, before his eventual inception in the U.S. Army, of which he is still a member. Freddy Young: A former defensive back at Mayfield High School and the son of New Mexico State legend Fredd Young, the University of New Mexico junior is a backup safety for the Lobos behind incumbent Bubba Forrest. Last year Young tallied 31 tackles in nine games for the Lobos. Austin Hooker: Hooker, who was the quarterback of the Mayfield Trojans football team from 2009-10, won a state tennis title his senior year and was awarded an academic scholarship to Furman University in Greenville, N.C. He continues to compete on the tennis court for the Paladins. Dante Caro: An athletic quarterback and a top defensive back for the 2008 state football championship team at Las Cruces High, Caro is now in his junior year at the University of New Mexico. Last year he returned kicks and ran scout-team quarterback for the Lobos. He will be a backup safety heading into fall training camp. Jessica Groen: Groen, who was the Class 5A Player of the Year on the Mayfield Trojans state-championship volleyball team, redshirted at North Carolina State last year. She is now on the Campbell University volleyball team's roster, a college located in Buies Creek, N.C., and a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Gordo Castillo: The two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in basketball at Las Cruces High, Castillo played four years at New Mexico State, averaging 9.1 points per game last year as a senior. He recently signed to play with Fuerza Regia, a professional team in Monterrey, Mexico. Lucio Luttrell: Luttrell was the Gatorade Player of the Year in basketball at Las Cruces High in 2009. He now plays for Western New Mexico University, where he took the floor in 26 games last year and averaged 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game for the Mustangs. Ryan Honeycutt: A former Las Cruces Bulldawg and New Mexico Lobo baseball player, the outfielder was drafted last year in the 41st round by the San Francisco Giants. Honeycutt was recently promoted to the Salem-Keizer (Ore.) Volcanoes, the Giants single-A affiliate. Gera Sanchez: A former standout pitcher for the Mayfield Trojans, Sanchez hit his stride this year as a junior for the University of New Mexico baseball team. Sanchez was the team's primary closer, recording seven saves, a 5.26 ERA and striking out 64 in 53 innings of work. To see more of the Las Cruces Sun-News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.lcsun-news.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Las Cruces Sun-News, N.M. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. |