SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
Capital and Santa Fe High linked together in 5A again, and St. Michael’s dropped from 4A to 3A in the new alignment and classifications revealed Thursday by the NMAA board of directors
Santa Fe Indian School in 4A except for football, Santa Fe Prep, without a football program, will play in 3A, with Desert Academy, Monte del Sol, ATC and Waldorf in 2A
By ARNIE LESHIN, Santa Fe Today
The cross-town rivals, Capital and Santa Fe High, are back in the same district 5A with the new high school alignment and classifications set down by the New Mexico Activities Association board of directors Thursday.
The Jaguars and Demons will not play in a district in every sport, but both were left out of 6A football, which was great to hear for the schools, for Santa Fe High switched to an independent schedule this past season after competing in 6A and not having fun for three years. Capital, in turn, remains in 5A.
The two will be joined in most sports by Albuquerque schools Rio Grande, Manzano, Sandia and Albuquerque High, but in football they will compete in a four-school district that includes Los Alamos and Albuquerque Del Norte, schools that the Jags competed again in 2-5A.
It was learned that Capital and Santa Fe High had identical student enrollment averages of 1,433 over the last three years, and are now the largest schools in 5A. The 6A cutoff was is 1,450.
St. Michael’s was dropped from 4A to 3A due to decreased enrollment and adjusted classification, and will be joined by familiar rivals West Las Vegas and Robertson from 2-4A, and with Santa Fe Prep and Raton included. Only the Griffins do not field a football program.
The Horsemen are well within the window for 3A in all sports, with the 1.3 multiplier applied to every private school in every sport with the exception of football.
But Santa Fe Indian School, Pojoaque Valley and Taos remain in 4A and will be in the same district as Bernalillo, Espanola Valley and Los Alamos. In football, the Braves will play in 3A.
And so the Hilltoppers will stay in 5A for football, but in 4A for other sports.
In 2A, there will be Desert Academy, Monte del Sol, Tierra Encantada and Academy of Technology and The Classics playing in the same district, while New Mexico School for the Deaf and Santa Fe Waldorf will remain in 1A. Pecos goes from 3A to 2A and will be in a district with Clayton, Logan and Santa Rosa.
As for 6A, it has been eliminated from all sports but football. For Santa Fe High and Capital, it took only 17 students less of the 6A cutoff to be eligible instead for 5A.
