Horsemen seeded fifth as football championships begin

Defending state champs 'playing better football,' coach says

Pancho Morris | The New Mexican

11/8/2008 - 11/9/08

Six wins.

Four losses.

Fifth seed.

St. Michael's High School, the reigning state football champion in Class AAA, will begin defense of that title as the fifth seed.

"It's pretty much the way I thought it would go," Joey Fernandez, St. Michael's head coach, said Saturday night. "With our losses, I thought we would be a four or a five."

As the fifth seed, the Horsemen (6-4) will play a first-round game against 12th-seeded Wingate (8-2). The game has been tentatively scheduled for Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Brother Abdon Memorial Field.

"Just getting our kids out there for an extra game will help a lot," Fernandez said.

St. Michael's capped its regular season with a 62-28 victory over Pojoaque on Saturday. The Horsemen finished the District 2AAA season undefeated at 4-0.

"We're playing better football," Fernandez said.

Fernandez does not see a clear-cut favorite among the 12 teams. Lovington earned the top seed, followed by Bloomfield, Portales and Socorro. The top four seeds received first-round byes.

"Portales is a little ahead of everyone else, but I can see an eight or nine seed easily upsetting a top seed," he said. "It depends on who's playing well that day."

The Horsemen will have to be at their best, regardless of the opponent.

"Our target was a lot bigger at the start of the season," Fernandez said. "But in the back of everyone's minds, they always want to beat St. Mike's. We know we're going to get everyone's best game."

The Horsemen defeated the Cardinals of Las Vegas Robertson 27-6 in last year's state final. The win ended Robertson's two-year championship reign.

Robertson, the 11th seed, was one of three teams from 2AAA to reach the postseason. The Tigers of Raton were given the seventh seed and will face 10th-seeded Albuquerque Academy in the first round.

The Cardinals will visit Cobre in their opener.

If the Horsemen defeat Wingate, they will meet Socorro. The teams did not meet during the regular season.

St. Michael's opened the year with a 20-19 win over Bloomfield. The Horsemen were 3-1 against playoff teams this season, with their lone loss a 35-0 blanking in Portales.

In Class AAAA, Capital was the 12th and final team selected. The Jaguars (5-5), who finished second to the Hilltoppers of Los Alamos in District 2AAAA, will travel to Kirtland-Central for a first-round game against the fifth-seeded Broncos.

Los Alamos, meanwhile, was picked as the seventh seed. The Hilltoppers (7-3) will play host to 10th-seeded Moriarty in the first round.

HIGH SCHOOL SEEDINGS

Seedings for the 2008 New Mexico State High School football playoffs:

Class AAA

1. Lovington

2. Bloomfield

3. Portales

4. Socorro

5. St. Michael's

6. Cobre

7. Raton

8. Ruidoso

9. Hatch Valley

10. Albuquerque Academy

11. Las Vegas Robertson

12. Wingate

Class AAAA

1. Roswell Goddard

2. Aztec

3. Belen

4. Artesia

5. Kirtland-Central

6. Silver

7. Los Alamos

8. Albuquerque Del Norte

9. Piedra Vista

10. Moriarty

11. St. Pius X

12. Capital