2026 Team Preview: Capital Jaguars
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<p><strong>OVERVIEW</strong></p>
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<p>Capital broke through and reached the Class 5A playoffs last season in John Michael Salazar's second season as Jaguars head coach. A forfeit by Miyamura and a clutch late season come-from-behind victory over eventual quarterfinalist Highland propelled Capital into the postseason. The fact the Jaguars were beaten soundly by Gadsden in the first round doesn't diminish the importance of reaching post-season play for a Capital program that last won seven games in 2015.</p>
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<p>“We were so young last year, making the playoffs was huge for us,” Salazar told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “We needed that to understand what a real playoff atmosphere is like. Our message this offseason has been ‘let's get back to the playoffs and not be satisfied with just being there. Let's do something when we're there. Our guys saw last season the amount of work it took just to get to the playoffs. Now they realize how much more work it will take to win a playoff game.” </p>
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<p><strong>OFFENSE</strong></p>
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<p>Rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604951' first='Ace' last='Bachicha']</strong> returns to direct a Jaguars offense that will mix elements of the Air Raid with a ‘wide zone' offense. Bachicha had his best game of the 20-25 season against Highland when he completed 17-of-24 passes and two TD, and rushed for 60 yards.</p>
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<p>“Ace has some good legs on him. He can run the ball very well,” Salazar said. “We've always had quarterbacks that were duel threats. We felt we needed to utilize that more. Ace is putting some good size on his frame right now. He understood he needed to gain weight. He's been working on his throwing mechanics this offseason. We still run some Air Raid concepts. He's more comfortable going through his progressions. He has a good grasp of the play book.”</p>
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<p>Three young quarterbacks are battling to be the backup behind Bachicha: versatile rising junior <strong>Justin Kanouff</strong>, rising sophomore <strong>Anthony Montoya</strong> (starting catcher on the Capital baseball team) and promising rising freshman <strong>Jayden Gonzalez</strong>. </p>
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<p>Leading rusher <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680194' first='Josh' last='Baker']</strong> also returns after gaining nearly 700 yards last season. Salazar seeks a ‘Thunder and Lightning' combination in the backfield, with Baker being the former. Who will be the Lightning? Sophomore <strong>Michael Martinez</strong> is the leading candidate. He's a powerlifter, so his strength has improved significantly. Rising sophomores <strong>Emmanuel Portillo</strong> and <strong>Aaron Valdivia </strong>will compete for the spot as well.</p>
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<p>The top returning receiver is rising sophomore <strong>Jordan Cardenas</strong>, who also plays defensive back. His cousin, rising junior <strong>Jacovo Cardenas</strong>, showed glimpses of possibly being a special receiver. Rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1790762' first='Alex' last='Sandoval']</strong>, the fastest player on the Jaguars, will play slot. Rising juniors <strong>Vicente Gonzales</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1787551' first='Eduardo' last='Portillo']</strong> should contribute. Portillo is recovering from a knee injury. Rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2109729' first='Daniel' last='Pearlman']</strong> brings good size (6-0, 200 pounds) to the tight end position. Behind him will be 6-foot-2 rising sophomore <strong>Maxx Kelley</strong>.</p>
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<p>Four of five starters return on the Jaguars offensive line led by 6-foot-2, 280-pound rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1790913' first='Aidan' last='Lopez']</strong> and rising junior center <strong>Noah Hernandez</strong>. Rising sophomores <strong>Elijah Miranda</strong> and <strong>Joseph Miller</strong> showed promise last season. Rising freshman <strong>Demetrius Griego</strong> already weighs 230 pounds. Rising 240-pound junior <strong>Tommy Romero</strong> will compete for a starting job.</p>
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<p><strong>Key Players</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1604951' first='Ace' last='Bachicha'] (QB), [player_tooltip player_id='1680194' first='Josh' last='Baker'] (RB), Jordan Cardenas ()WR), [player_tooltip player_id='1790913' first='Aidan' last='Lopez'] (OL). </p>
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<p><strong>DEFENSE</strong></p>
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<p>Four of last season's top six tacklers are back, including leading tackler <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2109729' first='Daniel' last='Pearlman']</strong> (85 tackles, 7.0 TFL). Rising senior ballhawk SS <strong>Enrique Abeyta</strong> entered last season as one of Capital's top defensive players but a shoulder injury limited him to four games. He will be one of the leaders of the Jaguars offense.</p>
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<p>“I'm excited to get Enrique back,” Salazar said. “Pearlman led us in tackles as a sophomore. He's only going to get better every year.”</p>
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<p>Free safety speedster <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1790762' first='Alex' last='Sandoval']</strong> is the second leading returning tackler (72 tackles). Sandoval is aggressive and makes plays on the run. Rising senior defensive tackle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1790926' first='Dakota' last='Abbott']</strong> will anchor the defensive line<strong>. Brandon Zambrano</strong> joins him in the trenches. <strong>Justin Kanouff</strong> can play multiple positions and will likely see most of his action at cornerback.</p>
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<p>Rising senior LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2109770' first='Nikolai' last='Nichols']</strong> is coming back from a knee injury and hopes to return in September. <strong>Michael Martinez</strong> is set to start at linebacker.</p>
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<p>The biggest question mark on the Jaguars' defense is defensive end. Both spots are open.</p>
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<p><strong>Key Players</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='2109729' first='Daniel' last='Pearlman'] (LB), Enrique Abeyta (DB), [player_tooltip player_id='1790762' first='Alex' last='Sandoval'] (DB), [player_tooltip player_id='1790926' first='Dakota' last='Abbott'] (DL).</p>
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<p><strong>2026 CAPITAL SCHEDULE</strong></p>
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<p>Aug. 21 ST. MICHAEL'S </p>
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<p>Aug. 28 GADSDEN </p>
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<p>Sept. 4 at Portales </p>
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<p>Sept. 11 at Los Lunas* </p>
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<p>Sept. 18 at Highland* </p>
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<p>Sept. 25 CIBOLA* </p>
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<p>Oct. 2 Bye </p>
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<p>Oct. 9 PIEDRA VISTA* </p>
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<p>Oct. 16 LOS ALAMOS* </p>
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<p>Oct. 23 at Miyamura* </p>
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<p>Oct. 30 at Santa Fe* </p>
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<p>* District 5A-1 Game</p>
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<p>All kickoffs at 7 p.m. unless indicated otherwise.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congratulations to our All-District selections for the 2025 football season! <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/CapitalStrong?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CapitalStrong</a> <a href="https://t.co/wEJH24gnjo">pic.twitter.com/wEJH24gnjo</a></p>— Capital High School Jaguars Football (@CHSJagsFootball) <a href="https://x.com/CHSJagsFootball/status/1997867495194341800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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