A week ago, the St. Michael's football team may have faced the best offensive team it will see this season.

Saturday, it will play one of the best defenses on its schedule in a Las Vegas Robertson team flying under the radar of most of the state's football onlookers, according to Horsemen head coach Joey Fernandez.

"It's going to be a tough one," Fernandez said. "They're playing good football right now, and I don't think many people are paying much attention to how good they've been. In our district, everyone keeps looking at us and Raton, but (Robertson) is a lot better than people know and it starts with that defense."

Since a season-opening 42-41 loss at reigning Class AAA champion Portales, Robertson has gone 5-2 and held each opponent under its scoring average, including holding the past five to at least 10 points below their season average.

Included in that stretch was a 20-13 road win over Socorro that Fernandez thought should have garnered the Cardinals more respect in the weekly coaches poll.

"I think they should at least be a top-six team, but I think people just aren't voting for them because some people don't want to vote three teams from one district too high," Fernandez said.

This week's New Mexico High School Coaches Association poll has three teams from District 2AAA in the Top 10 — Raton (tied for No. 1), St. Michael's (No. 3) and Robertson (No. 9).

'There's no one left'

Questa's first home game of the season on Oct. 16 was its last.

While their Class A football peers are wrapping up the regular season this weekend, the Questa Wildcats called it a season and canceled the remainder of the schedule after a 53-7 loss to the Bobcats because of a lack of remaining players.

"We ended up having nine to 10 season-ending injuries and lost about four other players when grades (for the nine-week grading period) came out and just didn't have a lot of numbers to begin with," said Questa head coach Paul Passino. "It was hard, but there's no one left. The only way we could have played the rest of the season was to bring up eighth-graders who just aren't ready, and we determined it was a safety concern to continue the season."

Questa had 13 healthy, eligible players remaining, but the vast majority were eighth-graders and freshmen.

Questa forfeited an Oct. 24 game at Escalante and will do the same for tonight's game against District 1A leader Clayton.

Due to construction delays, the Wildcats played just one home game this season at their new stadium with a FieldTurf surface and new stadium lights.

"It's been a real frustrating year on a lot of levels," Passino said. "But we don't have any seniors, and I hope if the kids can all stay together, things will turn around."

More poll watching

This week's most interesting move in the NMHSCA football rankings wasn't in a Top 10 at all, but in the ever popular "Also receiving votes" section of the Class AAAAA rankings. Despite an 0-8 record and coming off a loss to Albuquerque Academy, the Santa Fe Demons are listed as having received two votes in this week's poll.

In the Class AAA poll, Raton's overtime win over St. Michael's last week impressed voters enough to move them into a first-place tie with Lovington. Raton has four of nine first place votes with Lovington receiving five first place votes. Both teams, however, have a total of 85 points.

"I actually think Raton has a legitimate argument to be No. 1," Fernandez said. "I didn't vote this week (in the poll), but I would have voted for Raton."

Around the state

Two of the biggest games in New Mexico this weekend have a pair of brothers at different ends of the spectrum.

In Las Cruces, upstart Oñate is hoping to pull of a Class AAAAA upset over Mayfield and head coach Michael Bradley. The Trojans are ranked No. 1 in AAAAA.

In Farmington, the rebuilding Scorpions and second-year head coach Gary Bradley have their sights set on longtime Class AAAA power Aztec in a District 1AAAAA matchup.

The two were the longtime offensive and defensive coordinators at Mayfield under their father, Jim Bradley.

Their third brother, Jim Bradley Jr., coached Santa Fe High to two forgettable seasons in the late 1980s.

Contact Geoff Grammer at 986-3060 or ggrammer@sfnewmexican.com. Read his blog at grammerschoolblog.com.