Mistakes and a strong rushing game by Las Vegas Robertson were enough to spoil visiting Santa Fe High’s Friday night non-district opener

Demons had some chances to score, but twice penalties nullified things, and the Cardinals went up 15-0 at the half on the way to a 39-2 victory

By Arnie Leshin 

It was the season opener and mistakes could work out both ways. For the experienced team that was more prepared, a missed tackle, unnecessary penalty, a fumble, and interception, just to name a few, recovered quickly and went right back to business.

That was Las Vegas Robertson as it played host Friday night to Santa Fe High in a non-district game. The Cardinals are a state-tournament regular, always in contention for state honors, and are especially tough at home.

The Demons, though, are in a different situation. This was their 34th straight setback, and it didn’t help to open at Robertson.

So the Cards made some usual opening mistakes, and didn’t let it get in the way of their 39-2 romp.

It was a sloppy, uneven first-half performance for the home team while the Demons continued to show the self-destructive plays that proved to be costly, which is why they couldn’t stay in the game. Make a miscue and Robertson would take advantage. But if it was the Cardinals, they would just bounce back and go on to the next play.

With All-State quarterback Arjay Ortiz graduated, the role fell to senior Brandon Lucero, who threw for 170 yards, and Antonio Padilla who added 246 yards of total offense. This was despite committing 90 yards in first-half penalties and turning the ball over three times.

No matter, Santa Fe High couldn’t slow down the Robertson defense and failed to put together any touchdown drives, settling for just a safety It trailed 21-0 at halftime and couldn’t stay away from its own miscues that included a pair of turnovers as well as 115 yards overall in penalties.

It did get to the Robertson 1 on an interception, but that was nullified by a holding call. Another time, a 45-yard pass-play put the Demons in Robertson territory, but again a penalty brought the ball back.

“Mistakes are not for me,” said Cards’ head coach Leroy Gonzales. “We have some new players and this is their first Friday night lights. It’s neat to watch it on television, but it’s a different story when you take the field. It’s something new for them, but I counted about 170 yards of penalties for us, and this is way too much. We put in too much work for that.”

Andrew Martinez, in his third year as head coach at Santa Fe High, thought his team matched Robertson’s physical style of play, but its lack of consistency and penchant for making key mistakes remained a maddening habit.

“We’re going to have to grow up,” he said, “and this is never going to be an acceptable feeling.”

Robertson might have some young players, most everybody does. But it was able to call on Padilla, who ran for 700 yards last season, scored his team’s first two touchdowns on a 4-yard run and a 35-yard pass-play with Lucero. One point-after was good and it was quickly 15-0.

But the Demons did get some assistance from Padilla when he fumbled the ball at midfield, and did make the most of their moment. Freshman Luc Jaramillo found his way around the Cardinal defense for 32 yards. This put the ball at the Robertson 10, but a holding call pushed Santa Fe High back to its own 48.

Then, on the next play, Jaramillo tried to throw a screen pass, but it went straight into the arms of Cardinal junior defense end Mackenzie Ebell, who rumbled 45 yards for a back-breaking touchdown with 6:46 remaining in the second quarter.

In the first half, the Demons had a chance to steal some momentum when Jackson Cary intercepted a Lucero pass and sped to the Robertson 1. But it was nullified when a personal foul was called against the visitors.

In the second half, Robertson looked more like its veteran self as it managed 167 yards of offense without a turnover. Santa Fe High again takes to the road for Friday night’s non-district contest at Moriarty, which lost at home, 35-15, to West Las Vegas Friday night.

In other games, Los Alamos rolled it up, 57-12, over visiting Espanola Valley, and Bernalillo won handily over Gallup, 43-6.