A scheduling quirk brings us a unique opportunity this week for bragging rights between the City Different and the Duke City.
Four of Santa Fe’s five football-playing high schools will face opponents from Albuquerque this week, giving us a rare opportunity to see how teams from this neck of the woods stack up.
Of those, three will take place within a 15-hour window an hour south as Capital, Santa Fe High and St. Michael’s will all be in Albuquerque on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. The other has Santa Fe Indian School hosting Legacy Academy on Friday.
Friday’s games
Aztec (0-2) at Taos (2-1), 6 p.m.
We’re a third of the way through the regular season, and the image of the Taos Tigers couldn’t be any fuzzier. What to make of these guys? They were humbled in the opener against St. Mike’s, then they turned around and won against a couple of teams from 5A. Either they’re not too shabby or they’re doing what average teams do and tread water. The true litmus test starts next week with a road trip to unbeaten Bloomfield and the following week at home against Española Valley.
Prediction: Taos 41, Aztec 20
Grants (1-2) at Española Valley (3-0), 6 p.m.
Grants came into the season with a decent amount of hype, but consecutive blowout losses have exposed an offense that hasn’t shown much in the first three games. On the other hand, you’ve got the unbeaten Sundevils whose offense has thrown just two passes all season — one of which was picked off by Capital last week. This is truly a run-between-the-tackles team that has at least six viable options carrying the ball, led by senior Victor Parra. If high-octane ball is your thing, turn away. If watching teams grind it out the way your gramps did when football fields were still grass and the wing-T was still a thing, there’s room for you on the bandwagon.
Prediction: Española Valley 34, Grants 13
Pojoaque Valley (3-0) at Dexter (3-0), 6 p.m.
Elks head coach Zeke Villegas told his players that they could shave his head if they knocked off Los Alamos for the first time in what felt like forever. Mission accomplished. The energetic coach will be sporting a buzz cut for what is easily his team’s stiffest test to date. The Demons are ranked No. 3 in 3A. They bring one of the more balanced offenses in the state to counter the Elks’ two-headed ground game of sophomore Jonah Villegas and D’Marcus Rodriguez. Combined, the pair has well over 600 yards and half a dozen touchdowns.
Prediction: Dexter 37, Pojoaque Valley 23
Capital (0-3) at Del Norte (0-3), 7 p.m. (Milne)
The expected return of quarterback Deaven Montano will be a boost for the seriously struggling Jaguars. The offense is averaging fewer than 150 yards, and it hadn’t produced a point until the fourth quarter of last week’s loss at Española where a trick play helped spring a 70-yard touchdown pass. That one play accounted for approximately one-sixth of Capital’s entire output through three games. Will it ever get better? The impact of Montano will help, as it allows sophomore Ace Bachicha to move back to a skill position. Montano went down with an injury in the opener against Santa Fe High, so this could be a turning point for the Jags.
Prediction: Del Norte 26, Capital 20
Highland (1-2) at Los Alamos (0-3), 7 p.m.
The 1-5A opener for both teams, this game offers a chance at unplugging the power cord in hopes of seeing that stupid rainbow pinwheel go away. Both teams lost to Taos by two touchdowns, but the most inspiring result was probably Highland’s near-upset of Bernalillo two weeks ago. The Hive certainly have the skillset, but any type of travel for an Albuquerque team is always an X-factor. Teams from APS simply don’t leave town all that often, so jumping on a bus is almost as much about the experience as it is about winning the game. That said, Los Alamos is a team in need of a hug. The Hilltoppers have lost two games by a combined four points.
Prediction: Los Alamos 28, Highland 27
Legacy Academy (3-0) at Santa Fe Indian School (1-2), 7 p.m.
What the Academy for Technology and the Classics was to boys hoops the last couple of years, Legacy Academy is to small-school football. The church-affiliated school on Albuquerque’s west side burst onto the scene just three years ago, earning the No. 2 seed in 8-man’s playoffs last season. All the Silverbacks have done since moving to 11-man is win. SFIS coach Bones Segura knew this would be a tough test for his club, saying in the preseason that making the transition to 11-man shouldn’t be a problem for Legacy. So far, he’s spot on.
Prediction: Legacy Academy 48, Santa Fe Indian School 6
Ruidoso (0-3) at Robertson (3-0), 7 p.m.
There may be no more efficient player in 3A than Jesse James Gonzalez, the latest in a long line of dynamic run/pass quarterbacks to filter through the Cardinals’ program. He has amassed over 900 yards total offense in the first three games, passing for nine touchdowns (to one interception), completing a ridiculous 78% of his passes and averaging nearly 14 yards per rushing attempt. He has the Cards averaging 51 points a game. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Robertson is a team on a mission, and Ruidoso amounts to little more than a speed bump between now and the playoffs in November.
Prediction: Robertson 55, Ruidoso 6
West Las Vegas (2-1) at Portales (1-2), 7 p.m.
Don’t be fooled by the Rams’ sub-.500 record. They’ve played, arguably, the toughest schedule of any team in 4A with a road win at Goddard (No. 7 in 5A), a home loss to Lovington (No. 1 in 5A) and a road setback at Bernalillo (No. 2 in 4A). Dons quarterback CJ Perea will need to be at his best against a Rams defense that is known for its physical play up front. Portales doesn’t possess a lot of size, but it’s the type of team that will run through brick walls to make plays happen. This is by no means an easy game for the Dons, who get roughly 70% of their offense from Perea’s throwing.
Prediction: Portales 40, West Las Vegas 21
Saturday’s games
Santa Fe (2-1) at Albuquerque (2-1), 11 a.m. (Milne)
It wasn’t all that long ago that the Bulldogs were a nonfactor in big-school football, spending a few pre-pandemic years wandering around hinterlands of independent ball. Now a member of the expanded 2-6A along with the Demons, this one gives each team a chance to send an early statement in a district race owned by superpower La Cueva. Make no mistake; neither club will win the district, but games like this will go a long way in making a case for a playoff spot. The Demons need to figure out the passing game and shore up special teams. The defense has been solid (last week aside), but the gaps in the other facets are threatening to do some damage.
Prediction: Albuquerque High 34, Santa Fe High 21
St. Michael’s (3-0) at Albuquerque Academy (2-1), 2 p.m.
This ain’t the Kevin Carroll days when the Chargers ran the misdirection wing-T and baited defenses into long gains in the passing game by disguising it as a run. These Chargers go vertical behind William Braun, a 6-foot-2 sophomore quarterback who’s averaging 311 yards and nearly 19 yards per completion. He’s also accurate, completing 69% of his passes without throwing an interception. This is, however, St. Mike’s. The Horsemen have surrendered three points all season, forcing 11 turnovers. Simply put, they’re really good at making opponents extremely uncomfortable.
Prediction: St. Michael’s 35, Albuquerque Academy 13