The District 5AAA season continues this week. Only now, it will be referred to as the New Mexico Class AAA State Softball Championships.

All five 5AAA teams — St. Michael's, Santa Fe Indian School, Pojoaque Valley, Albuquerque Hope Christian, Albuquerque Sandia Prep — were selected to the 16-team tournament Sunday by the New Mexico Activities Association, the governing body of high school athletics.

"All five did deserve to get in, just from the strength of our district," Ricky DeHerrera, Pojoaque Valley head coach, said. "We all went at it, big time."

But while the district hogged nearly a third of the berths, only one team earned a top seed. Sandia Prep was seeded second behind Silver. As for the rest of 5AAA, SFIS was the 10th seed, one spot above Hope Christian. St. Michael's was slotted in the 13th spot, one higher than Pojoaque Valley.

The Elkettes face the toughest first-round foe in third-seeded Raton.

"Getting in is a good deal," DeHerrera said. "Now, you have to perform. We have a tough task in Raton."

The three-day tournament begins Thursday at Rio Rancho High School with eight single-elimination games at noon. The winners advance to a double-elimination bracket that continues Thursday night before moving to Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho on Friday and Saturday.

To reach the quarterfinals, SFIS must eliminate seventh-seeded Las Vegas Robertson and St. Michael's must defeat fourth-seeded Lovington. Another Northern New Mexico entry, West Las Vegas, was seeded ninth and faces eighth-seeded Shiprock.

"It did get us ready for the state tournament," DeHerrera said. "Now, we'll see what happens."

Los Alamos, meanwhile, carries the hopes of the north in Class AAAA. The Lady Hilltoppers face Albuquerque Del Norte at 10 Thursday morning at Rio Rancho in a matchup between the respective eighth and ninth seeds.

In Class A-AA, McCurdy School, Mora and Pecos were the final three teams selected.

The 14th-seeded Lady Bobcats face third-seed Laguna-Acoma, the 15th-seeded Rangerettes meet second-seeded Loving and the 16th-seeded Lady Panthers square off against top-seeded Jal. All three take the field at 8 Thursday morning at Rio Rancho.