Capital High and Santa Fe High are finally going to play an actual football game

Play ball, high school football, here in Santa Fe, and it finally kicks off Saturday afternoon.

Yes, because of this coronavirus pandemic, it’s been awhile, but the anxious gridders from Capital High and Santa Fe High will take the field, the Jaguars at 1 o’clock against visiting Los Alamos, the Demons at 2 o’clock versus visiting Rio Rancho. And Carl Twibell will be doing the play-by-play and commentary on radio station 1400 AM. At halftime, he will be reporting the interview he had with Santa Fe High head coach Andrew Martinez on Friday, with Martinez now in his fourth year.

And today, Twibell will be speaking with on the air with Jaguars’ head coach Bill Moon. entering his 36th season on the sidelines, and that will on the air game day.

“I know absolutely nothing about Los Alamos,” Moon says, “but I do know I’ve never seen such anticipation by a team with seniors, juniors, sophomores, it’s usually freshmen who get so riled up, but these guys have waited so long, and it’s been a year since any of them have taken the field for an actual game, so the anticipation is overwhelming.”

The coach who began the program at Capital is happy this team will take the field free of injuries. It’s also an experienced group, with Division II Ft. Lewis in Durango, Colorado – bound senior running back Luke Padilla raring to go in what now becomes a shortened season in his fourth year on varsity,

“I never start a freshman on varsity,” Moon says “but Luke was special.”

Back to clear the way again for Padilla are senior linemen Andres Alvarez and James Farita, who Moon said have opened up big holes for Padilla through the years, and he also returns quarterback Dion Martinez, one of seven Martinez’ on the roster, and George Munoz, who came on strong last season at running back to pair with Padilla.

After this, the Jaguars head for Friday night‘s tilt at Espanola Valley.

At Ivan Head Stadium, Santa Fe High plays host to Rio Rancho, which went 8-3 last season and lost to city-rival Cleveland in the 6A state championship game. The Rams list 92 on the current roster (the Demons 70), and are usually in the mix for state honors.

“We are just happy to play a real game,” Coach Martinez says. “We know that Rio Rancho is always good, but what we needed most was to play, and now we can do that. Yes, these kids are really happy to get it on.”

The Demons have 5-10, 170 junior quarterback Luc Jaramillo back for his third season. He’s improved each time out, and is equally adept through the air and running the ball. He will have 5-8, 145 junior Martell Mora to tug the ball, and Mora has good speed and good hands to get the ball downfield.

“We want to establish the run,” says Martinez, “and mix it up if we can. Whatever works.

Following this opener, Santa Fe High heads up to Los Alamos for a Friday night contest.

Fans are being allowed in the stands now, but tickets are limited. There will be no game sales and tickets must be purchased in advance at each respective school. Tickets for adults are $5,00, student tics are $2.00, and there is a minimum of five tickets per person. Purchases must be made at each school’s ticket offices, and phone and online sales are not available. Again, tics can not be purchased at the gate.

Capital and Santa Fe High have asked fans to get their tickets early to prevent the awkward possibility of showing up at the gate on Saturday thinking there will be walk-up sales.

Meanwhile, St. Michael’s has yet to play a game. Its scheduled opener at Raton was canceled due to some COVID-19 issues, and the same with the contest slated for Saturday at home against Socorro that was also canceled. Hopefully, the Horsemen can play next Saturday’s scheduled afternoon home game versus Espanola Valley.

St. Michael’s head coach Joey Fernandez might be wondering as he begins his 19th year as head coach. With the Raton mess history, he might check today’s daily newspaper prep schedule to find that Raton is slated to be home Friday night to Questa, and “then” listed to play at Taos the next day, as on Saturday afternoon. This is incorrect no doubt, but in print it looks like quite a task for the Tigers.

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