The Chronicle-News Trinidad, ColoradoPage 6 “Weekend Edition” Friday, Saturday & Sunday, January 16-18, 2015

Mike SalbatoTrinidad State Junior College

The Trojans could not shake a slow start Tuesday evening when they hosted Air Force Prep on Jim Toupal Court at Scott Gym. Trinidad dug themselves into an eight point hole at halftime and were unable to close the gap in the second half fall-ing 76-66.

The Huskies were hot from the outside, hitting ten 3-pointers and shooting near-ly 50% in the contest. The Trojans on the other hand struggled from the outside hit-ting only four of 25 attempts from behind the line. The Trojans out-rebounded the Huskies 37-36 and each team finished with 16 turnovers.

AFP was led in scoring by Danny Hummer, Tristan Owens and Pervis Louder who each finished with 15. The Trojans had four players finish in double-figures led by sophomore Elijah Valdez who put in 14. Brothers Eric and Treyvon Andres combined for 23 points and 14 boards with Treyvon also blocking five shots in the first half. Joe Smith came off the bench to add 11 points and Elijah Kess finished with four assists.

The Trojans are now 8-10 (2-4) and will jump back into Region IX play with both feet as they head to La Junta on Saturday to take on Otero and then Lamar on Tues-day to face the Lopes. The bright side for the Trojans is that after next Tuesday they will play eight of their last nine games, including all of their remaining regional contests, at home. The long home stand starts with North Platte next Friday, Janu-ary 23, at 7 p.m.

Photo by Mike Salbato / TSJC

Treyvon Andres goes strong to the rim against Air Force Prep at Scott Gym on Tuesday evening.

TSJC BASKETBALL

Lori M. HoffmanFinancial Advisor

134 W. Main St. Suite 31Trinidad, CO 81082

719-846-6301

EDWARD JONES FINANCIAL FOCUS

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local EdwardJones Financial Advisor.

www.edwardjones.comMember SIPC

What Does 2015 Hold in Store for Investors?

If you’re an investor, you probably had a pretty good year in 2014. But what’s in store for 2015?

It’s essentially impossible to make precise predictions about the performance of the financial markets — but it is possible to identify those economic conditions and market forces that may help shape outcomes in the investment world for 2015. By paying close attention to these conditions and forces, you can gain some valuable insights as to what investment moves might make sense for you.Here are a few of these moves:

• Consider adding stocks. With stock prices having climbed higher and higher for more than five years, you might be wondering if it’s time to scale back on your ownership of equities. After all, no “bull” market lasts forever. Still, some factors point to continued strength for stocks over the long term. First, we are seeing signs of improving economic growth; employment gains and low oil prices are giving consumers more confidence, leading to a boost in spending. Second, corporate earnings — a key driver of stock prices — were quite strong in the second half of 2014, and companies appear poised to show more good results in 2015. Third, stocks — at least large-company stocks — are still reasonably valued, as measured by their price-to-earnings ratios (P/E). Given these factors, you might want to think about adding quality stocks to your holdings — assuming, of course, these stocks can help meet your needs for a balanced portfolio. And be aware that even the most favorable conditions can’t assure a continued run-up in stock prices, which can and will fluctuate. • Prepare for rising interest rates. For

several years, interest rates have been at, or near, historical lows. Given the strengthening economy, and the decreased need for stimulus, the Federal Reserve may well raise short-term interest rates in 2015, perhaps as early as this summer. But long-term rates may start rising even before then, so you may want to take a close look at your bonds and other fixed-rate investments. As you probably know, when interest rates rise, the value of existing bonds typically falls because investors won’t pay full price for your bonds when they can get newly issued ones that pay higher rates. One way to combat the effects of rising rates is to build a “ladder” consisting of short-, intermediate- and long-term bonds. With such a ladder, you’ll be able to redeem your maturing short-term bonds and reinvest them in the new, higher-paying bonds. • Look for investment opportunities abroad. Although economic growth has been slow in parts of the world, especially China, many countries have now initiated policies to spur economic growth. These actions can create opportunities for international equity investments. Keep in mind, though, that international investing involves particular risks, such as currency fluctuations and political and economic instability. So if you are considering foreign investments, you may want to consult with a financial professional.

There are no guarantees, but by following the above suggestions, you may be able to take advantage of what looks to be a fairly favorable investment environment for 2015. While you should make most of your investment decisions based on long-term considerations, it’s always a good idea to be attuned to what’s happening in the world around you — and to respond appropriately.

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career,” reminisced Aragon, who tapped out to an omoplata arm-bar with half a minute left in the third and final round. “I dropped the guy every single round. My game was on point, but I broke my hand early in the first and it got worse the more the fight went on. I went to Dave (Baca), my trainer at the end of the round and told him it was broke and he just looked at me and said, ‘You still have to fight,’ so I kept going.”

Aragon beat Fleming around the cage with fearless aggression, however with each right landed, the pain and numbness from the break set in deeper and deeper until Fleming was finally able to use the injury to his advantage. “He got me up against the fence, and that was it. He set in the arm-bar and I couldn’t hold on. They called it with 27 seconds left.” It’s a fight Travis will never forget, espe-cially because the scorecard at the end of the match read Aragon 30-27 by unanimous decision.

The whole situation was hard to swallow and on top of losing the bout and an op-portunity at a fourth belt, Aragon’s hand was severely broken; and the mental games that kind of injury plays on an elite athlete can sometimes be a lot to handle. The three-time champ was forced out of com-mission until he was 100-per-cent.

Now, three months later as Tenacious Travis Aragon gets set to enter the cage against Adam Vigil (8-5-1) as the co-main event for the 155-pound Undisputed No Mercy Cham-pionship at Annihilation 53 this Saturday night in Colorado Springs at the City Au-ditorium, the prized fighter out of Trinidad is fully healed and more “Tenacious” than ever.

“This is going to be going to be an action packed fight,” said the 6-8 Aragon, who will be fighting the Muay Thai champion for the second time in his career. Only this time Aragon won’t be filling in on five days no-tice. “The last fight was a good fight too. We went a little over two minutes, but he caught me with a kimora and I had to tap. It his way that time, but I’ll be ready for him this time.“

The three months between fight not only gave Aragon ample time to heal, it also gave him time reinvent his style, work on his standup, and hone in on the little things that he says are essential to retaining his No Mercy 155-pound Regional Championship and coming home the undisputed No Mercy 155-pound Champion.

Although Travis acknowledges the mountain in front of him is a tough climb, his he has no doubt he will come out victori-ous; and even goes as far as predicting a first or second round knockout. “I’ve been work-ing on my boxing a lot. I want to keep the fight standing up but if it goes to the ground, then I’m prepared for that too. I think that’s Adam’s strong point but he likes to stand. But I’m sure he has the same prediction for me too. Don’t get me wrong, Adam has great power and he’s a hell of a fighter, but I’m not scared of standing with this guy at all. I know this fight is going my way. I feel 100-percent confident in myself. I feel great and this is my year. This is my year,” said Aragon.

Time waits for nobody, and for Travis,

who is now in his 30s; competing in any ac-tion sport, especially MMA takes an extra toll on the body. Yet, just like all the greats of their respective sports; the love of the game is enough to keep him going, even af-ter all the setbacks in his career. “Coming up to this point; looking back on my career and after breaking my hand in my last fight, I took some time out and really thought about if whether this was right for me and I asked myself, is this is what I do. This is my passion. I always tell the guys I train with, ‘This is why we are here, to fight.’ And if I had not taken this fight, there would always be that, ‘What if?’ Up to this point it’s been a battle and you just have to keep grinding. Only the strong survive, that’s all I have to say.”

Annihilation 53 will take place Saturday, January 17, in Colorado Springs at the City Auditorium. Doors open at 7pm with fights starting at 7:30. For tickets and all informa-tion call (719) 660-3234 or visit www.colora-domma.com

SPORTSAragon looking to make big statement in 2015

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Adam Sperandio / The Chronicle-NewsRobert Trujillo, left, and Travis Aragon, both Bloodline members pose championship belts they won back in September. Trojans fall to Huskies