East Mountain Schools Expand Coaching Staff

SANDIA PARK — East Mountain Schools announced a major expansion of its athletic staff ahead of the upcoming academic year, naming eight new coaches to lead middle school and high school sports programs.

The hires include former collegiate athletes, veteran military service members, and local educators tasked with heading several newly launched programs, including inaugural middle school baseball and flag football teams.

Blake Harden will take over as the head coach for both the boys and girls middle school basketball programs. A former University of New Mexico men’s basketball starting forward and Mountain West Conference First Team Student-Athlete, Harden was previously named a two-time New Mexico Metro Basketball Player of the Year. A two-time state high jump champion and full Ironman finisher, Harden is the founder of the East Mountain Athletic Complex.

Krista Rivera has been named the head coach for middle school softball and co-ed soccer. Rivera, a licensed New Mexico educator, has coached Little League softball for five years and played club and high school soccer. She is also the co-owner of The Village Guitarist in Cedar Crest.

Sarah Appel will serve in a dual capacity as the new East Mountain Middle School cross country head coach and school counselor, while also stepping into the role of assistant coach for the high school track program. Appel, who has 25 years of experience in education, previously served as an assistant track coach at East Mountain High School and played collegiate basketball.

Michael Wood has been tapped to launch the school’s inaugural middle school baseball program. Wood has served as the music teacher at East Mountain High School for the past 17 years and recently coached the 2025 Urban Initiative of New Mexico Little League team to a championship victory.

Adam Jones will lead another first-year program as the head coach for the inaugural middle school flag football team. Jones previously coached middle school flag football at 21st Century Public Academy, wrestling for the Pecos Independent School District, and elementary physical education.

Summer Felter joins the staff as the head coach for the middle school volleyball program. Felter, who played volleyball for seven years, previously served as a volunteer coaching assistant for the DCU 10-and-under club teams.

John Sachs will take over as the head coach for middle school golf and assistant coach for the high school golf program. Sachs brings extensive coaching experience from Arizona, where he served as the head boys golf coach at Mesquite High School from 1999 to 2015 and the head women’s golf coach at Chandler-Gilbert Community College from 2012 to 2014. Sachs is a U.S. Navy submarine service veteran.

Ran Case has been named the C-team volleyball coach. Case brings eight years of youth sports coaching experience, including five years at the varsity level for Calvary Christian Academy, where he led the team to an ACSL conference championship in 2024. Case is a Senior Master Sergeant in the New Mexico Air National Guard with 21 years of military service, and has worked at Sandia National Laboratories for 14 years.