Good Saturday in District 5 for Albuquerque High

By Arnie Leshin 

Albuquerque High School Saturday paved the way to a District 5 sweep Saturday by edging in football, 6A visiting Capital, 14-13, in 5A visiting Santa Fe girl’s soccer, 3-2, and in boy’s soccer, the Demons, 3-0. 

On the gridiron, it was a tough go that went to overtime after the Jaguars missed a pair of field goals in regulation time, and it was the Bulldogs who tallied in the first overtime only to have Capital even it, but who failed to piece together the two points that would have won it.

And in the second OT, it was the home team employing two passes and a run to claim the triumph and drop the Jags to 1-7 overall and 0-2. Capital is home Friday night against Clovis. 

The result also snapped the Bulldogs 6-game losing streak and put them at 2-6 overall and 1-2 in district. 

The Demonettes’ soccer result brought only the second 

defeat and their overall record is 13-2-1 to go with a 5-1 mark in district, and with district rival Los Lunas paying a call on Wednesday.  

Senior forward Asha Smelser scored the initial Santa Fe goal in the 53rd minute to get within 2-1, but back came Albuquerque High to increase it at 3-1. In the 72nd minute, the Demonettes senior striker Elsa Ranney Smith scored the final goal.

The boys soccer wasn’t as close, with the Demons being shut down and falling to 9-7 overall and 4-2 in district, and with a match at district foe on Los Lunas Wednesday. The Bulldogs tallied once it the first half and combined offense and defense in the second half.

Santa Fe’s boys emerged with a pair of injuries — junior forward Chris Solano (knee) and junior midfielder Cy Anderson (respiratory illness). Albuquerque High improved its overall record to 8-5-1 and 4-1-1 in the district.