Don’t think of the McCurdy high school Bobcats as some sort of antiquated throwback to the early 20th Century leather-helmet football of Glenn “Pop” Warner because they run the single-wing offense.
They can score, more than 50 points several times while averaging 40.9 points per contest during a six-victory 2023 season, and the they will throw the football down field at any time with highly-talented senior Jeremaya Roybal running the attack.
McCurdy seeks to improve on all those numbers, including the number of victories as the Bobcats open their season by hosting Cobre at 1 p.m. Saturday.
In the single-wing, what you may think of as the quarterback is actually identified as the No. 1 option and the 6-foot-1 Roybal is that first option. The only thing that single-wing doesn’t feature is straight dropback passing, whether it’s the No. 1 option or the No. 2 option receiving the snap for the Bobcats, the single-wing thrower is always rolling out to one side or the other.
“We were very effective running and throwing the football last year,” McCurdy Athletic Director and head coach Robert Nevarez said. “Jeremaya is very efficient. He rushed for over 1,500 yards and threw for over 1,000 yards. Our goal is for him to throw for over 2,000 yards this season. He’s a great athlete and fast.”
Roybal made the Class 2A state finals in the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints last spring, but Nevarez is even more impressed with his growth beyond athleticism this fall.
“We knew (Roybal) had the physical talent, but it’s really nice to see his leadership emerging,” Nevarez, who enters his fourth season as Bobcat coach, said. “(Roybal) is happy to be a leader and if someone gets hurt (on the practice field), Jeremaya is the first player over there to check out to see if his teammate is alright.”
When departed McCurdy star Lucas Martinez fell to injury during the first quarter against then-unbeaten Cuba in late September, Nevarez first saw Roybal’s leadership rise.
“We were struggling in that game and (Roybal) kind of said ‘Jump on my back and I’ll carry us,’ ” Nevarez said, recounting the situation.
And carry the Bobcats he did, rushing for 293 yards and three touchdowns in a 26-7 victory.
“(Roybal) definitely has all-state potential,” Nevarez said. “And if not that, certainly, he has a chance to play in the (New Mexico High School Coaches Association) Red-and-Green game. We’ve only had two players play in the Red-and-Green game. This season, we have a chance to have more than one player in that game this season.”
But McCurdy’s offense is not limited to Roybal.
“We’re deep and talented at the skill positions, really deep,” Nevarez stated.
The No. 2 position in the single-wing will be a battle between junior J.J. Vigil and sophomore Julian Nino. Isaac Morales may get the ball in tough short-yardage situations, while senior Ryan Montoya, juniors Ethan Bolton and Patrick Lovato and a tall sophomore Gakena Monroe will be on the receiving end of Roybal’s lasers.
Nevarez said Lovato presents a unique challenge that McCurdy is happy to have.
“He’s a really good pulling guard and you need that in the single-wing, but he’s also got really good hands, so he will be on the line but wearing a tight end number,” Nevarez said.
Sophomore Mario Maestas will anchor a young offensive line, while Montoya and Morales return as starting linebackers.
“I think he led the class and maybe the state with six or seven interceptions,” Nevarez said of Roybal.
The Bobcats just missed the Class 2A state playoffs, but with the talent and experience, Nevarez looks to make the playoffs in 2024 and much of that hope rests on Roybal’s arm.
“Yes, we’re a ‘run first’ team, but if you can’t stretch the field (with the forward pass), you’re one and done in the playoffs against some really good teams that will just stack the field against you,” Nevarez said of Bobcat goals.
During the summer, the Bobcats participated in several 7-on-7 passing-games camps.
“We were going up against all bigger schools and we held our own, but we didn’t want it to turn into ‘lunchtime’ football, so while other teams has five receivers in plays, we only called three-receiver plays, so Jeremaya could work on his reads,” Nevarez said while describing the strategy of McCurdy offensive coordinator Mel Martinez. “We want to be a run-first team that can pass and make some noise.”