Moon beams about youth talent on team
Jaguars face Los Lunas in first round; Tigers a trendy pick to make title game
When you have a shiny new toy, it’s only natural you want everyone to know about it.
In Bill Moon’s case, it’s a talented core of underclassmen that give Capital’s football program a reason for more than just optimism in the years to come. If this group of players, led by talented freshman running back Luke Padilla, develops the way the Jaguars’ coaching staff expects, the future is ohso-bright on Santa Fe’s south side.
So bright that you can’t blame Moon for breaking free from his coaching duties for just a second during a recent game to tell a sideline observer about Padilla’s potential.
“That’s a helluva freshman running back, isn’t it?” he said after an innocuous 7-yard run off the left side ended with Padilla falling forward for a first down somewhere around his own 35-yard line.
In comparison to all the other highlight reel moments the Jaguars’ feature ball carrier has strung together this fall, that play seemed an odd choice to ask about the talent Padilla possesses. The point is this: Things are good at Capital because the team has the tools in place to be good for a few years to come.
The Jags recently clinched their first district title in nearly a decade by capping an undefeated regular season in 2-5A. That nailed down the district’s automatic bid — its only bid, as it turned out — to the Class 5A state playoffs, which begins Friday night
with first-round action at the site of the four highest seeds not receiving byes.
Capital is seeded 12th in the 12-team draw and will visit No. 5 Los Lunas. It’s a mismatch on paper; the host Tigers are the chic choice of many prep football analysts to make a run at the state title while the Jaguars are, well, the latest 2-5A representative strapped into the playoff ejection seat.
The district has historically been a one-bid outfit that, at best, might occasionally produce a team worthy of making it past the first round. Moon knew that when talking about his team’s playoff chances after beating Los Alamos for the 2-5A title.
“In reality, no one gives this district a chance,” he said. “But in battles, the victor is often the unit overlooked the most. The biggest mistake anyone can make is take the underdog lightly.”
If ever there was a coach who cherishes the measured-steps approach, it’s Moon. It’s why he interrupts his players just before an interview to ask them if they remember the scene from Bull Durham, a reference to remaining humble when talking about oneself, his teammates and, especially, the opponent.
“Coach always says that,” Padilla said. “I’m not going to say anything except talk about how good my linemen are and how all of this, everything I do, is on them. They open the holes and give me a place to run. That’s it.”
Padilla surpassed the 200-yard plateau twice in district play, but he’s about to face his stiffest test in Los Lunas, a team that posted five shutouts and pushed undefeated Belen to the brink in the regular season finale.
That loss cost the Tigers a top-four spot but left them directly in Capital’s path.
“It’s our goal every year to get to state and win a game,” said senior running back and safety Estevan Segura. “People can put us [as the 12th seed] if they want to, but we know how good we can be. We’re better than people think and now it’s time to prove it.”
And while the future in Moon’s program is undoubtedly bright, the chance to really shine and earn a little statewide respect starts Friday night in Los Lunas.
FRIDAY’S GAMES CLASS 5A: CAPITAL (6-4) AT LOS LUNAS (7-3), 7 P.M.
The Tigers’ only losses came to three of the teams seeded in front of them; No. 1 Artesia, No. 2 Belen and No. 3 Roswell. Those three losses were by a combined seven points, meaning a break here or there was the difference between them and an undefeated regular season.
The story of Los Lunas starts with quarterback Nick Gaerlan, a 185-pound junior who passed for 1,647 yards and 24 touchdowns while rushing for 1,314 yards and another 18 trips to the end zone. If Capital has any chance at winning, it has to limit the damage by the guy wearing No. 16 in the orange jersey.
Similarly, Capital’s line must give Padilla space to run. If he can get his number called 25 to 30 times, it means he’s keeping the ball moving and QB Cisco Leos is spending more time on his feet than under a pile of defensive linemen.
CLASS 4A: HOPE CHRISTIAN (4-6) AT TAOS (7-3), 7 P.M.
It’s a rematch of a game the Tigers won by two touchdowns early in the season but, really, this one is all about the home team’s ability to stay healthy and sticking to the game plan. If Taos QB Jude Suazo can avoid getting hurt, the Tigers are a heavy favorite for a reason.
He passed for 21 touchdowns and completed nearly 62 percent of his passes in 10 games despite suffering a rib injury in a home loss to St. Michael’s in October. With him healthy and on target, the running game behind junior Jonathan Garcia is as good as anyone’s in 4A.
SATURDAY’S GAMES CLASS 4A: SILVER (3-7) AT WEST LAS VEGAS (6-4), NOON
The steady rise of the Dons’ program has resulted in a winnable home game against a team whose only wins came against district opponents. It was still good enough to get the Colts the 11-seed.
West is led by running back Antonio Bustamante and quarterback John Balizan. Bustamante rushed for over 1,000 yards while Balizan only started eight games but passed for at least two touchdowns in seven of them.
CLASS 2A: ESCALANTE (10-1) AT FORT SUMNER (10-0), 1 P.M.
The state championship game is a rematch of the regular season finale that was a 35-8 blowout win for the Foxes.
The visiting Lobos are seeking their fourth title in six years, having lost just eight times in that span.
Getting another blue trophy is accomplished in only one way: spreading the wealth to a number of offensive players, namely Cody Russom, Anthony Ulibarri, Esteban Archuleta and Anthony Martinez. If each gets 5 to 10 touches and 50 to 100 yards, it should be another happy bus ride home for a team that hasn’t won a road playoff game in five years.