Santa Fe High looking ahead as the new football season kicks in

The 33-game losing streak is there, but the Demons have a number of underclassmen showing positive attitudes under third-year head coach Andrew Martinez

By Arnie Leshin 

For Santa Fe High, it’s a tough way to open the football season. It carries a 33-game losing skein compiled over the last three years and hits the road Friday to play at Las Vegas Robertson.

Not only are the Cardinals tough at home, but a regular in the state tournament, and have played in the last three 4A state finals, and now are no doubt a contender for 3A honors.

And it’s a non-district test, so there should be plenty of cheering for the Robertson players who come off the bench. They have depth, while the Demons are young and have a fair number of freshmen and sophomores.

It’s their third season under head coach Andrew Martinez, who coached for years at St. Michael’s and is not accustomed to losing. He is a class person who is holding up because of patience, the kids, and the love of coaching.

At least Santa Fe High is putting numbers on the roster, regardless of class.

And while the younger turnouts with less experience are among a current cast of approximately 45.

That’s good, and with each game comes the experience. One welcomed player is senior Sammy Martinez, a 2017 state wrestling champion who decided to return to football, something he hasn’t played since middle school. He can become a quality leader.

Perhaps Martinez can lead to a new and improved attitude that could lead to attracting others to come out.

“I missed it,” Martinez said, “I missed it a lot. I regretted not playing, and I was like, nah, I’m going to do it one more time.”

“We’ve got some youngsters,” Martinez said, “and this was evident even last season as they practiced with the then-seniors through an 0-9 year. These underclassmen will be a big part of the Demons’ fate this season. They will make up eight starters on defense and seven on offense.”

But it’s still a rugged way to start a season under the stress and pressure of the losing skein. But Martinez has his own way of preparing things.

“Who doesn’t want to go to Robertson and whoop it up,” said the coach, “but I’m not like that. You would to go against a quality team that will test you physically and emotionally.”

After the Demons play this opener, they again hit the road for the next two weeks, Espanola Valley and Moriarty on back-to-back Saturdays. They play their first home game on Sept. 14 against Taos. The 2-5A district play starts at home on Oct. 19 against familiar rival Los Alamos.

From there, it’s at Albuquerque Del Norte in a 1 p.m. contest on Oct. 27, than get a visit from cross town rival Capital in a Nov. 2 night game. That reunited the two into the same district.