In 2022, McCurdy did not play a game on their home field.
Due to problems with and renovations to their bleachers, Chic Martinez Field was unable to host fans or football games, despite a new scoreboard installed over the summer. The Bobcats played all of their home games at Española Valley. Players said the toughest part was adjusting to the extra heat from the turf field.
Now, they will be back on their home grass field with updated bleachers, playing on the same field where they practice.
The McCurdy Bobcats, now with more experience and returning players, will look to take a leap in 2023 and compete in their district.
“We have higher expectations this year than we did last year,” said senior and team captain Lucas Martinez. “We all want to be a better team. Push ourselves to be the best team that we can be.”
McCurdy shut down its football program in 2019 before the season due to issues with academic eligibility. The program restarted in 2021 under Nevarez with a 2-6 season, and they improved to 4-6 in 2022 despite a difficult schedule that featured entirely schools from larger classifications in non-district.
Those players, many of whom two years ago were new to football altogether, are now able to process advanced concepts and teach those to younger players.
“Everybody’s just improving, our plays are developing, our defense is developing,” senior Mario Perez said. “Overall, we’re just getting better and better.”
The Bobcats’ wins last year included 3A schools Santa Fe Indian and Cuba. They also lost just 20-12 to Thoreau, a team that finished 9-3 and made the 3A quarterfinals. The Bobcats look forward to their rematch with the Hawks on September 9.
Nevarez also gave the Bobcats an easier schedule for this season. Matchups against New Mexico Military Institute and Española Valley are replaced with 2A schools Hozho Academy and Tucumcari. But their schedule still starts the way it did the past two years with perhaps their toughest game of the season, facing Hope Christian (at home on August 19).
But the tough schedule taught McCurdy to not fear anyone, even after tough losses in the district. After losing 61-6 to Santa Rosa and 50-0 to Escalante, McCurdy knows how much work they need to do.
McCurdy loses a small group of seniors, notably running back Casey Nevarez, but brings back many big contributors.
Quarterback Martinez returns for his senior season, and he will split snaps with junior Jeremaya Roybal in McCurdy’s single wing formation. Roybal moves into the backfield from wide receiver, and is in line to be the team’s primary passer.
“He’s performing at a higher level,” Martinez said of Roybal. “He’s being a leader on and off the field. He’s working as hard as he can to succeed.”
And other young up-and-comers will take on a bigger role. Mari Sanchez, a sophomore, will take a rushing role on the team. And JJ Vigil, a sophomore who quarterbacked the middle school team last year (for small schools, ninth-graders can play with middle school), is faster and stronger, according to Nevarez.
“I didn’t think [Sanchez] could get much faster from last year,” Nevarez said. “But he did, he really did … he’s by far the fastest on the team this year.”
Nevarez expects about 25 players on the team in total once the season starts.
McCurdy 2021 graduate Tresean Portis had coached the linemen last year, but leaves the team for a role in Pojoaque as he seeks to coach full time.
When setting goals for the year, Nevarez wants the team to be both realistic and specific.
“What does that goal look like on a Tuesday afternoon?” Nevarez said. “I want to hear what it looks like. I want to hear the steps that go into having a 6-4 record or a 7-3 record.”