District dominators prepare to clash
District 2/5-4A contests may be liveliest in a decade
All roads in District 2/5-4A go through Las Vegas Robertson — until it doesn’t.
That’s how Leroy Gonzales likes it. The head football coach at Las Vegas Robertson knows that the success of his program over the past several years makes the target on the Cardinals’ back ever larger. At the same time, it means they are playing meaningful football games, especially in late September and October.
“It’s nothing we’re not used to,” Gonzales said. “We’ve been just lucky to have some good kids for a while. It’s about the X’s and O’s, but if you don’t have the Jimmys and Joes, you can’t do anything about it. We’ve been fortunate for the last eight years to be that competitive.”
As 5-0 Robertson prepares for the first of a series of highintensity, action-packed district games at home against 5-0 Taos on Friday, it signals the beginning of what might be the wildest district season in the North since 2007.
That year, District 2-3A was a buffet of dramatic football, as Raton, Las Vegas Robertson, St. Michael’s and Albuquerque Academy went into the final week of the regular season tied for first place at 3-1 before
Raton and St. Michael’s emerged as co-district champions. It was the precursor to a playoff in which those four teams reached the 3A semifinals and the Horsemen beat the Cardinals for the state title.
The Tigers-Cardinals battle Friday is not just for district supremacy — the winner will be the top-ranked team in the state come next week, since Taos is ranked No. 2 in the latest New Mexico Overtime SportsCenter coaches poll and Robertson is No. 1.
That could be just the precursor to next week’s St. Michael’sTaos game, which could be another 1-versus-2 matchup if the Tigers win because St. Michael’s is No. 3 in that same poll. All that means to some of the district coaches is that 2/5-4A is held in high praise by 4A coaches. None of that means anything once November rolls around, though.
“It’s good to see when we have teams ranked one-two-three,” Horsemen head coach Joey Fernandez said. “But there’s a lot of football to be played, even in our district. There are some really good teams out there, and it’s going to be good competition week in and week out.”
As if Friday’s game needed more layers of drama, it is a matchup of current and former Cardinals. Taos head coach Art Abreu Jr. and his dad/assistant coach Art Abreu Sr. were a playing/coaching duo at Robertson from 1999-2001. Gonzales was an assistant under the senior Abreu, who piloted the Cardinals from 1990-2003.
The junior Abreu knows that it’s just another storyline. What matters is beating the district’s top dog.
“They have been the team to beat in the district, and all you can do is try to stop them,” Abreu Jr. said. “That’s no easy task. It takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice.”
If any team has a hard road in district play, it is the Tigers. After Robertson this week and St. Michael’s next week, Taos heads back to Las Vegas to take on West Las Vegas. The Dons just happen to be ranked seventh in the latest poll and, at 3-2, is one of five winning teams in the seven-team district (Santa Fe Indian School is 4-1).
Gonzales and Fernandez know what it’s like to coach up a team week after week after week, trying to keep the mental and emotional edge needed for a successful week of practice that can translate into a successful game plan on Friday nights (or Saturday afternoons, in the case of the Horsemen).
“It’s hard to keep the kids motivated to play their best football,” Fernandez said. “Emotionally, they are young kids and it’s tough to be emotionally up for every practice and for every game. We had that when we were in the southern district (4-4A, from 2012-14). Every week was a tough game.”
The Horsemen get to start the district season at home on Saturday against 1-4 Bernalillo, but their games against Robertson, Taos and West Las Vegas are all on the road this season. Fernandez sees some value in that, especially when it comes to November.
“It’s going to be good for us in the playoffs,” Fernandez said. “It’ll get us battle-ready and mentally ready for whenever we have to travel — if we do have to travel.”
For now, though, fans should enjoy the ride, because it’s about to get bumpy.
“We’re just humbled and happy to be mentioned with the best teams in the state,” Abreu Jr. said. “But this is just the end of September. I’m interested in where we’ll be overall in November and December. I know my athletes are, too.”