‘Family feud’ looms at high-stakes game
City rivals face off for automatic tourney bid
It’s not often that this can be said: Santa Fe and Capital have a huge football game looming Friday.
The city rivals in the 5A classification almost never meet with so much on the line.
But, this year, the season finale at Jaguars Stadium pits teams looking for the District 2/6 championship and automatic state tournament berth.
And who would have thunk that three months ago?
“The whole community is going to be there,” said Demons coach Andrew Martinez. “It’s not just for bragging rights. It’s to go to the playoffs, so a lot more is on the line. There’s a lot more at stake.”
It’s certainly a position few people outside of the Santa Fe campus expected the Demons to be in at this point. But the team has been making steady strides under Martinez in his three seasons there and now is improbably poised on the brink of taking a huge next step.
“I’m not so concerned with it being a big game,” he said. “I just want to make sure we know the stakes and what’s on the line for us.”
Santa Fe has not been to the playoffs since 2013 and has made it just three times dating back to 2004.
The Jaguars have had more recent success, getting to the playoffs in 2017 and 2015, and five times overall since 2004.
But neither team has advanced beyond the first round since Capital reached the second round in 2007.
And not during the past 15 seasons have the two teams met on the final weekend of the regular season with so much at stake.
“This game is just a fight between Irish brothers who go out in the backyard and throw down,” said Jaguars coach Bill Moon. “And, God forbid, the guy who tries to break them up, God help you because they’ll turn on you.”
Indeed, both coaches said they root for their across-town rivals/compatriots when not facing each other. Martinez and two of his Demons assistant coaches played at Capital and were team captains there.
“If we aren’t playing them, I root for them every week as hard as I can because that’s what good for the city of Santa Fe football,” Moon said.
Don’t expect much brotherly love when the pigskin starts flying Friday, however.
“You can’t ask for anything more,” Martinez said. “City game. Crosstown rival. A chance for an opportunity to go to the playoffs. It’s what we coach for, what we’re here for, especially where we are in the program. It’s a huge stepping stone and huge mark for us to go out and play well, compete and win.”
While this is a noteworthy event and a big step forward for city’s overall progress on the gridiron, Moon was careful to temper expectations.
“Right now, being the city champion in Las Cruces is a big deal,” he said. “Being a city champion in Santa Fe hasn’t been a big deal in years. But winning is always a good step toward anything else that follows.”
Actually, smaller St. Michael’s has owned the city championship of late and is generally a contender to make a deep playoff run in its classification just about every season. But this isn’t about the Horsemen, it’s about the larger, public schools.
“We’re not at those levels,” Martinez said of cities like Las Cruces, where the top team is usually expected to be championship contender. “But it’s a way to get to those places. It’s a way for the young players and the city to be excited about football. You can’t put a price tag on that and you can’t buy that kind of stuff. Those are the things you hope you can put yourself in position for with this type of game, and it’s going to do wonders for the city of Santa Fe and football.”
Throw in what should be an electric atmosphere and there is the makings of memorable evening.
“If you can’t get up for that one and don’t get excited, you shouldn’t be in the game,” Martinez said.
Moon added, “It’s going to be fun. This is a family feud.”