Garcia out as Horsemen’s coach
Jackie Ortega, Ron Mayberry, Ron Geyer and David Rodriguez. He filled in briefly for Geyer when Geyer suffered a leg injury while skiing, but didn’t get his first chance to be a varsity head coach until just recently.
He assumed interim control of the program Jan. 27, 2022, when Rodriguez was placed on administrative leave during an internal investigation. His first game produced a stunning 61-57 overtime win against Robertson, a game in which St. Mike’s overcame an 18-point deficit in the second half. It instantly galvanized the team and its fan base.
The Horsemen started that 2021-22 season by losing their first 10 games, including their first-ever loss to Santa Fe Prep and a rare loss to Raton. The Horsemen were 3-12 when Garcia took over but began a remarkable turnaround that culminated in a trip to the 3A championship game just six weeks later.
“We just got down to basics,” Garcia said. “I told the boys to play the game like we did when they were 3 or 4 years old; play for the fun of it.”
Robertson won the 2022 title game and St. Michael’s finished 16-15, but the surprising resurgence made Garcia a top candidate for the permanent post.
The school removed the interim tag that offseason, promoting him to the top spot for the first time in his career. He kept Rodriguez’s staff in tact and stabilized the program with a solid summer in 2022. The Horsemen started the 2022-23 season by losing four of their first nine games but rattled off 22 straight wins to capture its 12th state championship, and first in 11 years.
The defining moment came in the state finals with a 17-point win over Robertson in The Pit, a victory that seemed to cement Garcia’s place as head coach of his alma mater.
Garcia was 40-7 in the time immediately after he took over as interim coach.
This past season was anything but smooth sailing. The Horsemen returned a roster with just two seniors and began a challenging schedule minus a number of key varsity contributors, many of whom played for the school’s state championship-winning football team.
The slow start included a blowout loss to Santa Fe Indian School in the Capital City Invitational and consecutive losses to Capital and Santa Fe High in mid-December as part of a 2-5 start. The Horsemen never climbed more than three games over .500, finishing third in District 2-3A.
Handed the No. 6 seed in the 3A state tournament, St. Mike’s was sent packing with a 10-point loss to Santa Fe Indian School in the quarterfinals. Along the way, Garcia served a one-game suspension in early February after he was seen not shaking hands with Robertson coach James Branch following a 52-48 loss to the Cardinals in Las Vegas on Feb. 1.
As a three-time cancer survivor, Garcia said he’s most proud of the fact that he has defied the odds his entire life. Diagnosed for the first time while he was still in high school, he spent five grueling years in treatment. He has since had two more extended bouts with cancer, each more trying than the last.
“My doctors said there was a zero percent chance I’d ever father a child and here I am, a proud dad of a 19-year-old son in college at the University of Arizona,” Garcia said. “My entire life I’ve had to overcome things. I will overcome this.”
Griñe said Garcia will remain on staff as the school’s director of transportation and as an assistant dean of students. He also teaches the seventh-period athletic hour.
The next head coach will preferably have varsity head coaching experience, Griñe said. The school’s search committee is currently being assembled and will include at least one member of the alumni, Griñe said.