Monday Morning News
October 9-12 – NMAA Office Closed
October 12 – Mid School/Jr. High Wrestling Begins
October 12 – Mid School/Jr. High Basketball Practice begins (IF Split Season)
October 15 – NMAA Middle School Cross Country Invite
October 16-17 – NMAA/NMHSCA Basketball & Wrestling Clinic
October 17 – Mandatory Spirit Rules Clinic
October 21 – NMAA Annual Meeting of Schools (Zoom)
October 24 – State Marching Band
October 24 – 6-Man & 8-Man Football Brackets Released
October 25 – Soccer Brackets Released
October 27 – State Soccer 1st Round – Boys
October 28 – State Soccer 1st Round – Girls
October 30-31 – State Soccer Quarterfinals
October 30-31 – 6-Man Quarterfinals
October 30-31 – 8-Man 1st Round
October 30-31 – Cross Country District Meets
October 31 – 2A-6A Football Brackets Released
In the News:
HEALTH AND SAFETY SELF-AUDIT
Athletic Directors, the Health and Safety Self-Audit is due October 15. In order to host state events, schools must submit this form with verification that they have emergency action plans in place for all of their athletic facilities and also have an accessible AED. The form can be found at the link below. For questions regarding the Health & Safety Self-Audit please email Scott Owen at s.owen@nmact.org.
NMAA MIDDLE SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY INVITE
The NMAA Middle School Cross Country Invite is October 15th at Rio Rancho HS. Race times are 3:30 p.m. (Small School Boys), 4:00 p.m. (Small School Girls), 4:30 p.m. (Large School Boys) and 5:00 p.m. (Large School Girls) Tickets for the event can be purchased at the link below. NO CASH SALES.
NMAA Middle School Cross Country Invite Tickets
https://gofan.co/event/6714137?schoolId=NMAA
OFFICIALS APPRECIATION WEEK
October 4-10 is Officials Appreciation Week! Many of you have done some great things in the past to make this a great week. Send us your photos and video clips of Appreciation Week activities! Here are some ideas:
o Officials’ appreciation week banners and signage on the fence, wall, etc., surrounding the contest playing area.
o Gift cards/cookies/donuts/other items presented to the crew by both the home and visiting team.
o Photos of the officiating crew with both teams and coaches prior to the start of the game (or at the end, depending on timing).
o Read a PSA at the start of the game, thanking the crew for working the contest.
o Student escorts of the crew onto the field/court/pitch.
o “Thank you” cards, signed by the team and coaching staff.
o Special appreciation signage in the officials’ locker room.
o Recorded “thank you” messages from student-athletes and coaches to officials, posted on social media.
TEAM PHOTO POSTING DEADLINES
Per NMAA bylaw 3.9.3, team photos must be posted to MaxPreps team pages for Cross Country, Football, Soccer and Volleyball. These photos should be posted at least three weeks prior to the beginning of the State Championships. Failure to do so will subject the school to a $250.00 fine per program.
NMAA HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS BEING ACCEPTED
Nominations for the NMAA Hall of Fame are now being accepted. Click the link below for the form and criteria requirements. Nominations are due by December 1st.
http://www.nmact.org/file/HOF_Nomination_Form.pdf
NMSBA Regional Meetings
NMAA Executive Director Dusty Young, Deputy Director Scott Owen, Associate Director Gary Allison and NMAA Sports Information Director J.P. Murrieta will attend the Fall Regional Meetings around the state in conjunction with NM School Board Association. The NMAA will present a report on the NMAA to Superintendents and School Board Members.
Meetings are scheduled as follows:
Region III – Monday, October 5, 2026 – Las Vegas City
Region VII – Tuesday, October 6, 2026 – Alamogordo
HUDL VIDEO UPLOAD
Athletic Directors, please remind your football coaches to have their games uploaded to Hudl following their contests. The deadline for games played on Thursday and Friday is 1 p.m. on Saturday. For games on Saturday, the deadline is 10 a.m. on Sunday morning. New this year is a LATE FILM PENALTY. Please visit the NMAA Football Bylaws for more details.
MAXPREP SCORES
Reminder to input your final score into MaxPreps as soon as possible, following your contest. Having an accurate schedule on MaxPreps with the final score is vital to the seeding & selection process for State Championships.
MaxPreps Score Reporting:
www.nmact.org/file/MaxPreps_score_reporting.pdf
Compete with Class Sportsmanship Scholarships
The NMAA needs your help identifying acts of excellent sportsmanship! Athletic directors, coaches, and school administrators are encouraged to share with the NMAA stories of students exhibiting outstanding sportsmanship and competing with class.
Each year the NMAA Foundation offers several Compete with Class Sportsmanship Scholarships. The recipients are selected from a pool of stories shared with the NMAA of students who exemplify the three pillars of the Compete with Class sportsmanship initiative: Respect, Integrity, and Responsibility.
If you have a story to share of a student competing with class, email it to julie@nmact.org or jp@nmact.org.
