SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
Related Articles
New Mexico state football tournament picks tackle the fields for this weekend’s semifinals in 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A
Now down to eight selections after correctly picking 14 of 16 quarterfinal winners last weekend, with Eunice in 3A, Belen in 5A, and Manzano in 6A still undefeated
By ARNIE LESHIN, Santa Fe Today
The state football tournament semifinals will be played Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Only 2A has a champion after Fort Sumner/House overwhelmed Escalante, 55-7, two weeks ago. So we now step along to 3A, 4A, 5A, and 6A to conclude the fall sports season.
Of the eight games remaining, three are rematches. In 3A, undefeated Eunice owns a previous 24-16 win over 4th seeded Estancia. In 4A, 4th seeded Ruidoso previously turned back 8th seeded Hatch Valley, and in 6A, 2nd seeded La Cueva has already defeated 3rd seeded Rio Rancho Cleveland, 30-7.
Now they meet up again. These past results mean two things, one has the knowledge that it is one-up, and the other has revenge on its mind. This is the state tournament, the ball takes funny bounces, one defeat sends you packing your gear, one win moves you to the championship game the following weekend.
Three teams remain with unblemished records, Eunice, Belen and Manzano. In the four classes, three were exactly as the seeds were planted, with the top four seeds in the semifinals, and only 4A falling short, with No. 8 Hatch Valley ousting top-seeded St. Michael’s on the road Saturday afternoon.
But when the Bears lost by two at Ruidoso, it was a second loss in a row for them, following up on after a whooping setback at Taos. In fact, they lost four of their first five before bouncing back to make the Horsemen their seventh-straight victim. So at this time, the No. 8 seed takes the road to the Warriors with more confidence.
Eunice’s 8-point win over Estancia in the opener was its only close game of the campaign. The Cardinals also defeated Capitan, 42-0, but it will be Capitan being home to Santa Rosa this weekend. As for Estancia, it owns a 48-12 triumph over Capitan, and a 22-21 tight one over the Lions.
In 5A, Belen’s closest test came over 4th seeded Farmington, 33-28 in overtime, but the Eagles face 3rd seeded Roswell, while top-seed Artesia plays at Farmington. The Rams have lost 42-7 to the Bulldogs and defeated Farmington, 44-16. One important thing, Artesia has to travel to the Scorpions.
In 6A, La Cueva looks to turn back Cleveland again, while Manzano takes on 3rd seed Las Cruces. The Monarchs are the lone team to win over La Cueva, 28-21. Here, it’s Las Cruces battling three Albuquerque schools.
Another important thing, Manzano has to hit the road to play at Field of Dreams in Las Cruces. As for Cleveland and La Cueva, they will play at Wilson Stadium in Albuquerque, with the Bears the home team. This class has the most impressive combined records, 40-3.
Leshin’s Selections: seeds, schools, records, scores:
3A: (4) Estancia (7-4) at (1) Eunice (11-0) at 1 p.m.
Cardinals handily land on the Bears, 44-13.
(3) Santa Rosa (8-3) at (2) Capitan (10-1) at 1 p.m.
Lions tame the Tigers on the road, 28-18.
4A: (8) Hatch Valley (8-4) at (4) Ruidoso (8-3) at 7 p.m.
Hot Bears look to stomp on the Warriors, 30-21.
(2) Portales (10-1) at (3) Robertson (10-1) at 1:30 p.m.
Rams in defense of their championship, 20-16.
5A: (1) Artesia (9-2) at (4) Farmington (8-3) at 1 p.m.
Bulldogs had best beware on the road, shaky 35-28.
(3) Roswell (8-3) at (2) Belen (11-0) at 2 p.m.
Eagles continue to fly high, 31-13.
6A: (1) Manzano (11-0) at (4) Las Cruces (10-1) at 7 p.m. at Field of Dreams.
Tough to call, but Mustangs in full gear on road, 23-13.
(3) Cleveland (10-1) at (2) La Cueva (10-1) at 7 p.m. at Wilson Stadium.
Bears claw their way past the Storm, 28-21.
