Eldorado is hitting its stride at just the right time

As the two rivals, who ...

The 2026 prep baseball season began with both the Sandia Matadors and Eldorado Eagles in transition. So far, it’s Eldorado that has more smoothly navigated its changes. “The pieces we needed to work on are starting to flourish at the right time,” Eldorado coach Ambrose Romero said after an 8-6, 13-7 District 2-5A doubleheader road sweep of Sandia on Saturday afternoon.

As the two rivals, who met in last May’s Class 5A state baseball final, shared a field for this key doubleheader on Saturday, there was a definite contrast on display. First Sandia, a roster that was forced to absorb several major personnel hits, and hasn’t yet been able to duplicate the type of magic that propelled the Matadors to a 2025 championship — a title that came at Eldorado’s expense. “We took it personal, because they did take a championship ring away,” Eldorado senior catcher Sully Wilson said.

“They took everything from us. ” On the other hand, there are the Eagles, whose promising newcomers have allowed them to adeptly fill their roster holes to mix with returning veterans, and Eldorado has quietly stitched together one of the best seasons of anyone in 5A. Eldorado’s sweep allowed the sixth-ranked Eagles (17-4, 4-2) to leapfrog the Matadors (11-11, 3-3) into second place in the 2-5A standings behind La Cueva (18-3, 6-0).