Española Valley head boys basketball coach Joey Trujillo was fired Thursday after a verbal altercation with a fan during and after a game, district Superintendent Carl Marano confirmed.
Marano did not provide details regarding the incident but called it “an unfortunate incident involving coach Trujillo.”
Trujillo just started his fourth season as the Sundevils head coach, going 43-50 during that span. Española went 24-7 in 2024-25, winning the District 2-4A title and reaching the Class 4A semifinals. The Sundevils were 1-5 under Trujillo, who was suspended for the final game of the Cameron Martinez Memorial Invitational against Hobbs over the weekend.
Marano said an interim coach has not been named.
Española does not play until Dec. 19, when it travels to the Alamogordo Shootout.
Several sources who were at the game said Trujillo engaged a fan Dec. 5 during and after the Sundevils’ 55-41 loss to Mesa Vista and was hit with a pickle during a contentious game that featured a fight both in the stands and the parking lot.
Trujillo declined to comment about his dismissal, saying he was “trying to process what is going on.”
It was a part of several coaching announcements for the school, as Marano said head football coach Caleb Overbrook will not return for a second season. The Sundevils went 5-5 in 2025 but missed the playoffs for the first time in three years.
Marano said Nicole Ortiz resigned as head volleyball coach after five seasons. She guided the Sundevils to a 9-13 mark in 2025, their highest win total since 2018.
Marano said the district has already posted the volleyball coach position on its website, and the football job will open for applications Monday. The basketball job will open up as soon as the 2025-26 season ends in March, he said.
Trujillo achieved his greatest success at Pojoaque Valley, where he coached from 2003-17 and accumulated a 242-146 record that included a Class 3A state title in 2008. He also stepped in for a season with the volleyball program after its coach left just days before the season opener, leading it to a 3A title in 2013 as it was in the midst of winning five consecutive championships.
Trujillo also coached at Mesa Vista for five seasons and guided the Trojans to a 2A runner-up finish in his final season in 2003. Overall, he compiled a 400-262 record over a 26-year career.
Marano said the school district reported the fight to the New Mexico Activities Association, and the boys basketball program received a warning from the organization. Also, three Española players received one-game suspensions for leaving the bench during the fight and did not play the following day against Hobbs.
