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Click on Tournament for Bracket & Game Stories
Not many schools can boast of state crowns in such a wide array of sports. Blue trophies in football, soccer, basketball, volleyball and wrestling? Aztec’s got ‘em.
Check out the specifics in the Roll Call of State Championships below…
Wrestling
Aztec pulled off an astounding 11 straight Class 1A-3A state titles between 1990 and 2000. Seven Tigers’ grapplers have won three individual state tournamen championships: Phil Holman (1960-62), David Hines (1981-83), Emory Kaiser (1981-83), Jeremy Stinson (1993-95), Nate McClain (1997-99), Chris Keating (1999-2001) and Lionel Valdez (1999-2001).
Volleyball
1992…A battle between Four Corners schools decides Class 3A as Aztec edges Kirtland Central in five games
1981…Aztec, coached by Carol Winter, grabs first volleyball title for school with a win over Hot Springs in finale
Football
1953…Tigers finish 10-1 for coach Fred Cook and cap season with 21-14 win over Fort Sumner for title
Softball
2005…Softball-mad Four Corners has a new power to deal with. Championship game final: Aztec 2, Farmington 0
Boys Soccer
1991…From Northwest NM, Aztec and Bloomfield crash the soccer party at state with the Tigers winning 2-1 for the crown
Girls Basketball
2007…Standout guard Patricia Malouff and fellow Tigers cap 26-5 season with 52-46 win over Kirtland Central in 4A championship
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And now, a word from our Sponsor…
“Ole!” greets drive-through customers from the speaker box.
If that’s the case, it can only be one business: Taco Box.
From frijole burritos to Spanish fries to pig-in-a-panchos, and quite nearly everything in-between, the restaurant has been serving up its eclectic menu for 40 years.
According to owner Tom Martin, the number one seller is the simple-and-tasty frijole burrito while tacos, chalupas and cheese sticks follow closely in popularity.
A popular side item are Spanish fries, a Taco Box-invented title for another potato-based munchie (any guesses?). Martin says his restaurant has only occasionally ventured into making regular french fries and the attempts have ultimately always been futile with the Taco Box customer base.
“I always joke that I don’t make french fries so I can help keep McDonald’s in business,” Martin says.
Other items also remain popular to an extent even though not officially on the menu board anymore – a testament to the loyalty of the typical Taco Box consumer.
The Mexi-Burger was on the menu back in the early 1980s and still gets ordered today. By those in the know, at any rate.
“There’s probably at least a dozen different items over the years like that,” Martin says. “We took it off, just because of space, but we still make ‘em. We probably sell as many as we did when they were on the menu.”
Martin lists breakfast tacos, frijole tacos, guacamole tacos as other such “underground” items. And that’s not to mention the vast array of drink combinations, utilizing the different soft drinks and flavorings, that have actually never been listed on the big board at Taco Box.
Martin, raised in Cleveland and a graduate from Cornell University in New York, ventured west after college and tried his hand with the Taco Box brand. He took over Taco Box on June 1, 1970.
Remembering his first foray into Mexican food, Martin has an oft-repeated story with some variation or another.
“I never had a taco until I was 21. I remember having a mild green chile taco and I thought I was going to die,” Martin recalls.
After having a tastebud-adjustment and following countless tacos served to his customers at Taco Box, it’s safe to say one thing about the guy who originally thought he’d be in the Land of Enchantment for “a couple of years.”
Well Tom, you’re a New Mexican now.
