2026 Team Preview: St. Michael's Horsemen

OVERVIEW   Is there a New Mexico high school football program with more momentum than St. Michael's heading into the new season? Probably not. The Horsemen have won the last three Class 3A state championships, have appeared in five consecutive state championship games and carry an impressive 33-game winning streak into the Week 1 clash with crosstown rival Capital. Over the last five seasons, the Horsemen are a gaudy 57-8.   “One of the big things our coaches have emphasized to our players is not getting complacent,” St., Michael's long-time head coach Joey Fernandez told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “We can't start thinking that we have to just step onto the field. We have to do the work, especially the extra work required because we lost so many players from last year. We have to step it up. We know everybody has circled our game and we have a target on our backs.”   That 33-game winning streak? Fernandez understands that like most things in life, it won't last forever. It's the third longest winning streak in state history. The Horsemen can match the second longest streak (34 games, Gadsden, 1952-56)  with a Week 1 win over the rival Jaguars.   “The winning streak is going to come to an end at some point,” Fernandez said. “So, we can't worry about it. Our main goal is to win the state championship. If we lose a game during the process, that happens. Of course, the players don't want to be the team that loses the streak. But sometimes you have to lose a game to learn. One loss isn't going to ruin our season. We just have to move forward and keep getting better.”      OFFENSE   Two quarterbacks are continuing to battle for the starting quarterback job: junior [player_tooltip player_id='1826298' first='Estevan' last='Gonzales'] and senior Karsen Patten. Fernandez didn't rule out utilizing both signal callers if circumstances warrant.     “They both bring a different aspect to the quarterback position,” Fernandez said. “Both of them have been competing hard every day. The understand it's a heated competition. Hopefully, one of them separates themselves. Right now, it's close. They'll have to rely more on the people around them on the field at that time than perhaps the guy we had last year.”   St. Michael's will also have a new No. 1 running back. The four candidates vying for the spot are junior [player_tooltip player_id='2109755' first='Curtis' last='Valdez'], senior [player_tooltip player_id='1763645' first='Roman' last='Barrera'], senior Ray Griego Jr. and senior Ricky Griego. St. Michael's usually utilizes three players at the running back and slot receiver spots on most plays.   “I have four guys for the three positions,” Fernandez said. “They all bring a different running style and they can all catch the football. Those four guys are going to be pretty solid.”   Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1826301' first='Victor' last='Corral'] and senior two-way standout [player_tooltip player_id='1155019' first='Ryan' last='Hunt'] lead the wide receiver corps. The 6-foot-4 Hunt is an elite athlete and his status as one of northern New Mexico's top defensive ends is well established. As a receiver and tight end, he's fast enough to run past defenders. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2104318' first='Aidan' last='Cedillo'] will get opportunities to catch the football as well.   The offensive line is experienced. The anchor will be All-State OL [player_tooltip player_id='1604774' first='Jedrek' last='Lewandowski']. He'll be joined by senior [player_tooltip player_id='1787980' first='Zach' last='Salazar'], senior Braden Flores and 6-foot-5 senior [player_tooltip player_id='2104258' first='Noah' last='Redus'], another hoops standout. [player_tooltip player_id='1787965' first='Preston' last='Cdebaca'] looks to return after suffering a season-ending injury in 2025. Same thing for senior Chris Carrillo. Sophomore Chris Valdez will contribute.   “Our offensive line is going to be a strength,” Fernandez said. “Last year we didn't have a lot of depth. We lost some guys to season-ending injuries. We had to replace them with running backs. This year, we're a lot deeper and bigger on the offensive line. We have a solid seven or eight guys that can step in and do a great job.”                  Key Players: [player_tooltip player_id='1826301' first='Victor' last='Corral'] (WR), [player_tooltip player_id='1155019' first='Ryan' last='Hunt'] (WR), [player_tooltip player_id='1604774' first='Jedrek' last='Lewandowski'] (OL),   DEFENSE   The anchor of the Horsemen's defense will be elite defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='1155019' first='Ryan' last='Hunt'] (see above). He first emerged as a freshman in 2023 when he amassed 55 tackles and 10 sacks. Last season, he was virtually unstoppable with 79 tackles, 35.0 TFL and 22.5 sacks.   Hunt will combine with DT [player_tooltip player_id='1604774' first='Jedrek' last='Lewandowski'] (see above) for a formidable duo on the defensive front. [player_tooltip player_id='2104258' first='Noah' last='Redus'] and junior Noah Sanchez will also see action at defensive end. [player_tooltip player_id='1787980' first='Zach' last='Salazar'] can play either DE or DT.      At linebacker, [player_tooltip player_id='2109755' first='Curtis' last='Valdez'] and Ricky Griego will play the ILB spots. [player_tooltip player_id='2104318' first='Aidan' last='Cedillo'] returns at OLB. Junior Tristan Jameson will get an opportunity to earn a starting spot at OLB.   The secondary will be led by the experienced trio of [player_tooltip player_id='1826301' first='Victor' last='Corral'], [player_tooltip player_id='1763645' first='Roman' last='Barrera'] and Ray Griego.   Key Players: [player_tooltip player_id='1155019' first='Ryan' last='Hunt'] (DE), [player_tooltip player_id='2109755' first='Curtis' last='Valdez'] (LB), Ricky Griego (LB), [player_tooltip player_id='1826301' first='Victor' last='Corral'] (DB).   2026 ST. MICHAEL'S SCHEDULE   Aug. 21 at Capital                         Aug. 28 SANTA FE (at Ivan Head Stadium)                           Sept. 5 ROBERTSON (Sat., 1 p.m.) *                            Sept. 12 KIRTLAND CENTRAL (Sat., 1 p.m.)*                   Sept. 19 at Thoreau (Sat., 11 a.m.)*                  Sept. 25 Bye                   Oct. 2 at Aztec (6 p.m.)*                       Oct. 9 at West Las Vegas (6 p.m.)*                  Oct. 17 WINGATE (Sat., 1 p.m.)*            Oct. 24 GALLUP (Sat., 1 p.m.)*               Oct. 30 at Pojoaque Valley (6 p.m.)*              *District 3A-1 Game   All kickoffs at 7 p.m. unless indicated otherwise.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The <a href="https://x.com/st?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@st</a>.michaels.hs.football take the field presented by @santafehousingtrust ! <a href="https://x.com/StMikesHorsemen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StMikesHorsemen</a> <a href="https://x.com/KSWVradio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KSWVradio</a> <a href="https://x.com/baronabeyta?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@baronabeyta</a> <a href="https://x.com/AdamDiehl15?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AdamDiehl15</a> <a href="https://x.com/_NMAA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_NMAA</a> <a href="https://t.co/PWYrCVr9mO">pic.twitter.com/PWYrCVr9mO</a>— Sports Primo (@sportsprimo2) <a href="https://x.com/sportsprimo2/status/1992341111566962936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2025</a></blockquote>

OVERVIEW