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Junior Andrew Salazar was the decider as he converted his PATs and the Horsemen ground game was effective
By ARNIE LESHIN, Santa Fe Today
This was special, this was the time to stand up and be respected, enough of being dominated by Portales. This was a sunny, windy Saturday at the Christian Brothers Athletic Complex, and St. Michael’s was prepared to make a statement.
The defending state 4A champion Rams arrived on an 11-game win streak, hadn’t lost since Sept. 23 of last year, and most important to the home crowd, spent the last two years roughing up the Horseman, scoring 120 points and allowing only 33.
Enough of that, no way was 4A’s top-ranked Portales going to push St. Michael’s around on this day, a day when the fired-up Horsemen were going to send the Rams home with a 21-20 defeat, a time when they would finally have the last laugh when the handshakes took place.
So kudos to the masterful game plan pieced together by St. Michael’s, and three cheers to junior Andrew Salazar for his three PATs that decided the final score. His kicks offset the one two-point conversion made by Portales’ star senior quarterback Tyrese Dawson. Until this, Salazar had not been consistent. This time he was.
It didn’t matter that the four defeats to Portales weren’t close, all St. Michael’s wanted was to come out of this one in the victory column. And it was that kind of a non district test. How close was it? Well, it was scoreless after one quarter, tied at the half, and came down to the final play before it was decided.
The Horsemen followed instructions, they knew what they had to do win this one. If Portales watched films of St. Michael’s previous games, it had to see how comfortable the Horsemen were in going to the passing game. That, and the fact that they weren’t doing too well running the ball.
Surprise. St. Michael’s came out and ran, ran, ran the ball better than it had in winning two of three. Much better. Instead of senior quarterback Antonio Gabaldon throwing passes to versatile senior running back Joey Fernandez, Jr., it was Fernandez now following the strategy, the game plan that his coaches employed throughout the week.
It was a master plan that no doubt surprised the Rams. Now the Horsemen gave them a new look on offense and an aggressive, well-planed defense that pressure standout senior quarterback Tyrese Dawson, kept him in the pocket, kept him from operating out of the familiar option that made his team so successful.
And Dawson wasn’t even on the field when Portales went for the 2-point conversion with no time outs, little time left, and trailing 21-20. He had been injured on the play before that, after he took his team downfield and scrambled 5 yards into the end zone with seconds remaining.
He was lying on his back after he scored, went to the sidelines and in came back-up quarterback Julian Uroiste , who took the snap, headed for the tie-breaker, but came up short as time expired, and the Horsemen began to finally celebrate versus this opponent.
It put St. Michael’s record at 3-1 and the Rams at 3-1. It will probably drop Portales from No. 1, and move the Horsemen up from No. 5. It was a victory well-earned by a team that was the underdog and held the upper hand.
The running game was engineered by Fernandez and sophomore Derrick Roybal, with the two combining for 151 yards on 27 carries. On the initial score in the second quarter that followed a first quarter that included five punts, Fernandez ran it in from 10 yards out one minute into the quarter.
Most important, Salazar came through with his first of three PATs for a 7-0 lead. But back came Dawson to score his first of three runs for touchdowns. This time, he went 4 yards and then ran in the two-point conversion that was the only successful one for the Rams.
Going to the air was no doubt another surprise for Portales as Gabaldon and Fernandez combined for a 66-yard pass play, Salazar converted, and it was now St. Michael’s up by 14-8 late in the second quarter. Again Dawson responded with his pass and run attack that concluded with his 9-yard TD run just before halftime. But when the 2-point try failed, it was now knotted at 14-all.
But again the Horsemen had an answer. With 4:30 left in the third quarter, they went 67 yards by running the ball 13 times. Derrick Roybal made his way to the Portales 12, Fernandez ran the ball 11 yards to the 1 and senior Miguel Montoya ran it in on the next play. Salazar good, and it was now 21-14. Meanwhile, the Rams were scoreless until the final quarter.
It was then that Dawson scrambled away from pressure and took his team 80 yards in nine plays, and with time running down, ran 6 yards into the end zone. But Dawson would not even be on the field when another 2-point conversion would decide the game. He was injured on the TD run, taken to the sidelines, and plus his team had no timeouts remaining.
In came back-up quarterback Julian Urioste. He took the snap, headed for the end zone, but was stopped just short and all St. Michael’s had to do now was run out the clock. Two times it kneed and then came the final whistle.
As for the 6-3, 180 Dawson, he wound up with 171 yards through the air and ran for 66 yards on 18 carries. He was as close to being a one-man show just as St. Michael’s was behind its superb team effort.
The Horsemen get a bye weekend and then get a visit from District 2-4A foe Bernalillo on Homecoming Day Saturday, Sept. 30. But on this day, revenge was as welcomed as the nice afternoon.
