St. Michael’s and Robertson playing Saturday afternoon at Cardinal Stadium

First the good news for St. Michael’s. It is now at full strength as two-way senior starter Isaiah Salazar has recovered from an illness and will be playing at Robertson Saturday afternoon in the state 3A football championship.

Except that the Horsemen have never been at full strength since 4-year starting quarterback Lucas Coriz injured his knee early in the campaign and required season-ending surgery.

And after head coach Joey Fernandez, now in his 20th season as head coach at his alma mater, tried several players at that position, it fell to junior Zachery Martinez, and he’s filled in well. True, he’s had up and down games like anyone else, but he’s passed the ball well, has run the ball well when needed, and has survived numerous sacks.

His pet target through the air is 6-foot-2 senior wide receiver Devin Flores, who was also the main threat when Coriz was playing. Salazar is 5-9, 147, and plays inside linebacker, safety and running back.

Running the ball is the strength offensively for the Horsemen, and Salazar is one of those ball carriers along with Devon Abeyta and Daymon Lujan, and Flores is also one of their better rushers. St. Michael’s is 9-3, the 4th-seed, and lost previously, 44-7, at the Cardinals after a number of Horsemen tested positive for the coronavirus pandemic.

Robertson is the 3rd-seed, is 10-2, and is led by the versatility of junior Matthew Gonzales, who stands 5-5 and tips the scale at 145 pounds, but plays big as the star running back, the quarterback, and is just tough to stop. He’s swift, deceptive, and avoids rushing defenses by being alert and seeking ways to dash downfield.

These District 2 schools has a rivalry that goes back since 1958 when Robertson, after Las Vegas High burned down and replaced by the brand-new Cards that year. Since that name change, Robertson has held a 33-27-2 advantage over the Horsemen.

St. Michael’s, though, dominated the early years winning 12 of the first 18 match-ups. But a 12-year Cardinals reign from 1986-97 swung momentum their way.

This will be the fourth time the two have met in the playoffs, with Robertson winning two of three. The Horsemen did win the first time, 27-6, in 2007, but the Cards won the next two in what was considered upsets.

In 2013, Robertson, the 9th-seed in 3A, stunned undefeated St. Michael’s, 22-13, in the quarterfinals to avenge a regular-season 50-0 blow out. This win spurred an unlikely state championship, and the red and white haven’t won it since.

Of the two teams, only Robertson played a team that is still in the running for state honors, that being 6ht-seeded Ruidoso (8-5) at home against top-seeded Lovington (9-3) also on Saturday.

In the other state finals, 2A already went to 3rd-seeded Eunice over top-seeded Jal, and so on Saturday, in 6A, No. 1-ranked, undefeated defending state champion Rio Rancho Cleveland (12-0) plays at city-rival, 2nd-seeded Rio Rancho High (9-1) in a rematch of last year’s title game as well as the tight tussle won by the Storm earlier this season when the Rams failed on a probable game-winning field goal.

Once again, Artesia, 9-3 and 4th-seeded in 5A, again took advantage of its constant home field to eliminate previously unbeaten, top-seeded Farmington, but now Artesia has to take to the road and play at undefeated, 2nd-seeded Los Lunas (12-0), which along with Cleveland, is one of the remaining unbeaten teams

Then there’s 4A where No. 1-seeded Lovington travels to surprising Ruidoso, and all these tilts are scheduled for 1 o’clock kickoffs.

On radio stations 1400 AM and 92.3 FM, Carl Tribell expects to again have Santa Fe High head coach Andrew Martinez at his side as the commentator, and it was Martinez’ Demons that dominated visiting Robertson in the opener for the second time in three years, and then stunned visiting St. Michael’s.