Tigers spoil Spartans’ Homecoming
Broadcasted on radio through 95.9 The Mountain and televised statewide by channel 50, the Taos Tigers and Bernalillo Spartans duked it out in channel 50’s “game of the week” on Friday (Sept. 23) to see who would jump up in the standings, with Taos ultimately claiming victory.
The Tigers and the Spartans came into the game neck and neck in the middle of the Class 4A football rankings, however, with Taos at 7th and Bernalillo sitting at 8th.
The Bernalillo Spartans banner read: “Think you can beat us?! In your dreams.” On the upper right corner, the Taos Tigers logo was crossed out with a red X to further emphasize the point.
Both sides wasted their first offensive possessions as both defensive lines generated either stops or turnovers. The Spartans were penalized a couple of times for holding in the first quarter. Neither side could find the end zone and first downs were slim.
The Tigers struck first with a Daemon Ely touchdown pass to Favian Cordova on a short corner route that Cordova managed to snag before the ball could hit the ground. The Tigers missed the extra point.
The Spartans tied the game 6-6 after the Taos center snapped it too high for the 6’5” quarterback, making it hard for him to handle it cleanly. Bernalillo recovered the fumble and ran it down the sidelines — when Taos tried tackling the ball carrier, he pitched it back awesomely to another Spartan, who caught it and gave Bernalillo additional yardage that much closer to the goal line.
Mirroring Taos, Bernalillo also scored on a short passing touchdown, but could not convert the two-point attempt.
With three minutes left to go, Taos moved the ball downfield with a long pass and then punched it in with a couple of quarterback sneaks to take back the lead. After a two-point conversion, the Tigers led 14-6 at the half.
In the second half, Taos guard Lucion Martinez suffered a gameending injury and Jerome Martinez stepped into the role. The Tigers added another score and enough defensive pressure to keep Bernalillo at bay. Coach Abreu Jr. showed his passion for the game when he ran down the sidelines on a punt that pinned the Spartans within five yards of their end zone, and then as well on a crucial play where Ely sacked the opposing quarterback on a fourth down play in the red zone.
Taos won 21-6 after a Noah Washington interception off of a Hail Mary.
Art Abreu received an ovation from the stands while the Tigers kneeled for the post-game victory speech, and he went into the bleachers to thank the supporters traveling from Taos to Bernalillo. One of the players joked “He loves them more than he loves us.”
The Taos Tigers improve to 4-1 and will host a home game in Questa against the Aztec Tigers on Friday (Sept. 30). In the latest coaches poll, the Taos Tigers have jumped up to fifth in the 4A rankings.
Taos coach controversy
The Friday before (Sept. 16), coach Art Abreu Jr. had been placed on administrative leave after claims of physical, verbal
and mental abuse, but was later cleared of those allegations. The day before the game, with his immediate family beside him and his extended family behind him, Abreu Jr. made a public statement after the outpouring of support from over the thousand supporters who commented on the “Justice for Abreu” online petition within three days of the investigation.
The top comment from that petition, written Tyler Gomez, reads: “From my time as a Taos Tiger football player, the Abreu program has become such a big part of my morals as a person, from what he and his family has taught me is rules for life; it’s not easy, you have to work hard to achieve your dreams and goals, the lessons they teach on the field are not only to win a game but to attain your goals in life. Now that I am 21 years of age, I reflect every day on the teachings he has given to us and integrate them into my own life, he has brought the firstever State Championship to Taos High and it was a commitment between the program and players that knew their dreams would only be achieved by working hard and giving 100 percent every single time we walked on the field.”
On Thursday, coach Abreu Jr. uttered one simple declarative: “I am the head football coach of Taos High. I will be the head coach of Taos High moving forward.”
Abreu Jr. continued “I am going to keep my same standard. I’m going to keep my same grace. And I’m going to keep my same work ethic moving forward to the day I stop coaching.”