In a scrimmage with Cuba and Del Norte, the Escalante Lobos saw teams from bigger schools, and had a chance to learn from them.
“It felt good to go against some really good competition,” said senior Damon Emery.
“We made some mistakes, but we’ll clean them up,” Quarterback Trey Archuleta said. “That’s what these scrimmages are for.”
The Lobos are looking to improve after a 5-6 season that saw them return to the state playoffs as the No. 8 seed. Behind a returning quarterback and a new running back, plus strong talent in the trenches, the Lobos are poised to compete, and they bring a confidence to every game they play.
In the first round of the 2022 state tournament, they lost 49-0 to eventual champion Jal.
DeYapp said the team focused on weightlifting in the offseason, and is seeing its effects with a stronger offensive line. And that line returns four starters while adding junior Kaden Iocca.
Escalante hosted a scrimmage Aug. 11, with both Cuba and Del Norte. Against Del Norte, a 5A team seemingly on the upswing after a few lean years (including an 0-10 mark in 2022), Escalante saw what a big-school program can look like.
“This group, they don’t care. They’ll play whoever,” DeYapp said. “We’ll play anybody. We’re happy to play, we’re happy to compete, and we love that challenge. These boys love to be challenged.”
Archuleta had a big run on their first play against Cuba. Marcelo Baeza, the starting running back, scored a touchdown and had an interception against Cuba. Archuleta also threw a pair of touchdowns to RJ Atencio. And against Del Norte, while the defense let up multiple scores, Archuleta threw a touchdown to Braylon Emery, who also ran for multiple scores in red-zone drills.
Archuleta returns after running for 951 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2022, and throwing for six scores. But Escalante is without Luka Torrez, their running back last year (919 yards, seven touchdowns), who is taking off his senior year to focus on basketball.
“I’m just here to make the team better, and do everything I can,” said Baeza, the new running back.
Escalante graduated just three seniors from last year, and besides Torrez return most of their production from last year. Offensive linemen Damon Emery and Ezekiel Martinez both made all-state teams and return for their senior seasons.
Among the younger players, Damian Baeza began turning heads last year as a freshman defensive tackle, and could start on offense this year as well. Braylon Emery and R.J. Trujillo are other sophomores expected to have a starting role.
Escalante adds Española Valley to their schedule for a chance to compete with another big school with a rising football program. And they will enter that game, and every game, with their belief that they can be competitive against any team.
“Every year, our goal is to get in the tournament and see what we can do,” DeYapp said.
In the district, Escalante should be able to get past Laguna-Acoma and McCurdy. Though Laguna-Acoma gave Escalante a battle last year, with the Lobos taking a 22-14 win, and McCurdy is another up-and-coming team. But Santa Rosa remains the district favorite.
The goal for the state championship program in 2012, 2014 and 2015 is to add another trophy. But they have a ways to go to get there. Starting with Santa Rosa, the reigning district champions, who beat the Lobos 50-0 and held them to 73 yards of offense while running for 320. But despite that loss, and the loss to Jal two weeks later, Escalante still has confidence that they can go all the way.
“Nothing shorter than a state championship,” Damon Emery said. “We want one of those blue trophies. But we’re going to work hard to get there.”