(Not so) headless Horsemen
Hauck may step in if St. Mike’s coach serves suspension during game against Capital
Round 1 of Santa Fe’s intracity football rivalries — insert your own catchy slogan for the Demons-Horsemen-Jaguars trifecta here — takes place on the south side of town Friday night when a surprisingly struggling St. Michael’s club visits the band of walking wounded at Capital.
Just a few weeks ago, this looked like a matchup of a potential state title contender from Class 3A against a 5A also-ran with a young but talented roster.
Entering Friday’s kickoff it’s the 5A Jaguars (1-1-1) who are on much more stable footing. Their win over Pojoaque Valley was followed by a tie against Deming and an expected lopsided loss at Lovington, one in which they were without the services of two of their top players.
Now introducing St. Michael’s, a team whose offense has scored just three points in three games and a program that’s off to its first 0-3 start in 21 years.
Then there’s this: As of Thursday night, head coach Joey Fernandez was still officially serving a one-game suspension after his ejection from last weekend’s loss at Bloomfield. The school filed a formal appeal on Wednesday with the New Mexico Activities Association, but no decision is expected until Friday morning.
“We’ve been preparing all week, the same as always,” Fernandez said Thursday. “Whether I’m there or not, there are four assistants on this staff who can fill in for me for one game. That’s not the concern. The focus has been getting the kids ready for a big game, that’s all.”
If the appeal is denied — Fernandez was ejected after two unsportsmanlike conduct calls on the Horsemen sidelines, each of which are officially charged to the head coach regardless of his involvement — then there’s a slight chance that Horseman assistant Kevin Hauck could take over the bulk of the playcalling duties for the offense.
He serves as the running backs and defensive line coach, but more than that he is the resident expert on all
things Bill Moon. The head coach at Capital, Moon has employed Hauck on his staff from 1988-96, then Hauck served as the Jaguars’ head coach for three years after Moon took over at Rio Rancho.
The pair reunited for four years at Santa Fe High and two more at Espanola Valley before Hauck joined Fernandez’s staff in 2010.
“I never knew coach Moon before he hired me, then he had me over to his house for an interview,” Hauck said. “I must have done something right because I was on his staff calling his offense for, what, 14 years? I guess I’m a good interviewer.”
Truth is, this is always a special week for Hauck. Facing his old boss tends to bring out an extra notch or two of excitement. It would be incrementally bigger if Fernandez leaves a bigger responsibility on Hauck’s plate against the Jaguars.
“It’s usually the same thing every time you see a Bill Moon-coached team,” Fernandez said. “They’re going to run the ball right at you and, you know, with all the talent they have this year that’s something we know is going to happen. You look at their kids and they’ve got a few who can do a lot carrying the ball, but a kid like Luke [Padilla] makes everyone on defense take a second to know where he is and who’s lining up to block for him.”
A sophomore with a senior’s build, strength and speed, Padilla missed last week’s game at Lovington with a concussion. Even when he’s not 100 percent, he’s generally regarded as the top player in the city.
“Honestly, the biggest concern is not who’s playing and who’s sitting, but it’s getting our kids to be prepared for what they have to do,” Fernandez said. “We’ve had our own things to worry about, so right now we’re just trying to prepare our guys and get them better.”
Already the winningest coach in school history, Fernandez has never had an 0-3 start in his career. The fact that the Horsemen are only halfway through a four-game road trip that keeps them off their home turf for six full weeks makes the challenge of playing consecutive road games against Capital and Santa Fe High that much tougher.
Per NMAA policy, a suspended coach must vacate his team’s facility 30 minutes prior to kickoff. That means no communication, no pregame pep talk, no on-field adjustments; all things Fernandez has mastered over the years, things that have turned his alma mater into one of the most consistent programs in the state much of the last two decades.
“If I can help coach the team if Joey’s not there, it would be an honor to be the keeper of the keys for three hours on a Friday night,” Hauck said. “Every one of the assistants on the staff would feel that way. Coach has got something really good going here and it’s his team, for sure.”
Fernandez said he has spent part of this week charting the team’s offensive playbook for whichever assistant he chooses to serve in his stead at offensive coordinator. He has also planned for which of his assistants will deliver the pregame speech and handle the halftime adjustments.
The defense, as usual, will be coached by defensive coordinator Joey Butler.
No matter who runs the offense, the one certainty is that senior Dominick Morgan will get the start at quarterback but freshman Lucas Coriz will see plenty of time as his relief.
“Dom has handled the two-quarterback system with a really good attitude,” Fernandez said. “He knows if he’s not in [at QB] that he’s going to be at one of the skill positions with Lucas in there. I can’t say enough about his attitude. It’s been awesome.”
NOTES
St. Michael’s has won 12 straight games against Capital and leads the all-time series 18-8. The Jaguars won seven of the first eight meetings between 1990-97, but the Horsemen have won 17 of the last 18, the only exception coming in 2005 when the Jaguars scored an overtime touchdown in a 13-7 upset for their only win of the season. … The 1997 Horsemen who started 0-3 went on to finish 1-10. They were outscored by an average of 13 points per game. This year’s team has been outscored by an average of 33 points in the first three weeks.
If I can help coach the team if Joey’s not there, it would be an honor to be the keeper of the keys for three hours on a Friday night. Every one of the assistants on the staff would feel that way. Coach has got something really good going here and it’s his team, for sure.” Kevin Hauck, St. Michael’s assistant coach