Santa Fe Prep boys, girls earn No. 2 seed in state soccer tournament

It was a long wait for the state’s boys and girls soccer teams Monday, but it was well worth it for several Northern teams.The Santa Fe Prep boys and girls teams will wait until the quarterfinals to play in the Class 1A/3A state tournament with matching No. 2 seeds, while Pojoaque Valley’s girls program made history with its first home playoff game when the Elkettes nabbed the No. 8 seed.Meanwhile, Santa Fe High snuck into the boys 5A bracket as the 16th and final seed, beating out Clovis for the spot.Those were the most notable results from the state boys and girls soccer brackets, unveiled around midnight.On the boys side, the Blue Griffins will try to defend their 1A/3A title as the second seed after winning it all as the No. 1 last season. Prep’s path will include a quarterfinal matchup between No. 7 Rehoboth Christian and No. 10 West Las Vegas, making its first postseason appearance, and a potential semifinal clash with No. 3 New Mexico Military Institute.Meanwhile, the girls team earned the second seed for the second straight year after a 19-1 record and an unblemished 14-0 mark in District 2-1A/3A. Prep’s path to its first final in 21 years include a quarterfinal match against the winner between No. 7 Rehoboth Christian and No. 10 Academy for Technology and the Classics, and a potential showdown against No. 3 Albuquerque Sandia Prep.First-round matches will be played at the home of the higher seed, and only 1A/3A has byes for the top four seeds.Pojoaque Valley earned a home match thanks to its 8-4-8 overall record and a program-best runner-up finish in 2-1A/3A. The Elkettes’ reward? A contest against fellow District 2-1A/3A foe and eighth-seeded West Las Vegas, which it played to a scoreless tie to end the regular season Friday. The Lady Dons earned their second state tournament appearance in three years.Last year’s state champion St. Michael’s managed to keep its streak of state tournament appearances alive at 29 consecutive seasons with the 11th seed in the 1A/3A girls bracket. The Lady Horsemen will travel to No. 6 Ruidoso.On the 1A/3A boys side, the Academy for Technology and the Classics got a home match as the fifth seed and will face Monte del Sol, the District 5-1A/3A champion and the 12th seed that makes its first postseason appearance in five years.The Demons were on pins and needles as their fifth-place finish in District 2-5A and a 9-7-3 record had them on the bubble of the 16-team bracket. It came down to a tiebreaker, which Santa Fe High held over Clovis with a head-to-head win and a better strength of schedule according to MaxPreps.com (an 8.2 rating for the Demons versus 3.1 for the Wildcats).Capital, the 2-5A runner-up, had an easier wait than its crosstown rival, as it received the seventh seed and will take on No. 10 Volcano Vista on Wednesday at home.It is the first time the Jaguars have made the big-school bracket, a year after being the first team out in 2025’s 12-team bracket.Los Alamos girls, the District 2-4A champion, received the No. 3 seed and will play No. 14 Valley. Taos claimed the 12th seed and plays at Artesia.On the boys side, Taos was seeded 12th and will take on Albuquerque Academy, while Los Alamos claimed hte 16th and final spot, getting a matchup at No. 1 St. Pius X.All boys matches will be played Wednesday, while the girls start Thursday. Quarterfinal play is set for Friday for the boys and Saturday for the girls.