No talk, just work.
Preseason football practices have been awfully quiet at Santa Fe High’s Ivan Head Stadium, which Demons head coach Andrew Martinez said is a good thing — he thinks.
For the past two years, previous Santa Fe High teams talked big, but the results were lacking. A combined 3-17 mark muted the chatter.
This year’s squad isn’t much on talk. It prefers to let its work do the talking.
“We just a bunch of motivated guys who want to get task at hand done,” senior center Cruz Graham said. “All those little things we do right can lead to the big things.”
Martinez said this has been the most businessman-like atmosphere he’s ever had during his eight years with the Demons. On one hand, practices have been more efficient — in fact, he called Wednesday’s session the best he’s ever encountered. He’s just not sure what it will produce when the Demons take the field for the season opener against Capital at home Friday night.
“We all have expectations and goals, but their mindset is that the here and the now matter,” Martinez said. “This group is just different; they do those little things on their own. I don’t know if they have big group chat or whatever, but they just know how to do it.”
What Martinez and the Demons liked was the collective intensity of the offseason and the preseason. Graham said there were no secure spots, which raised the level of practice.
If any position underscored the competitive nature of the offseason, it was at quarterback. It was a four-player battle, which wasn’t decided until last week’s scrimmage at Bernalillo. Junior Jose Rivera, who started the summer fourth on the depth chart, rose to the starting position, and Martinez said it was clear with the entire coaching staff.
Rivera said his goal the entire offseason was to help the team in any capacity. Rivera has a solid arm and the ability to scramble, but he said playing behind the offensive line gives him comfort because it is the strength of the team.
“The pockets have been really clean; I haven’t had anybody in my face,” Rivera said. “I can see the routes develop way more and make a decision based off of that.”
Martinez said the team is not blessed with dynamic skill players, but he feels he has solid running backs who can take advantage of the holes the offensive line creates. Graham said there has been an emphasis on the ground attack.
“We just want to get downfield and attack,” said Graham, a four-year starter.
Martinez added that his coaching staff was instrumental in setting the tone with the team. It was one of the most settled his staff has been in years, as only former West Las Vegas assistant Doug Cavanaugh joined the group to coach the defensive linemen.
Last year saw the team bring in offensive coordinator Adrian Gonzales and quarterbacks coach John Balizan in the summer, and that changed some of the dynamics. The season before that saw an offensive change as the Demons went to more of a spread system than its previous pistol set.
The result has been more consistency in how players function in their roles, regardless of whether a starter or a reserve.
“Those guys are getting coached the same way every single day,” Martinez said. “We have 15 quality coaches here, and it’s also me being a better head coach and providing a better direction.”
Given the district Santa Fe High moved to after realignment — 2-6A, with the likes of Los Lunas, La Cueva and Sandia — efficiency and execution will be crucial in determining the team’s fate.
Martinez said he has the fewest players starting on both sides of the ball since he took over in 2017, even though many players will see some playing time. That quality depth hasn’t been there for the coaches to give some Demons breaks.
“They know they have to win with every piece functioning with the same purpose,” Martinez said. “They enjoy it, whether they are the [No. 1] tight end of the three or four. They go out and do things well.”
All the Demons can do now is hope an offseason of hard work and focus will translate into the one thing they most desire — wins. But even they aren’t about to make bold predictions about what the 2024 season holds for the program.
“All I want to do is the best that I can to help the team win,” senior tight end Nathan Christensen said.
But that’s just talk. All the Demons focus on is the work at hand.