Ground pounder ready
Gonzales, who had to sit out much of 2016, has been one of Cardinals’ top backs this season
HLAS VEGAS, N.M. e was the last player to leave the field on Saturday at Cardinals Stadium, doing so as the sun streamed in at a sharp angle just above the aluminum bleachers behind the home team’s sideline.
In the shadows was the Robertson marching band, playing the Notre Dame fight song adopted by the Cardinals as their own school’s tune. Squinting as he spoke, Santiago Gonzales couldn’t help but feel like he’d finally earned his place among a deep and talented roster that had just vanquished defending champion Portales to reach this weekend’s Class 4A state finals.
The Cardinals will host Ruidoso on Saturday in Las Vegas,
marking the third straight year Robertson has been one of the last two teams standing in 4A.
“After what I went through last year, I’m just happy to be out here,” said Gonzales, a 165-pound junior who has solidified himself as one of the feature backs in his team’s offensive backfield.
The only place Gonzales could
be found during last year’s run to the title game was on the sidelines. He spent most of 2016 recuperating from shoulder surgery to correct an issue that routinely saw the joint pop out of place with even the slightest bit of contact.
“I wasn’t out here last year and, yeah, that was hard,” he said. “But
no issues this year. The surgery helped and everything has been good for me ever since.”
With Robertson running most of its plays with quarterback Arjay Ortiz lined up behind the center in a traditional pro-set formation against Portales, it put the onus on Gonzales and fellow running back Antonio Padilla to do much of the ground-and-pound against a front line that was intent on stopping them.
The pair responded, rushing for a combined 129 yards with two touchdowns.
“It just helps us run in better, to be more in control,” Gonzales said of Ortiz lining up under center. “It’s a little scary to make that switch after doing it the other
way [all season], but we know it can work.”
Ortiz was his usual steady self, snapping off three runs of 14 yards or more in the second half. He also came up with the defensive play of the game after Portales had driven to the Cardinals’ 5 with under nine minutes left in the fourth quarter and Robertson holding a six-point lead.
Rather than lining Ortiz up against the Rams’ best option at wideout, 6-foot-3 senior Tyrese Dawson, Robertson head coach Leroy Gonzalez had Ortiz apply direct heat from the corner position as the play flowed directly at him.
“I think that play kind of surprised everybody,” Ortiz said. “They came out of a timeout and did it and I think those guys [Portales] thought I’d take their best receiver and run with him.”
Dawson had spent most of the season playing quarterback but lined up at receiver for most of last weekend’s game. He caught three passes for 49 yards but didn’t appear to be an option on that final play.
The Cardinals seemed to sense it, which made the decision to send Ortiz into the scrum behind the line rather than follow Dawson to the end zone a brilliant move on Gonzalez’s part.
“I sent Arjay to get pressure on their backfield because I think if you disrupt stuff in the backfield it hurts them in the goal line situations,” Gonzalez said. “Putting Arjay out there, it worked for us. It was kind of a risk, I guess, but he’s quick enough to get in there and maybe change what they’re trying to do.”
Ortiz did just that, delivering a jarring hit on wildcat quarterback Baylor Diaz 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage. It caused a fumble, halted the Portales drive and put Gonzales back on the field with Padilla to help burn off the final 8 minutes, 44 seconds with a methodical, run-heavy drive that sends the Cardinals into their eighth championship game in 17 years.
To a player who was on the sidelines during the team’s undefeated run to the state championship game last year, there was no better feeling than heading back to the locker room with a dirty uniform and a feeling of accomplishment following last weekend’s semifinal win.
“Like I said, no issues with the shoulder and just happy to be on the field,” Gonzales said. “I’m part of it now.”