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Click on Tournament for Bracket & Game Stories…
The two-year stretch of 2004 and 2005 turned out to be quite a remarkable one for Deming. The Wildcats won the baseball state title in the spring of ’04, the volleyball crown the following fall and then the boys basketball championship a few months later.
See below for all of Deming’s highlights in the Roll Call of State Championships…
Boys Basketball
2005…Nearly-three decade wait for Wildcats’ fans ends when Deming beats Capital 71-67 for 4A championship
1976…By a narrow 72-71 count over Bernalillo, Deming and coach Frank Dooley grab the Class 3A for the fourth time in six years
1974…Wildcats resume championship ways by knocking off Bernalillo 89-78
1972…Deming goes back-to-back in Class 3A by edging Silver 64-62 in the title contest
1971…First basketball crown for the Wildcats when Deming outscoes West Las Vegas 108-99 in 3A championship
Volleyball
2005…Hitting tandem of Catherine Clay and Katie Allen power Deming to second straight crown with a sweep of Kirtland Central
2004…The Wildcats and coach Gerald Hekekia grab the Class 4A championship by beating Moriarty in four games
1993…First volleyball crown for Deming when ‘Cats edge St. Pius in five game finale
Baseball
2004…Deming blasts Aztec by an 18-0 score in the Class 4A title contest to cap an 18-5 record for the year
1989…For second time in decade, Wildcats emerge with Class 3A baseball championship
1980…Deming captures highest honors on the diamond for the first time when ‘Cats beat Socorro for 3A title
Tennis
1989-90…Jenny Diaz proves to be best in girls Class 3A singles competition by winning the individual state tourney two years in a row
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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.
