Mike Powers| News-Bulletin photos
The sun was barely up Monday, as the VHS Jaguars practiced for the first time under a new coaching staff.
While all three Valencia County high school football teams made the post season in 2022, it’s possible each considered the results disappointing to varying degrees.
However, with official practices starting this past Monday, each also has reason to look forward to 2023.
Belen High School
Hitting the practice field, the BHS Eagles look to put a disappointing 2022 behind them.
A string of injuries hindered Belen down the stretch last season, as the Eagles limped home with an overall 2-9 record. That included a first-round playoff loss at Kirtland Central.
The 5A Eagles have another challenging schedule, starting with 6A Los Lunas on Friday, Aug. 18, in the Valencia Bowl.
However, BHS has had a full off-season under second-year head coach Kevin Peña, topped off by the return of Friday’s Night of Champions weightlifting showcase.
“They’ve adjusted to us coaches,” Peña said about the players. “The kids have been buying in to what we’re doing.”
Offensively, the Eagles begin practice without a clear-cut starter at quarterback. Among those competing for the job are Ethan Thomas and Hunter Garcia, who is returning from injury.
“We’ll see who pulls apart from the other. I think it will be pretty close,” Peña speculated. “We have some other wrinkles we’re throwing in there.”
Peña expects to have better depth on the offensive line, with the possibility of several players in new positions.
Augustine Lopez will get carries at fullback.
“It’s a new position,” Lopez said. “I’m excited to get the ball.”
At running back, Damian Avila could be back on the field by district play after a knee injury, while Derian Rodriguez is now healthy.
The BHS Eagles ended off-season workouts with the Night of Champions.
“I feel like I’ll get more touches this year,” a hopeful Rodriguez said. “I’m in better shape than last year. I’m healthier.”
Peña will need to decide if BHS will use a two-platoon system, with players either on offense or defense, or if some Eagles will play both sides of the ball.
“We started out putting our best athletes on the field, then we went away from it, and said, ‘Let’s go offense-defense to make us last throughout the season.’”
Defensively, Nicholas Fresquez will play a key role at linebacker.
“We have a good senior group this year and the younger guys are learning faster,” Fresquez observed. “The morale is higher.”
Ryan Trujillo, another linebacker, concurs.
“I think we’re going to shut a lot of teams down — I think we’re going to show people we mean business.”
Like many coaches this time of year, Peña is cautiously optimistic.
“We should put a better product on the field, hopefully.”
Valencia High School
As with any new coach, Ledarrius Cage has a “to do” list of items to check off at 4A Valencia. Top of mind are finding ways to avoid the Jaguars’ fourth quarter woes from last season and instilling a new culture.
“For us, it’s not just football,” said Cage, who took over for Wesley Shank. “Things like being leaders in the classroom, showing up to classes on time, being respectful men when they are outside the football stadium. I can guarantee you we’re going to do a good job of that this year.”
Like most first practices, Monday’s session was brutal for the Jags, but not because of the heat. Practice started at 5:30 a.m.
“It was rough, but we’re here to work, to get better,” said junior quarterback Aiden Harrington, who will guide an offense that has a quicker pace.
“We want to go really fast and in order to go fast everyone has to know what they’re doing,” explained Cage, who previously was an assistant coach at VHS before spending three years at Cleveland High School.
Along with Harrington, VHS will rely on running back Danny Villegas and receiver Aiden Woods, both seniors.
“They bring leadership to the team and experience,” the coach said.
Cage’s philosophy on defense is simple.
“We want to pursue and tackle — line up correctly, the little things.”
Key pieces on “D” include cornerback Jorge Zuniga and middle linebacker Tilden Brown, who believes the defense, “is really solid.”
Brown is demanding more of himself as a leader, “Because I didn’t play much of a role (as leader) last year. So, I just want to be a bigger dude on the team.”
VHS, 4-7 last season, lost four games by a touchdown or less, including a 12-6 first round playoff loss at Aztec.
“We are focused on winning the fourth quarter,” Cage said.
Harrington put it bluntly.
“We were not conditioned. We just weren’t ready by the fourth quarter.”
Brown believes winning those tight games comes down to mental toughness.
“We have a new coach this year, and we’re getting new standards put up.”
Those new standards will be tested when the Jaguars open the season on Friday, Aug. 18, at Kirtland Central.
Los Lunas High School
LLHS Tigers go through the first practice of the season, seeking a return to the playoffs.
After capturing the 5A state title in 2022, Los Lunas moved up to 6A last season and proved it could play with the biggest schools in New Mexico, finishing with a 7-4 record, 4-0 in district.
However, closing the gap with several juggernauts won’t be easy.
“They’ve got a lot of numbers, a lot of size and talent,” Tigers’ head coach Greg Henington said about the likes of Cleveland and La Cueva, who dominated LLHS.
“It’s not always about that,” Henington said. “It’s about us clawing and scratching one inch at a time. We believe in our heart we can get it done.”
The first order of business is finding a quarterback after the departure of Paul Cieremans, who is a walk on at New Mexico State Universtiy.
“You just have to find a different avenue, a different pair of shoes,” is how Henington analyses it.
Sophomore Kaiden Reese, junior Ty Gould, and senior Damacio Kaneshiro, who didn’t play last season, are in the mix at quarterback.
“We’re just going to see how it plays out, to see what happens and see who takes charge,” the coach said.
Until a quarterback settles in, LLHS will rely on the offensive line.
“We need to lean on them a little bit because that’s our most experienced group, for sure.”
Whoever is behind center will count on senior wide receiver Fabian Trujillo, who is among a speedy group of skill players.
“That’s how we’re going to do it,” Trujillo said. “We’ve got a lot of fast guys on offense.”
Defensively, Los Lunas has several starters returning in the secondary, with a number of new faces elsewhere.
Senior Jasiah Baca, who will bring some veteran savvy to both lines, likes the athleticism on defense.
“We definitely have some guys who can move, a lot of skills,” Baca said.
As for the offensive line, “I think we will be able to move some people around pretty easy and move that ball.”
Despite needing to fill some holes, Henington is ready to go.
“We kind of feel we’ve got the program rolling. We had great guys that we don’t have any more, but we’ve got dudes who are ready to step up.”
Los Lunas hosts Belen on Friday, Aug. 18, in the Valencia Bowl.
Mike Powers spent more than 40 years as a television news and sports anchor, mostly in the Albuquerque market. He has won numerous awards including New Mexico Sportscaster of the Year. He covers a wide range of sports, including the Valencia County prep scene.
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May 2, 2024
