Sports in southeast Idaho are fantastic, varied and stimulating. With so much going on, this weekly column is a space to look back at the past week and glance forward to what’s coming up.

LOOKING BACK

Idaho State freshman and American Falls native Maria Sanchez played for Mexico against the U.S. women's national team Sunday night at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

Sanchez didn’t start for Mexico. She actually didn’t play at all, as she sat on the bench for all 90 minutes of the 5-1 U.S. victory.

United States leads the all-time series 32-1 and has outscored Mexico 139-12. When Teresa Noyola headed in a goal in the first half, it snapped a six-game scoreless stretch for Mexico against the U.S.

What does any of this mean for Sanchez’s chances to make Mexico’s roster for the World Cup that starts in June? That remains to be seen. Teams have to submit their final rosters for the World Cup by May 25. Sanchez should know in less than a week whether she’ll travel with Mexico to Canada for the biggest women’s soccer tournament on the globe.

Mexico’s first match is against Colombia on June 9.

Soccer and baseball don’t mix

Moving to another sport, Blackfoot finished off a stunning upset when the Broncos knocked off Twin Falls 4-0 to win the 4A state baseball championship Saturday in Boise.

The Bruins were the reigning champions with two future Pac-12 pitchers, and the Broncos were the school that had never won a championship in baseball. Blackfoot first-year coach Liam Pope, I can only assume, is the first man in Idaho preps history to lead a team to state titles in both soccer and baseball. Pope won a state title as Blackfoot’s head soccer coach in 2011.

Those sports don’t mix — at least they’re not supposed to. But when Blackfoot needed a coach to take over baseball, Pope, odd as is may have seemed at the time, stepped in as the perfect solution.

But as Pope would tell you, whether it’s on the diamond or the pitch, one of the most important things a team must have to claim a state title is talented players. And while the Broncos might not have been able to match Twin Falls’ star power, they had more than enough pitching (Andrew Hatch, Dylan Mansanarez, Pacen Hayes) and hitting (Taylor Pearson, Samuel Wilson) to bring the title back to eastern Idaho.

LOOKING AHEAD

The end of the high school spring sports season means one thing: It’s time for the Idaho State Journal’s sports staff to start selecting our all-area teams and players of the year for track and field, tennis, golf, softball and baseball.

It’s an arduous process that we take very seriously. It’s both rewarding and taxing to put the teams together. There are always difficult decisions that lead to disappointment, frustration and anger. But it’s an important job, a way to chronicle and capture the 2015 spring sports slate.

Someday we’ll forget Elijah Armstrong’s brilliant prep career, Century tennis’ unreal collection of talent and how consistently good Highland baseball has been the past decade.

The all-area teams chronicle those stories and ensure they’ll never be lost — no matter how much time has passed.

QUOTABLE

“They’re just real aggressive. There are some physical kids in that lineup. They make it hurt when you leave it out over the plate.” — Twin Falls head coach Tim Stadelmeir to the Times-News after his squad lost to Blackfoot in the 4A baseball title game.