Belen second, Los Lunas fifth as Valencia High crowned two individual champions

As teams from Belen, Los Lunas and Valencia head south back home Saturday night following the New Mexico State Wrestling Championships, there were likely few thoughts of “what might have been” after the two-day tournament at the Rio Rancho Events Center. Valencia County programs left Rio Rancho with a mix of team hardware and milestone individual wins.

Belen High School held on for second in the boys 1A-4A battle, a podium finish that caps a deep run for the Eagles in that classification. The report on the tournament specifically notes, “BHS held on for second in the boys 1A-4A battle,” though full point totals and individual medalists for Belen were not listed in the available account.

Los Lunas competed in 5A and, despite injuries and illness that “left the Tigers with several holes going into the 5A State Championship,” produced seven medalists and at least one named placer: Noah Chavez finished third in the 132-pound weight class. Coach Steve Chavez summed up the run: “Talk about overachieving. It’s just unbelievable,” and “Everyone contributed points. I’m just so happy for the team.” There is a discrepancy in published accounts over whether Los Lunas finished fourth or fifth in 5A; one passage lists the 5A podium as “Cleveland took the team title, followed by Volcano Vista, Las Cruces and LLHS,” which implies fourth, while a headline elsewhere reads “LLHS fifth.”

Valencia High School celebrated two individual state champions: senior Alexis Avis-Labus at 105 pounds and sophomore Dominik Suarez at 106 pounds. Alexis finished her final high school season with four first-period pins at state and “only one loss,” becoming “the first female state champion in school history.” Alexis told reporters, “I definitely earned it this year. I worked very hard. There’s a lot of emotions going on because this is it for me.” Her father and first-year VHS coach Shawn Avis-Labus called the performances, “Those two really showed up and showed out,” adding, “I knew we’d shock some people this season.” Valencia’s team placements were reported in one line as “The Jaguars were a solid eighth in the boys competition and 23rd on the girls side.”

The statewide picture in the 5A discussion included Cleveland atop the team standings, followed by Volcano Vista and Las Cruces on the podium ahead of Los Lunas in the order quoted. With Belen’s second-place finish in boys 1A-4A and Valencia producing both a boys and a girls state champion, Valencia County leaves Rio Rancho with tangible returns for programs across classifications.

Alexis Avis-Labus is now weighing college offers after her historic finish, and local coaches will use the momentum from the two-day tournament as they head into offseason training and next season planning. Official bracket sheets and final team point totals remain the next step to confirm exact standings and medal lists for Belen, Los Lunas and Valencia.