Tigers, Eagles battle in 75th Valencia Bowl

The 75th annual Valencia Bowl between Belen and Los Lunas, with county bragging rights and the VCNB Chile Roaster trophy at stake, will kickoff at 7 p.m., Friday, Aug. 18, at Willie Chavez Stadium in Los Lunas.

Few football programs in New Mexico know each other as well as the Eagles and Tigers. Their gridiron rivalry started in 1953 and has continued with at least one game every year since.

While 5A Belen leads the overall series 41-32-1, 6A Los Lunas has won the last seven games by an average score of 40-4.

Second year Eagles’ head coach Kevin Peña is not only concerned with the physical size of the Tiger players but the size of the Tigers’ roster.

“Their numbers are huge — there are a lot of depth issues we have versus them,” Peña said, concerned about wearing down in the second half.

LLHS head coach Greg Henington, who once led the Belen program, said despite his familiarity with BHS, this years’ Eagles squad is a mystery.

“We don’t know a whole bunch about them. We know the players that they have that are studs, obviously,” Henington said, specifically mentioning junior running back Damian Avila.

Both the Eagles and Tigers lost plenty of talent to graduation, making any predictions for a season opener more difficult.

“It will be different,” LLHS senior receiver Fabian Trujillo admits. “I feel we have the chemistry going right now — I think our guys are getting in the groove.”

The Eagles point to strides in the weight room as reason for optimism.

“We’re a lot stronger this year,” said Derian Rodriguez, senior cornerback. “I think we’re ready.”

The Tigers and Eagles stepped outside of their regular practice schedule last week to scrimmage other schools.

The Tigers hosted Volcano Vista, a 6A semifinalist in 2022, while the Eagles visited Estancia to scrimmage the 2A Mustangs and 4A Valencia.

It was a good break for both teams.

“Just for us to hit someone else,” was a nice change, Belen’s Peña said. “We needed something like this.”

BHS had difficulty tackling at times during the scrimmages, while the offense struggled for consistency. The highlight was a swing pass to Jasode Harris, who out raced the Estancia defense 65 yards to the end zone.

Henington said the LLHS scrimmage against the Hawks revealed, “A lot of good things, especially that 10, 12 play drive,” which resulted in a touchdown. “It was good to see the offensive line come out and set the tone,” Henington noted.

Trujillo said lining up against a quality opponent was an important test for the Tigers.

“Playing Volcano — full pads — is always a good way to start. We went back and forth.”

Neither team dominated the other, with each scoring one touchdown. However, Los Lunas was plagued by several fumbles on shotgun snaps.

Defensively, Tigers’ defensive back Jason Ussery stopped one drive with an interception.

The battle at quarterback for Los Lunas between Damacio Kanishero and Kaiden Reese won’t be decided, or at least announced, until right before the Valencia Bowl.

“They’re fighting for that spot and they’re fighting well,” Henington said.

Peña was also unable, or unwilling, to announce the Eagles’ starting quarterback, likely either Ethan Thomas or Hunter Garcia.

This is the county’s biggest rivalry, but the combatants say it’s respectful.

“They always come out and fight. They play hard,” the Tigers’ Trujillo said about the Eagles.

BHS players feel the same way, which ratchets up the games’ importance.

“Los Lunas? That’s the only game I want,” said Belen senior lineman Ryan Trujillo.

Practice has gone well aside from a few lightning delays, Peña said.

“I’m happy with the team, happy with our attitude right now. It’s your first game so everyone’s excited.”

Henington likes the idea of starting the year with the county’s Super Bowl.

“It’s the best way to start off the season with the good old Valencia Bowl. Yeah, man, let’s get after it.”

Gates open at 5 p.m. Friday. Ticket prices are $5 for adults and $4 for students, seniors and military. There are no cash sales. Tickets can be purchased at gofan.com.

Employees of Los Lunas Schools and Belen Consolidated Schools will be admitted free with school ID.

Valencia High School

The Jaguars open the season on the road at Kirtland Central, marking the debut of VHS head coach LeDarrius Cage.

Starting the season away from home may not be as daunting as it appears.

Kirtland Central has struggled in recent years, posting a 4-6 record last year, including a 53-2 playoff loss to Moriarty. The Broncs were 0-3 at home.

“We’ve got a little bit of a feel for them,” Cage said after watching game film of Kirtland Central from last season. “We know who their returners are.”

On paper, the Jaguars-Broncs seems to be an even match.

“I think we’re somewhat similar in a couple different areas,” the coach said. “Yeah, I think it will be a good game.”

Valencia is coming off a 4-7 season, including a 12-6 first-round playoff loss at Aztec.

As for the Jaguars’ scrimmages Thursday in Estancia against the host Mustangs and Belen, VHS made several excellent plays on both sides of the ball. However, from Cage’s perspective, fundamental improvement is needed in blocking and tackling.

“We’ve got to execute on offense, No. 1. No. 2, we can’t win games if we can’t get stops.”

National Junior Showcase

In July, Valencia’s Tilden Brown and Robert Benitez took part in the National Junior Showcase in Dallas. The annual Showcase gives football players’ exposure in front of college coaches and recruiters.

Brown, a senior, and Benitez, a junior, went through a series of skill tests, similar to the NFL combine. Players were also assigned teams, which played seven on seven games at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Brown was named Defensive Most Valuable Player in one of the contests.