2021 Season Preview: Santa Fe Demons

<strong>Santa Fe 2021 Preview</strong> <strong>Head Coach</strong>: Andrew Martinez <strong>Mascot</strong>: Demons <strong>Twitter</strong>: @demons_football; @IrishDemon1 <strong>Colors</strong>: Navy Blue, Santa Fe Gold <strong>Enrollment</strong>: 1,536 <strong>2020 Record</strong>: 1-1 <strong>Star Players</strong>: QB <strong>Luc Jaramillo</strong>; RB/FS <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26265" first="Martell" last="Mora"]</strong>; WR <strong>Isaiah Madril</strong>; OL/DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26271" first="Ben" last="White"]</strong>; FB/LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135090" first="Daniel" last="Wright"]</strong>; TE/DE <strong>Pat Gardner</strong>; LB <strong>Adan Chavez</strong>; LB <strong>Cameron Romero</strong>. <strong>Breakout Star</strong>: RB [player_tooltip player_id="26265" first="Martell" last="Mora"]. <strong>Overview</strong>: Because of Covid, Santa Fe played just two games in the spring. But we did see enough to feel confident the Demons could be Class 6A playoff contenders in 2021. Jaramillo and Mora form Northern New Mexico’s most dynamic QB-RB tandem. Jaramillo was injured in the spring opener against Rio Rancho (strained ligament), but the injury proved not to be serious as he played basketball and is currently on the Santa Fe baseball team. Martell has the ability to play at the next level (several college coaches spoke with him at the recent SMU mega-camp in Dallas) and recently competed at the Blue-Grey Game Combine. <strong>Elijah Martinez</strong>, more of a bruiser, will get some carries too. The 6-foot-3, 265-pound White is one of the state’s top senior offensive linemen, and also plays defensive line. Four starters return on the offensive line, including 6-foot-2, 300-pounder <strong>Santiago Quintana</strong>. Madril and [player_tooltip player_id="26272" first="Zach" last="Martinez"] are the top two receivers. The Demons’ defense is led by Mora at defensive back as well as Chavez (didn’t play in the spring due to an injury), Romero (also didn’t play in the spring) and Wright at linebacker. Six-foot-5 DE <strong>Harrison Ostenberg</strong> will give offensive tackles fits off the edge with his speed. <strong>Schedule</strong>: As the state’s lone Class 6A team north of Bernalillo/Rio Rancho, Santa Fe’s four-game non-district slate features contests against foes from Class 3A-5A: Robertson, Moriarty and local rivals St. Michael’s and Capital. After that, the Demons begin district play against Eldorado on Sept. 18. Aug. 20 ROBERTSON Aug. 27 at Moriarty Sept. 3 ST. MICHAEL’S Sept. 10 at Capital Sept. 18 at Eldorado Sept. 24 MANZANO Oct. 2 at Sandia Oct. 8 CLOVIS Oct. 16 at La Cueva Oct. 22 ALBUQUERQUE Oct. 29 Bye <strong>Top Storyline</strong>: Can the Demons post the school’s first .500 or better record since 2011 when they finished 5-5? <strong>Final Thoughts</strong>: Head coach Andrew Martinez has done a remarkable job turning around the Santa Fe program since taking over in 2017. His first two years were filled with plenty of dark days as the Demons struggled to snap a lengthy losing streak. Finally, after 35 straight losses, a disheartening streak that began in 2014, Santa Fe broke through in 2018 with a dramatic victory over Espanola Valley. The Demons finished 4-6 in 2019 when they were in Class 5A. In the spring, they lost to Rio Rancho and trounced Los Alamos. Jaramillo and Mora dominating the offense, together with a solid defense, means it’s go time for the Demons. As far as Martinez is concerned, the rebuilding phase is over. Expectations of at least a .500 season are reasonable. A 4-0 start before district play starts is not out of the question. The buzz around the Santa Fe football program in the school halls and around the community is palpable, and for good reason. <strong>Coach’s Comments</strong>: “The game has definitely slowed down for Luc. He wants to work on staying in the pocket more. When he was a freshman and sophomore, his first instinct was to run instead of staying in the pocket and going through his progressions. He’s come a long way with that. But his feet are always a threat. He’s dangerous in the open field. . .I can’t say enough about Martell. He’s the whole package, on and off the field. He’s starting to generate interest (among college coaches). We have a very good offensive backfield. . .Over the years our defense has gotten better every year. It’s a tight unit on that side of the ball. I’m excited about our defense. . .We’re beyond rebuilding. We’ve built the team up and gone through that process. We have solid classes all the way down the roster. Now it’s a matter of going out and winning those close games we lost a couple of years ago and having confidence when we play a good team. We have to prove it on the field. We have a lot of seniors that will be four-year starters.” – Andrew Martinez. https://twitter.com/martellmora32/status/1404204984678289408 https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1394778822403268615 https://twitter.com/BenWhiteSFH/status/1387957648654360579 https://twitter.com/martellmora32/status/1385041064520650756