2025 Team Preview: Capital Jaguars

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 CAPITAL PREVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OVERVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Capital Jaguars won two games last season in their return to Class 5A following a brief two-year stint in 6A. It was also John Michael Salazar's first season as head coach and he continues to build the foundation with the Air Raid offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“It's been a constant remember to the players since the offseason began that we have to get bigger, faster and stronger,” Salazar told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “Unfortunately, our starting quarterback got hurt in the first game last season and it really affected what we were able to do.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Salazar is sticking with his version of the Air Raid, which is more of a ‘pure' form of the innovative scheme invented by Hal Mumme and Mike Leach in the mid-1980s. Capital will also be very young with a small senior class, perhaps as few as six or seven on the 2025 roster.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We'll be running the same scheme,” Salazar said. “The players like it. They're excited about it. Everybody has an opportunity to get the ball. The beauty of the Air Raid is it works against any coverage. There are windows all over the place.” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OFFENSE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3 Players To Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='1604951' first='Ace' last='Bachicha'] </strong>(QB)<strong>, [player_tooltip player_id='1680194' first='Josh' last='Baker'] </strong>(QB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1671344' first='Niko' last='Salazar']</strong> (WR).<strong> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong>&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604951' first='Ace' last='Bachicha']</strong> served as the backup QB for the Jaguars last season, attempting 71 passes. Now the starting job belongs to him and he's shown considerable improvement during 7-on-7 season. Rising sophomores <strong>Justin Kanouff</strong> and <strong>Jordan Cardenas</strong> will be the backups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“As he's thrown the ball in the offseason, Ace's arm has gotten a lot stronger,” Salazar said. “He's a little different from our quarterback last year in that Ace is more comfortable outside of the pocket. So we have plays that allow him to move around a little bit more. We're going to play to his strengths instead of making him something that he's not. We'll develop him as he goes.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Capital's top three rushers in 2024 were all seniors. Rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680194' first='Josh' last='Baker']</strong> is the top returning rusher, but he had just 12 carries for 48 yards in 2024. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672796' first='Emmanuel' last='Lopez']</strong>, the Jaguars' top tackler last season, will also get an opportunity along with <strong>Jordan Kanouff</strong> (see above) in case he doesn't earn the starting QB job.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rising senior<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1671344' first='Niko' last='Salazar']</strong>, son of the head coach, is the top returning receiver. Another rising senior, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1751383' first='Raymond' last='Salazar'],</strong> looks to make a significant impact. Promising newcomer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1787551' first='Eduardo' last='Portillo']</strong>, a rising junior, appeared in four varsity games last season. Speedster <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1790762' first='Alex' last='Sandoval']</strong> is another newcomer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1790913' first='Aidan' last='Lopez']</strong>, listed at 6-foot-2, 275 pounds, started as a sophomore &nbsp;last season and returns to anchor the offensive line. Rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1790926' first='Dakota' last='Abbott']</strong> has enjoyed a solid offseason in the weight room. He deadlifts close to 550 pounds. Rising junior <strong>Antonio Ojeda</strong> saw action during district play last fall. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DEFENSE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3 Players To Watch</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672796' first='Emmanuel' last='Lopez']</strong> (LB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680194' first='Josh' last='Baker']</strong> (LB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1751385' first='Elias' last='Griego']</strong> (DL). &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Capital utilizes a 4-2-5 alignment. MIKE Linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672796' first='Emmanuel' last='Lopez']</strong> made a team-leading 65 tackles with 7 QB hurries last season. He's back to lead the Jaguars defense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680194' first='Josh' last='Baker']</strong> returns at WILL linebacker. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1671344' first='Niko' last='Salazar']</strong> is back at strong safety. All three players will play both sides of the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1751385' first='Elias' last='Griego']</strong> returns at defensive end after suffering an injury midway through last season. The other three spots along the D-Line are up for grabs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1787551' first='Eduardo' last='Portillo']</strong> is expected to fill a spot on defense after playing mostly on special teams as a sophomore.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1751383' first='Raymond' last='Salazar']</strong> is expected to be one of the starting cornerbacks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 Capital Football Schedule:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 22 SANTA FE (7 p.m.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 30 at St. Michael's (Sat., 1 p.m.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 5 ESPANOLA VALLEY (7 p.m.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 12 DEL NORTE (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 19 at Los Alamos (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 26 RIO GRANDE (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 2 at Valley (Thur., 7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 10 Bye</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 17 at Miyamura (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 24 HIGHLAND (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 31 at Belen (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>* District 5A-1 Game</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jaguar Football participated with the office of <a href="https://twitter.com/GovMLG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovMLG</a> to help cleanup the Southside of Santa Fe over the weekend. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BreakingBadHabits?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BreakingBadHabits</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NewMexico?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NewMexico</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JaguarPride?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JaguarPride</a> <a href="https://t.co/FMuVntea8U">pic.twitter.com/FMuVntea8U</a></p>&mdash; CHS Jaguars Football (@CHSJagsFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/CHSJagsFootball/status/1937371829695660222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">New season. Same mission. The 2025 schedule is set. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CapitalStrong?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CapitalStrong</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JaguarPride?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JaguarPride</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nmpreps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nmpreps</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/sportsprimo2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sportsprimo2</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/johnmikesalazar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@johnmikesalazar</a> <a href="https://t.co/nPNJZSb5pi">pic.twitter.com/nPNJZSb5pi</a></p>&mdash; CHS Jaguars Football (@CHSJagsFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/CHSJagsFootball/status/1918436172675858915?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Off-season Highlights presented by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/breakingbadhabits?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#breakingbadhabits</a> with a nice Capital touchdown! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/keeplitterout?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#keeplitterout</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_NMAA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KSWVradio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KSWVradio</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/baronabeyta?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@baronabeyta</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamDiehl15?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AdamDiehl15</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BGCSFDN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BGCSFDN</a> <a href="https://t.co/RjLcfZieyY">pic.twitter.com/RjLcfZieyY</a></p>&mdash; Sports Primo (@sportsprimo2) <a href="https://twitter.com/sportsprimo2/status/1936201883041030622?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->