‘Best entertainment in town’
For fans of Demons and Jaguars basketball, rivalry isn’t getting old even with sixth match-up of season
The hottest ticket in Santa Fe simply read: “2019-20 District 5-AAAAA General Admission.” And everyone was doing all they could to get one.
That explained the backup of cars on Second Street, Cerrillos Road and every other thoroughfare into Santa Fe Indian School on Monday night. About 3,900 people made it into Everett Chavez Pueblo Pavilion for the District 5-5A boys basketball playoff game between archrivals Santa Fe High and Capital to determine the top seed in the upcoming district tournament. And, more important, a likely top-two seed for the state tournament.
Hundreds more fans were left wanting and waiting as the gymnasium reached capacity. It was just more proof the Demons-Jaguars rivalry — one that has produced five high-intensity games this season — is at a fever pitch in a city that loves its high school hoops.
For pure drama, Monday night’s game didn’t disappoint: Santa Fe High downed Capital, 67-62, giving the Demons a 3-2 advantage in this year’s series (and they could conceivably play twice more this season).
“It is pure excitement,” said Tommy Trujillo, a 1988 graduate of Santa Fe High. “This is the best entertainment in town right now.”
The two programs’ success this year is undeniable. Santa Fe High was 21-4 entering the game, while the Jaguars were 22-3. Monday’s playoff was necessitated by identical 9-1 district records.
But their similarities don’t end there: Santa Fe High is No. 4 and Capital No. 5 in the
MaxPreps.com Freeman ranking for Class 5A, which is used to determine selection and seeding for the state tournament.
Longtime fan Rey Morales, who has watched plenty of basketball games over six decades, said the Demons-Jaguars rivalry this year is almost unparalleled in city history, perhaps matched only by classic St. Michael’s-Santa Fe High games in the 1960s and ‘70s played in the old Sweeney Gymnasium.
“I think it’s one of the fiercest ones that I’ve seen in the city,” Morales said. “I’m rooting for Capital because they are from the poor side of town. But I think [it being a district game] has really changed the dynamic.”
Another element to the rivalry’s intensity is the easy cross-references between the schools. Players know one another well. So do students and alums. For instance, David Martinez, the scorekeeper for Monday’s game, played at Santa Fe High from 1972-75, and his son, Marcus, played at Capital from 1999-2002.
David Martinez said he remembers in 2000 when the two schools played for a spot in the state tournament in the District 2-4A semifinal in front of a sold-out crowd at Capital. That was when only the two teams in the district tournament championship game advanced to the postseason, instead of the current 16-team format.
Martinez added that Santa Fe High’s recent success, including the program’s first state championship appearance in 41 years last March, coupled with Capital’s undeniable consistency over the past 17 years (one state title, four second places), has brought plenty of pride to supporters of both schools.
“Everybody knows they’re good, that they can compete,” Martinez said. “So when they go and play Albuquerque schools, they know [Capital and Santa Fe High] can compete and you’re going to get the best from them and that’s fun to see.”
Adding to the fire is the fact that both schools are now in the same classification and same district. That hasn’t often been the case. Most of the time, Santa Fe High was in the big-school division, while Capital was usually a classification lower.
As might be expected in a rivalry where the combatants are so close, emotions have become raw. The crowds in the teams’ two previous district games got testy. And at the end of Capital’s 69-62 win over Santa Fe on Feb. 19, the Jaguars’ mascot raced to midcourt and verbally confronted Santa Fe High junior and future University of New Mexico Lobo Fedonta “JB” White, who jawed back before a Demons coach escorted him off the court.
In response to that incident, a video of players, coaches and administrators from both schools was released Monday afternoon, asking fans to be respectful and not let the rivalry and personal feelings get in the way of the game. The fans got the message, as there were not reported incidents Monday night.
Santa Fe High head coach Zack Cole, who was an assistant coach at Capital from 2004-09 and is the son-in-law of Capital head coach Ben Gomez, said the passion the fans have showed is great. But he added there’s a limit.
“Fan bases need to focus on cheering for their teams, instead of insulting or belittling or putting down the other team,” Cole said. “There is a big difference. One looks good, the other doesn’t.”
Despite that incident, Cole said the last couple of games have been electric on the court and in the stands.
“It’s loud and it’s intense,” Cole said. “A lot of energy, and a lot of players playing hard and fans cheering hard, too. It’s a lot of energy, you can feel it.”
And almost everyone in town wants to be a part of that.