November Madness: Class 3A Championship Game Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Who</strong>: Dexter Demons (12-0) vs. St. Michael's Horsemen (12-0);</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>What</strong>: Class 3A State Championship Football Game;</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. 30, 1 p.m.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is the only state championship game involving two teams with perfect records. Both Dexter and St. Michael's have been two of the top three teams in Class 3A all season long (along with Robertson), so it's fitting they'll meet with the state championship at stake.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams are coming off impressive road victories in the semifinals. Dexter make the long trip to Las Vegas and beat Robertson, 27-24, on a walk-off field goal, handing the Cardinals a rare home loss. St. Michael's traveled to Roswell and trounced NMMI, 46-7, behind a big play offense and a physical, aggressive defense that limited to Colts' vaunted ground game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Michael's is playing in the Class 3A state championship game for the fourth straight year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“If you want to be in our program, you have to plan on playing for the state championship and winning the state championship,” St. Michael's head coach Joey Fernandez told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “That's what we try to ingrain in our players.” &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dexter will take the field Saturday with plenty of offensive firepower. Sophomore quarterback <strong>C.J. Granados</strong>, who botted the game-winning 32-yard field goal at Robertson, has been leading the Demons' offense since his freshman year. In fact, he saw varsity action as an eight-grader. He has thrown for over 1,500 yards and rushed for over 400 yards this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“C.J.'s progression, attention to detail and his dedication to what we're doing has been phenomenal,” Dexter head coach Sonny Duran told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “He's a straight A student. His trajectory has been up. He's cashing out on the work he's put in.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Top RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119136' first='Julian' last='Manzanares']</strong> (recently signed with Bethany College in Kansas) suffered a season-ending injury midway through the season but junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137901' first='Garet' last='Gonzalez']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613197' first='Omar' last='Loya']</strong> have filled the void nicely with Dexter moving to a wishbone style offense. Dexter has run the ball about 72 percent of the time this season. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119120' first='Kaesn' last='George']</strong> is the top receiver, and he runs the ball too. Dexter will move him around to get the best matchup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Our guys have dug deep,” Duran said. “We've had guys step up when they were called upon. They made plays. Our running game has been important. It has led to some wide open receivers off play action passes.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An important key for the Dexter offense? The offensive line has stayed healthy. Senior right guard [player_tooltip player_id='1594754' first='Jose' last='Aguirre'] anchors the O-Line. The Dexter O-Line has more than 150 pancake blocks this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The explosive Dexter offense will square off with the big, fast and physical St. Michael's defense that has allowed 8 or fewer points in 11 of the Horsemen's 12 games this season. Linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137830' first='Pete' last='Johnson']</strong> has led St. Michael's in tackle for two years. Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155019' first='Ryan' last='Hunt']</strong> is already an elite defensive end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We have a lot of good defensive players,” St. Michael's head coach Joey Fernandez told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “Our defense runs through our linebackers in the middle – [player_tooltip player_id='1137830' first='Pete' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1119096' first='Joele' last='Griego']. And they're surrounded by a lot of good players. Our defensive ends are really strong.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just like Dexter, St. Michael's relies on the run to move the ball. They rotate senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119628' first='Reed' last='Bass']</strong> and junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600843' first='Kamal' last='Stith'] </strong>at quarterback, and typically let the productive RB trio of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119160' first='Soren' last='Annon']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613193' first='Cole' last='Sandoval']</strong> and junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853063' first='Isaiah' last='Dominguez']</strong> do their thing behind an offensive line that typically dominates the trenches and opens holes for the ball carriers to run through. When St. Michael's does throw the ball, junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600008' first='Brandon' last='Meyer']</strong> is usually the favorite target.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We're usually in a one or two back set,” Fernandez said. “Our guys aren't worried about the number of carries they get. They just want to be successful. There's no selfishness. It's been spread out pretty good. They all add something different with their running styles. It's hard to stop when you don't know which one is coming at you.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613133' first='Joseph' last='Sanchez']</strong> anchors the offensive line. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155310' first='Fernando' last='Prieto']</strong>, senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613153' first='Diego' last='Munoz']</strong> and sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155314' first='Rigo' last='Regalado']</strong> lead Dexter's defense. They all have 66+ tackles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Our defense starts with Munoz at middle linebacker,” Duran said. “He's been a starter for three or four years. Prieto does a great job penetrating and pursuing. That's what he does well. He has a good awareness of how he's getting blocked and he's able to shed blocks.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">St. Michael&#039;s head coach Joey Fernandez talks to his team following the win over NMMI. Another state championship game appearance for the Horsemen. 12-0. <a href="https://t.co/R7J8DoGyVh">pic.twitter.com/R7J8DoGyVh</a></p>&mdash; Prep Redzone New Mexico (@PrepRedzoneNM) <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1860176018876838008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What a battle today in Vegas‼️ Proud of every Demon we have, stepped up and didn't shy away from the challenge. Playoff football baby!!! 🫡🔥🧱 <a href="https://t.co/6q2MHWLche">pic.twitter.com/6q2MHWLche</a></p>&mdash; Dexter Demon Football (@DDemonFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/DDemonFootball/status/1860503816468144421?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congratulations <a href="https://twitter.com/juicemanzanares?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@juicemanzanares</a> 👏🏽<br>Well deserved 💯✍🏽 you have a bright future ahead of you‼️🧱 <a href="https://t.co/5ZefXsFpXg">pic.twitter.com/5ZefXsFpXg</a></p>&mdash; Dexter Demon Football (@DDemonFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/DDemonFootball/status/1859426760183443897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>        </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->