After the game, it was the team captains, not the coaches, who started addressing the postgame huddle.
Adrick DeLeon, Jack Purdy and Kevin Coffeen faced the team, and expressed disappointment with the loss and a need to improve.
“It’s their team,” team coach Tylon Wilder said. “They’re the ones on the field that are playing. I thought it was a great opportunity for them as brothers.”
With high expectations headed into the football season, the Sundevils had a rude awakening in their season opener, a 35-0 loss at home to a strong Los Alamos team on Thursday. Quarterback Alex Chavez left the game with an injury in the second quarter, and the team was unable to rally.
“I felt as if we went down after they scored a few points,” said backup quarterback Adrick DeLeon, who played the entire second half. “It was just simple middle mistakes. It’s all fixable.”
Down 21-0 midway through the second quarter, Chavez came out of a play pointing at his shoulder. After receiving treatment on the sideline, he went back to the locker room, where he stayed for the rest of the game. Wilder said that Chavez dislocated his shoulder, and will be out “for a while.”
In his place, Adrick DeLeon moved from running back to quarterback, and did his best to make the situation work. He finished the game with 101 yards rushing on 17 attempts (with 37 coming on the second-to-last play of the game).
“I didn’t panic,” DeLeon said. “We’ve been through it at practice. We’re all brothers, we all put in the same work. I just had to execute for them.”
DeLeon gave his all to the team. At one point, Wilder had to force him to take plays off on defense to rest for offense. Two other starters also went down shortly before halftime.
“Adrick’s a warrior,” Wilder said. “Leaders do that. They step up when their team needs them the most, and that’s exactly what Adrick did.”
The game started 40 minutes after scheduled due to weather delays, and they played on Thursday to help accommodate a statewide official shortage.
Trouble started from the beginning for Española, their first two plays from scrimmage went backward. The drive ended with a punt that was whiffed, giving the Hilltoppers the ball 14 yards from the end zone. They made good on that in just two plays to take the lead.
Española’s second drive also ended in a punt that got caught in the wind, which was heavy in Española’s face for the first quarter, and Los Alamos only started in their own territory because of a personal foul on the return.
But the Sundevils caught a break when Bryan Almeida forced a fumble on the Hilltoppers’ second drive, and Cru Wilder recovered for Española. On their drive, Chavez faked a punt on fourth-and-long and ran for 20 yards and a first down in Los Alamos territory. But a false start set them back, and ultimately led to a turnover on downs. The Hilltoppers soon scored their second touchdown on a long run.
Penalties, especially five false starts, hurt Española throughout the night. A particularly harmful one: in the second quarter, down by just two scores, the Sundevils faced 4th-and-1 in Los Alamos territory, but committed a delay of game. Then, a five-yard run led to a turnover on downs, and Los Alamos scored four plays later.
“We can fix those in practice,” Tylon Wilder said.
On their next drive, they reached the red zone, but DeLeon lost a fumble, ultimately leading to another Los Alamos touchdown shortly before halftime, putting them ahead 28-0.
Española’s defense found more success in the second half, forcing three punts on Los Alamos’ four drives, but the offense was never able to hit paydirt. The end result was Española’s first shutout since 2021, and a 35-point loss with a running clock for the fourth quarter.
“I saw heart from most of them,” Wilder said. “And I also saw that we need more work out of everyone.”
The Sundevils also struggled with cramping throughout the game in their first game of the season.
Overall, Española’s two quarterbacks completed just four passes (10 attempts) for 21 yards. A stark departure from last year, where the team averaged nearly 200 passing yards per game and had at least 115 in each one.
Los Alamos outgained Española 338 to 141. As big an issue for the Sundevils, though, was missed opportunities in Los Alamos territory, and good field position given up.
“We were moving the ball down the field,” DeLeon said. “Just couldn’t finish.”
Española has a chance to rebound next week, but have a tough challenge against Bernalillo on the road. The Spartans started their season with a strong 12-6 win over Valley.
Wilder had planned to let the team take the day after the game as an off day. But after their performance, the players themselves decided they wanted to practice that Friday.
“Get all these guys back together,” DeLeon said. “Get their minds right for next week.”