SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
You can’t take anything for granted, especially when you’re got windless District 5-6A opponent Albuquerque Manzano visiting you at Ivan Head Stadium and hoping for a welcoming trip home.
Plus, the Monarchs (0-3) were anxious, eager after playing their first football game in two weeks after a COVID-19 outbreak.
But Santa Fe High did play, losing to district foe Albuquerque Eldorado at Wilson Stadium, 28-12, and not in the mood to put Manzano into the winner’s column. But just like that, the Monarchs almost struck quickly when they took the opening kickoff, and if not for Demons’ kicker Molly Wiseman, Khalig Waites would have had an 84-yard touchdown.
This should have been a quick awakening for Andrew Martinez’ Demons. Instead his team worked its way to a pair of disappointing drives disposed of via the usual mistakes, bad snaps, a flurry of penalties, and you can add
poor judgments.
And so it became a tough test before Santa Fe High came away with its fifth win in six starts and all even at 1-1 in district play by sending the upset-minded Monarchs back home with a 35-27 setback Friday night. It was also its first big-school district win in 13 years and initial win over a big school in eight years, and this included 20 games.
But it survived despite Manzano’s determination. It called on senior running back Martell Mora coming from a tough go versus Eldorado. This time the 5-foot-9, 180-pound Mora picked up 275 yards along the ground and scored three times, plus senior quarterback Luc Jaramillo added a touchdown through the air and also ran for one.
“Well,” Martinez said, “I told them during the week that they have to go out there and have to be different on the field. We talked about it all week, we wanted to avoid mistakes we made last week.”
Then came the opening kickoff when Waites was speeding to a 79-yard touchdown until Wiseman, the only one in his way, tripped him up enough to make it a 52-yard that didn’t score. The Demons did score first in the first quarter when Mora sped 90 yards, and the PAT was good.
But in the second quarter, the Monarchs’ quarterback Jared Melfi tossed a 37-yard TD pass to Isaiah Garcia at the 10-minute mark, the point-after was good and it was 7-7. Next, Santa Fe High on its next possession drove 60 yards to the Manzano 15 when a false start put it back five yards.
Right after, it was a bad snap that drove the Demons back to the Monarchs’ 35, and on fourth and 22, Jaramillo lost 10 yards on a curious scramble and they gave the ball back to the visitors at the 43.
That was the way it went, there weren’t any lead changes after Santa Fe High marched 67 yards in a dozen plays and Mora ran it in from 6 yards out, the PAT was good and that made it 14-7 with almost five minutes left until halftime.
But Manzano wasn’t going anywhere. It cut the lead to 14-13 on Jaylin Thompson’s 11-yard run, but the point-after failed.
But every time it got close again, the Demons had an answer, with Jaramillo first coming up with a 21-yard touchdown toss to senior Cameron Romero, then after Mora intercepted a Melfi pass at the SFHS 18, he and Jaramillo both ran for 40 yards, with the second one bringing a 28-13 lead with three minutes remaining in the third quarter.
There was 9:17 to go in regulation when Mora bolted 37 yards for his third touchdown, and Thompson’s 3-yard TD and 2-point conversion brought the final score as the clock ticked down and the Demons survived a tough go and perhaps Manzano headed home with a moral victory.
Now comes the rest of the district slate, a tilt at Albuquerque Sandia Friday nightfollowed by a visit from Clovis, then a trip to Albuquerque La Cueva, and winding up with a home contest versus Albuquerque High. Does Santa Fe High have a chance to split the four? Well, it can’t take anything for granted.
