Our broader community is worse off because these stories were not covered, and there is no scenario I can see where either Davis Coyle or Alfredo Andrade would have won a voting contest in our broader community.
A Las Cruces Digest Editorial Review
By Levi Gwaltney
When it comes to high school football, our broader community has its favorites. The generations who experienced a two-school sports landscape are quick to proclaim how great it was “back when”. Because of this, and the overwhelming majority of alumni still living in the area, the Las Cruces Bulldawgs and Mayfield Trojans will, for the time being, remain the most popular sporting schools. It is simple demographics and accepted as fact in Las Cruces.
Historically, this has been the cause of some pretty egregious oversight of the football programs in surrounding communities. Hatch and the schools in the Gadsden ISD (Chaparral, Santa Teresa and Gadsden) have rarely garnered local media attention. Mesilla Valley Christian has been all but forgotten, while Organ Mountain and Centennial seem to make headlines only when the extraordinary happens… and sometimes, even not then.
Our broader community had a real opportunity to gain some insight into what drives America’s passion with those bright Friday-night lights; however, that opportunity was squandered with a pandering campaign seeking votes for the “Athlete of the Week”. Back in September, that marketing strategy came at a cost. The column inches used to amplify well-established community biases should have gone to tell the stories of three undefeated football teams: the Centennial Hawks, the Gadsden Panthers and the Mesilla Valley Christian SonBlazers.
To be clear, I am thrilled to have any coverage of our local athletes. Athletes honored with a vote of confidence from our broader community should be proud of the recognition they receive. But the student athletes in our broader community deserve better.
For my part, I have failed to rise to the challenge of picking up the slack of media environment left without a dedicated sports journalist, and I have not been able to fill the voids remaining now that our “traditional” newspaper has seen fit to hire one. For this I apologize. Here are the stories and athletes I should have written more about:
Mesilla Valley SonBlazers End Season as State Runners Up
For the second time this season, the SonBlazers fell to nationally ranked Melrose–this time in the 2024 NMAA State Championship. The SonBlazers went farther in the New Mexico Championship Playoffs than any other school in our broader community. Davis Coyle demonstrated true leadership as the SonBlazers’ quarterback, and reminded us of what “Iron Man Football” is all about, earning a spot on this year’s All-State team as a defensive end. [I am sorry, Davis, that I did not have the opportunity to write this story. Congratulations on your accomplishments this year.]
Gadsden Panthers Touch a Ghost in Storied Season
Panther’s running back, Alfredo Andrade, tore up the turf in 2024. Reaching back more than fifty years, Andrade gave glimpses of the greatest Gadsden running back of old–namely, Sal Gonzales. The Panthers defeated the Mayfield Trojans for the first time in school history. For the first time in over two hundred years of combined football tradition, Gadsden faced off against Artesia, the standard bearer of high school football in the state of New Mexico. [I apologize, Alfredo, for not being able to tell this story. Congratulations on all you have accomplished this season.]
Our broader community is worse off because these stories were not covered, and there is no scenario I can see where either Davis Coyle or Alfredo Andrade would have won a voting contest in our broader community.
Centennial High School knocked on the door of their first state championship, but fell just short of their goal… again. Both Mayfield and Las Cruces High lost in the semi-finals. Congratulations to these athletes. It is a great accomplishment.
Original Article Published September 15, 2024:
High School Football is not a Popularity Contest–Centennial, Gadsden and Mesilla Valley Christian remain PERFECT through Week 4
The last unbeaten teams in our broader community have one thing in common–they are too often overlooked. As the season turns to district play, their opponents had better take notice because these teams have come to play some football.
A Las Cruces Digest Report
Cover Photo: Courtesy Panther Nation Football via Facebook
Rio Rancho 27, Centennial 49
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Rancho | 0 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 27 |
| Centennial | 7 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 49 |
This game was the LCPSTV “Friday Nights from the Field of Dreams” game of the week, and the Hawks did not disappoint the crowd gathered to root them on.
Despite having a consistently competitive football program, the Hawks are often overlooked by local football fans. It can be hard to compete for the spotlight when the three other LCPS schools have banners and traditions galore. Centennial is the newest high school in the district, and hasn’t had the opportunity to hang any banners of their own at the Field of Dreams.
What’s worse is the tendency to reduce a team to a few individual players who can be linked to the scoreboard. This Hawk team, however, doesn’t fly solo. They are a team in every sense of the word. So, before we get any further, Las Cruces Digest would like to give a shout out the Hawk’s defensive front men: Andres Saenz(#95), Samuel Terrazas(#11), Daniel Gonzales(#79), Tyler Mayfield(#91) and Luke Matherly(#44).
The defensive line may not be the fireworks on the field, but these defensive linemen are definitely the ones lighting the fuse.
The Centennial Hawks are undefeated going into District 3/6A play against Carlsbad, this Thursday (September 19, 2024). The game will be played at the Field of Dreams, so the short turn around won’t be compounded by travel. The game on our radar, however is the November 1st match up with Las Cruces High School. If past is prologue, all signs point to District 3/6A coming down to the first of November.
Given Las Cruces High School’s tradition in developing their offensive line, this game is bound to be won or lost in the trenches. We can’t wait to see it.
Mayfield 20, Gadsden 28
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayfield | 0 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
| Gadsden | 0 | 20 | 0 | 8 | 28 |
One thing Gadsden has never been known for is its football team–until now. There are rumblings down the valley that this might be the year the Panthers make a run for a state championship.
They made strides in the right direction Thursday night when they defeated the Mayfield Trojans. It was the first time Gadsden has beaten Mayfield–ever.
One might ask what has changed at the old school down in the valley. Apparently, the Panthers have finally found the missing ingredient to competitive football: las ganas.
Gadsden travels to Artesia this Friday to take on a Bulldog team that has a long-standing tradition of football excellence. While the Bulldogs have suffered two losses to teams in higher classes, they will be coming off a decisive District 3/5A win against a hot Deming team. Gadsden vs. Artesia is the game to watch next week to see if a newly discovered sense of the ganas is enough to overcome a perennial powerhouse.
Mesilla Valley Christian 64, Mescalero Apache 14
It is easy to overlook the SonBlazers. Their campus sits discreetly south of NMSU, and their enrollment is meager by public-school standards. MVCS my be small, but they often prove to be mighty.
Las Cruces Digest was there when the SonBlazers kicked off the 2024 season, and witnessed an 8-man football team that understood the fundamentals of the game. Their record since demonstrates how fundamentals go a long way toward making a championship team.
We will be watching closely on September 27, when the SonBlazers host their Homecoming against defending state champion, Melrose. For now, Melrose is also undefeated and 1-0 in District 3/8-Man football. We just might have to make plans to be at the Organ Mountain practice field on Friday, September 27, to watch what is sure to be one of the greatest games of this season.
