Inaugural Belen High School Athletic Hall of Fame class revealed

BELEN — It took just months from the time Jim Collins was hired in July as Belen Consolidated Schools director of athletics to turn his proposal for creating a Belen High School Athletic Hall of Fame into reality.

Some might argue the process actually started 112 years ago, in 1913, when BHS first opened its doors.

It’s a long history, and a long list in the first class that will be formally inducted Dec. 14 at Flores Farmhouse in Los Chavez. That list includes two teams, two coaches, eight individual student/athletes, and one contributor, known as a “Friend of Belen.”

Many of the honorees, with family and friends close by, were introduced Oct. 30 during halftime of the BHS football contest at Eagle Stadium against Santa Fe Capital, called the “Hall of Fame” game.

Sue Henington, widow of former athlete and coach Rex Henington, expressed the feelings of many about the creation of the Hall of Fame.

“I think it’s a great idea. It’s long overdue,” said Henington, who was proudly wearing Rex’s letterman sweater during the announcement.

Nominations were taken starting in August, with a committee making the final selections in October. It was Collins who called those selected or their families with the news.

“I had a hard time not crying because some of the nominees who were chosen were so honored,” Collins recalled. “You could hear the emotion. Some of them were out of high school for a very long time. I think it means a lot to them.”

It certainly means a lot to Marty Trujillo, who leaped into the BHS Athletic Hall of Fame as one of the top track athletes in school history. Trujillo was a two-time state champion in the long jump and placed third in the Western Athletic Conference while competing for the University of New Mexico.

“To have folks recognize me from a lot of years ago, it’s humbling. It’s exciting,” said Trujillo, who was also an all-state running back in football.

When asked what highlights stood out from those days, Trujillo said, “I remember a lot of that stuff, but I remember the people more than anything, the coaches.”

Several of the honorees had ties to the BHS 1963 football team, which will be inducted into the hall as a unit. That team is considered by many to be the best in school history.

The Eagles posted a 10-1 record, including a win over Los Lunas, reaching the Class A title game before losing 3-0 to New Mexico Military Institute.

On that team was Henington, a standout player, who would later play at the University of New Mexico, coach the Eagles and be athletic director at Los Lunas High School.

Emilio Vallez, who lives in Illinois, was also a member of the 1963 squad. UNM fans remember Vallez, who still holds the Lobos’ record for most pass receptions in a game with 17. Vallez also played in the NFL with the Chicago Bears.

Coaching that 1963 squad was Evasalio Padilla, known to everyone as “Bull.” After an outstanding playing career with the Eagles and New Mexico Highlands, Padilla took over as Belen head football coach.

During his tenure, BHS reached the state semifinals four times and he was once named the New Mexico Coach of the Year.

Padilla might be considered the father of modern Belen athletics. Not only did he guide the BHS football program for many years, he was BHS athletic director during a time of great success.

One of Padilla’s ardent supporters is Joanne Romero, who will join Bull in the coaching wing of the Hall of Fame.

“Coach Padilla means a lot to me,” said Romero, who credited Padilla with allowing her to start the Eagles’ first track program for girls. “He was just so cooperative and helpful.”

Romero is also thankful for all the teachers and parents who helped her weave through the dawn of female high school sports. As track coach, her Eagles won the first girls State AAA Championship in 1977. Eventually, Romero would be inducted into the New Mexico Coaches Association Hall of Honor.

The Hall of Fame class features numerous multi-sport standouts, including Kelli Williams Schumacher, who was a 100 hurdles state champion in 2010, earning three runner-up medals as well.

“I loved my time at Belen. I had so many great coaches and teammates,” noted Williams Schumacher, who recalled scoring a hat trick in soccer on her sixteenth birthday. “It was so cool.”

Williams Schumacher was twice first team All-District in basketball and earned titles in the 100 backstroke in swimming at the State Games of America.

Not only was Jace Rivera outstanding in football and basketball, he was versatile in track and field. Rivera was a state champion in the discus, with a state-record toss, and captured four titles in the shot put, establishing a state mark in that event as well.

“It’s just an honor to be mentioned with these great athletes,” Rivera said. “It’s crazy how far back it goes.”

In 2002, Rivera was the Belen Athlete of the Year and later competed at Colorado State University.

It might be difficult to choose which was the best sport for Andrea Hurbina Le Roux. After all, she was an All-State selection multiple times in three different sports; track, cross country and basketball, leading the state in rebounds.

After a stellar career at BHS, Hurbina Le Roux made a big impact at Western State in Colorado in all three sports.

One of the best golfers to come out of New Mexico, Christian Pena previously earned a spot in the University of Arizona Hall of Fame, where he was a first-team All-American in 1991. Before that, Pena was the A-AAA state high school champion in 1986.

Pena played professionally around the world, winning titles on the Japan and Asia tours, while also competing on the Nike Tour.

On the tennis court, Raymond Jaramillo won a pair of A-AAA state singles titles, leading the Eagles to a team championship in 1994 and a runner-up finish the following year. From there, Jaramillo coached the Albuquerque Academy boys team to eight state titles between 2012-2019 and was named the MaxPreps Coach of the Decade.

There was little doubt a BHS wrestling team would be honored, but which one? In the end, the 2008 Eagles State Champion was the committee’s choice after winning the title by 90 points over runner-up Silver.

The squad had a total of 12 wrestlers who placed, with five state champions. Eric Baca, Justin Arellano and Stephen Carillo won titles in the lower weights, while Jaime Yalch and Tyler East dominated in upper weight classes.

In recognition of the supporters of Belen athletics who may not have necessarily been an athlete or coach, a Friend of Belen award was created. The first honor goes to the late Charlie Pena, who the selection committee said, “spent countless hours volunteering and giving his time to the youth of Belen as a coach and a fan. You could count on one hand the amount of games Charlie missed.”

Collins, the BHS director of athletics, put a committee together during the summer, with longtime residents, government officials and former school administrators.

The most difficult part, said Collins, “was getting the plane off the ground,” alerting the community to the nomination process, waiting for submissions. In the future.

“I thought we had a great mix. We’ll probably open up the nomination time earlier and close it earlier,” he said. “I’m going to try to make the nomination (process) a little easier.”

After the parameters for selection were agreed upon, which included a 10-year waiting period after graduation, the committee met in October.

“It was a tug of war there for a little bit,” Collins admitted, but overall, “It was easy. These (committee members) know these athletes, coaches.”

Collins is pleased with the work of the committee, whose members remain anonymous to avoid public pressure. There were plenty of deserving coaches and an impressive list of teams and athletes from the 2000s who will likely be selected eventually, according to Collins.

A plaque with a picture and narrative of the inductees’ accomplishments will go on display in the high school gymnasium following the induction ceremony.

“Belen has so much storied history that if you don’t capture it, you lose it,” Collins said.