November Madness: Class 3A State Championship Game Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 3A State Championship Game Preview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Who</strong>: Robertson (10-2) at St. Michael's (10-2)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Where</strong>: Ivan Head Stadium, Santa Fe, NM</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>When</strong>: Sat., Nov. 25, 1 p.m.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fierce rivals Robertson and St. Michael's are in familiar territory. These two teams met in the Class 3A championship game two years ago, a contest won by Robertson in Las Vegas. But playing in late November is nothing new for these two teams. Since 2011, they've appeared a combined nine times in a state championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Michael's, in&nbsp; fact, is appearing in its third straight Class 3A championship game, reinforcing its well-earned reputation as one of the premier programs in the classification. Warning: The Horsemen have given no indication of slowing down anytime soon, certainly not as long as long-time head coach Joey Fernandez is still around to lead the program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two weeks ago, it looked like St. Michael's might not get here. They trailed Raton, 14-0, with less than nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. But the Horsemen pulled a rabbit out of its hat and scored 21 points to stun the Tigers, 21-14. Given new life, they walloped NMMI, 41-0, seven days later at home to earn yet another berth in the state championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This year, St. Michael's is getting the job done with a run-dominated offense and a stout defense. Three running backs share the load – <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275066' first='Matthias' last='Duran']</strong> (551 rushing yards), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119160' first='Soren' last='Annon']</strong> (666 yards) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853063' first='Isaiah' last='Dominguez']</strong> (355).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively, they've allowed more than 20 points just once with three shutouts in the last 10 games. Sophomore LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137830' first='Pete' last='Johnson']</strong> leads St. Michael's with 76 tackles and 10.0 TFL, and he's supported by LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119096' first='Joele' last='Griego']</strong> with 56 tackles and 7.0 TFL. Six-foot-2 freshman DE <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155019' first='Ryan' last='Hunt']</strong> emerged this season as one of the top 2027 prospects in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The St. Michael's defense will try to stop a Robertson offense that averaged 42.8 points over a four-game stretch prior to last week's 16-7 grinder over Cobre in the semifinals. Earlier this season, the Horsemen defense blanked Robertson, 21-0, proving they're capable of breaking the Cardinals' offensive code.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior QB <strong>Jesse James Gonzales</strong> (still one of the coolest names in NM high school football) is one of the top dual threat quarterbacks in northern New Mexico with nearly &nbsp;1,300 passing yards and close to 1,000 rushing yards. He's very close to joining the prestigious 1,000-1,000 yard club for quarterbacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594850' first='Paul' last='Duran']</strong> is Robertson's other running threat, while junior WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119108' first='Nathaniel' last='Gonzales']</strong> has over 30 receptions. A week ago, the Gonzales brothers teamed up for a 99-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter that gave the Cardinals a two-score lead and secured a trip back to the 3A title game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two years ago, older brother Matt Gonzales led Robertson to a 28-7 victory over St. Michael's in the 3A state championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Since many players play both ways in 3A, Jesse James Gonzales, [player_tooltip player_id='1119108' first='Nathaniel' last='Gonzales'] and Duran are three of the Robertson's top tacklers. The Cardinals have 11 players with 40+ tackles, so they do an excellent job sharing the responsibility.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both of the Cardinals wins this postseason have been rematches of victories during the regular season following the quarterfinal win over Socorro and the semifinal victory over Cobre. However, it's Robertson requiring redemption in the championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday's game will be played at picturesque (and much larger) Ivan Head Stadium, home of the Santa Fe Demons. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1095064,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-23-at-17-53-47-2023-Nusenda-Credit-Union-State-Football-Championships-3A.png?w=664" alt="" class="wp-image-1095064" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: MaxPreps</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>                      </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->