Demons’ turn
Once the team getting pushed around on the pitch, Santa Fe High boys turn tables in win.
Who’s pushing the Santa Fe High Demons around now?
If there was an area the former young Demons struggled with on the soccer pitch, it was matching the physical play of their opponents — especially by the Class 6A teams from Albuquerque. That is no longer the case. After four years of waiting for a group of eight seniors and four juniors to mature, it finally happened this year.
Case in point: Wednesday night’s 6-0 shutout of Manzano at Santa Fe High in a District 5-5A match. The Demons controlled possession and most of the 50-50 balls that come to define the more physical and strong-willed squad.
Certainly, Matt Hunter’s three goals highlighted the offensive output, but the key to success for Santa Fe High (9-3 overall, 2-1 in 5-5A) was its ability to impose its will on an opponent. Santa Fe High head coach Rob Quirk said it was just a matter of time and maturity for that aspect to even out.
“You put anyone in a situation where you’re gonna lose game after game against bigger, stronger players, they’re going to get bigger and stronger themselves,” Quirk said. “It’s kinda where we are now.”
The physicality also demonstrated itself on the defensive end, as the Demons were more effective in thwarting any chance the Monarchs (1-10, 0-3) had in the first half to cut into a 2-0 deficit. Much of that credit goes to the duo of sophomore Jorge Lozano and senior Johnathan Manzanares, who have strengthened the play of the back line. The end result was Santa Fe High’s eighth shutout of the season and second in a row against an Albuquerque school.
“We have the smartest centerback in the state in Jorge Lozano,” junior midfielder Sebastian Lopez said. “There is no doubt about that. He is one of the fastest, most physical players out there in Johnny
Manzanares. Those two, the way they can close on the ball makes it hard to score.”
There has been a different intensity with the Demons since a 3-2 loss at Albuquerque High, as well. Quirk said competing as well as they did against the Bulldogs, the No. 3 team in the state according to MaxPreps. com’s Freeman rankings, revealed to the players that the talent gap compared to the top teams in the state has narrowed significantly.
“Now they have an image of what [the top-tier teams] and that type of soccer looks like,” Quirk said. “We got, what, a week and a half until Albuquerque High gets back here. So we’re talking to them about — and they are starting to take seriously — fine-tuning what we do and actually keeping more possession.”
The Demons had that in droves against the Monarchs, but Quirk was especially happy with the distribution of the ball. While Hunter had a hat trick, Lopez and Kiran Smelser also found the back of the net. In fact, Lopez did a great impression of Hunter when he sprinted past the Manzano defense on a thru-ball and flipped the ball past the goalkeeper to make it a 3-0 lead late in the first half.
“It’s always great to score, especially looking out and helping the team,” Lopez said. “You do whatever you can to get the win.”
The next big test comes Saturday when the Demons take on crosstown rival Capital in a crucial district match that took on greater significance when the Jaguars beat Sandia 1-0 at home Wednesday afternoon. Capital has won the last six matches between the two programs, which spans the last six seasons. A win keeps Santa Fe High on the heels of the Bulldogs and the surprising Rio Grande Ravens, who are also undefeated in 5-5A play. Oh, and those two teams show up to play Santa Fe next week. But first thing’s first — the Jaguars. “We’re ready to get that win,” Quirk said. “Matt’s been chomping at the bit for the last five years for that. So we’re going to show up and see what we can do.”