Ivan Head set for 3A title game

Administrators from Santa Fe Public Schools and St. Michael’s reached an agreement Tuesday afternoon to use Ivan Head Stadium this weekend’s Class 3A state championship football game.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday. Longstanding rivals St. Michael’s and Robertson will meet in the final for the second time in three years, and for the third time overall. Both teams enter with identical 10-2 records, each winning a pair of home playoff games to reach the season’s final weekend.

St. Michael’s is the designated home team and had the option of hosting the game at the Christian Brothers Athletic Complex or doing what it had done the four previous times it was home for the championship: borrow Santa Fe High’s more spacious on-campus facility. Ivan Head has a seating capacity of approximately 6,000 while St. Michael’s can accommodate roughly 1,300.

The game is unlikely to come close to a sellout, but the added space and clear separation between the home and visitor spectator areas makes Ivan Head the more comfortable and safer option.

Terms of Tuesday’s agreement were not disclosed, although it has been reported that the New Mexico Activities Association distributes about 30% of gate receipts to the host school and 15% to the visitors. The NMAA keeps the rest. If and how much SFPS benefits is unclear.

Tickets start at $7 for students, senior citizens and members of the military. All other seats are $12.

There will be no on-site sales as all tickets must be purchased through the GoFan app or by visiting GoFan.co/app/ school/nmaa and following the link to Saturday’s various state championship games.