Pojoaque’s coach out as season looming
No one talking about exit; school seeking replacement
Pojoaque Valley is in the market for a head football coach, with the start of the high school season just 10 days away.
However, the reasons for Jorge Oropeza’s departure after just two seasons remain a mystery.
The Pojoaque Valley Schools district has published an advertisement for the position this week, but neither Pojoaque athletic director Matt Martinez nor Oropeza responded to phone messages left by The New Mexican. The Rio Grande Sun
reported this week that Pojoaque Superintendent Mel Morgan said Oropeza resigned last week. Oropeza told The Sun his resignation was more of “a license thing” but did not elaborate.
Oropeza left the Elks with a 5-15 record, including a 1-9 campaign in 2017 that saw the team score just 28 points during the season and never broke double-figures on the scoreboard.
Oropeza also spent a season as the defensive coordinator at Española Valley in 2015 when the Sundevils won their first district title and set a school record for wins with eight.
Prior to those stops, he spent two seasons as the head coach at McCurdy, leading the Bobcats to a 6-13 record. Oropeza also had a short stint as the defensive coordinator at Santa Teresa.
Pojoaque will search for its 13th head coach in the program’s history, which started in to 1994.
Aside from Manuel Lucero and John Ainsworth, who each guided the program for five years, all other coaches have lasted no more than two seasons.