Horsemen Pose Huge Challenge for Robertson
St. Mike’s Looks Like 3A’s Finest
When asked to name the best team in Class 3A, Robertson coach Leroy Gonzales paused.
Perhaps the third-year Cardinals coach needed a moment to reflect on the young season. But more likely, knowing who is on top is one thing — saying it is a little bit harder.
“St. Mike’s,” he said, finally, about his squad’s main rival for much of the aughts. “St. Mike’s is definitely No. 1 right now. Last week proved it.”
What happened last week was a 40-0 Horsemen win over Lovington, which all but solidified their place at the top of the standings. But Gonzales also knows that polls don’t really mean much in September — and they would mean even less with a Cardinals win tonight against the visiting Horsemen.
“That would be huge,” Gonzales said. “A win would be huge for the mindset of our players, and it would be huge for seeding.
“If we beat them, what’s going to happen then?”
In order to find out, though, the Cardinals will have to grow up quickly. Gonzales cites mental errors as the main culprit in their two losses, .
“We just have to keep it in perspective that we’re a young team,” said Gonzales, who graduated 14 seniors from last season. “When we moved the ball on Santa Rosa and Lovington, we’d follow that up with a penalty. It’s just inexperience right now.”
But based on Horsemen coach Joey Fernandez’s experience, taking a Robertson team lightly — regardless of how green they may be — could prove costly.
“Robertson is always a team that plays hard and is aggressive,” he said. “They are young, but I have no idea what to expect.”
Fernandez said he’s also concerned about a lackluster week of practice on the heels of the blowout win against Lovington, so he held a team meeting to address the issue.
“We had a long talk with the kids because our first practice this week was tough on them,” he said. “But after that, the last two practices have been pretty good. We will need to start practicing better as the season goes along, but I know these guys always show up for the games.”
When Gonzales was asked after the St. Mike’s win over Lovington what he thought made the Horsemen tick, he replied: “Their size is what stood out the most. Lovington is a big team, but St. Mike’s is really big, so hopefully we can use our speed. And they’re not only big, but they have a couple running backs with a little speed too.”
KEYS FOR ROBERTSON: Gonzales said his squad works best when it’s able to use a balanced offense. But due to early deficits against Santa Rosa and Lovington, the Cardinals have been forced to pass — and pass often.
“We’ve been behind pretty quick in these last two games, so we’ve gotten away from the running game, but we’re still working on it,” Gonzales said. “It’s going to be a tough task up front, but it’s really important to control the clock and keep our defense off the field.”
KEYS FOR ST. MIKE’S: Fernandez said preventing and limiting injuries is his primary concern. As for the best way to do that? “Playing hard on every play and not taking plays off,” he said. “When guys get sloppy, that’s when they get hurt.”
LAST WEEK: Robertson is coming off a 48-7 loss at 2A powerhouse Santa Rosa. ... St. Mike’s is coming off a 40-0 win over visiting Lovington. It was the first time that the Wildcats had been shut out by a 3A team since losing to district rival Ruidoso 17-0 in the final District 4 game of the season on Nov. 3, 2006. It was also the three-time defending state champion Wildcats’ first loss to a 3A opponent since the 2008 season.