McCurdy School’s 2008 football season will be a blend of the old and the new.
“We have a lot of youth on our team,” McCurdy coach Eric Vigil said. “At the same time, we have a lot of talented ball players.”
The talented ball players include six seniors, starting with quarterback Kevin Redman. Redman was catching passes for McCurdy last season and was the Bobcat’s leading receiver. This year he’ll be throwing the ball.
One of his targets will be fellow senior Shane Archuleta, who was McCurdy’s second leading receiver last season. Archuleta was the only Bobcat to score a touchdown against local rival Pojoaque High School in a scrimmage Aug. 22, hauling in a long touchdown pass from Redman on a seam route.
Devin Duran is penciled in as the starter at running back, Vigil said. Duran, a senior, was nursing a knee injury at the scrimmage and didn’t play against Pojoaque or Española Valley High School.
“We could have used him on offense,” Vigil said. “He’s going to be a big part of our program and has improved tremendously.”
The Bobcats have gone to a spread offense that utilizes only one running back. That made Duran’s absence clearly felt last week, as most of the Bobcats’ running plays ended with Redman keeping the ball. Sophomore Josh Lovato filled in for Duran and had some nice gains after taking option pitches from Redman.
Senior Anthony Lowe will be another target for Redman. Jacob Smith plays defensive end and Tony Gallegos is a defensive lineman for the Bobcats, completing the senior line-up.
“We‘re counting on them to provide leadership,” Vigil said.
Junior Justin Chavez is a big target at wide receiver and Lucas Akes is another returning receiver who made some big catches last year for McCurdy. Freshman Louie Martinez backs up Redman at quarterback and has the talent to play receiver. He and Redman will alternate catching passes depending on who’s taking the snaps from center.
Snapping the ball will be junior center Ryan Bustos, whom Vigil said has improved his strength.
“He spent quality time in the weight room and has power to go with his technique.” Vigil said of the 170-pound Bustos.
Junior Matthew Bustos, at 180 pounds, plays guard, while big freshmen Louis Jaramillo (225 pounds) and Ron DeVargas (195 pounds) line up at guard and tackle. Sophomore David Martinez rounds out the line at tackle.
There’s some big men behind the starters. Sophomore Trey Ortiz and 200-pound junior Brandon Ricci back up the line, while 220-pound freshman Gavin Cata starts at defensive tackle. Jaramillo also starts on defense, giving the Bobcats three starting freshmen on the offensive and defensive lines.
“The youth is going to show at times, but that’s part of getting that experience,” Vigil said.
McCurdy will play in District 1A. That pits them against Clayton, a team that defeated McCurdy twice in the last two years during regular-season play. Escalante, another district rival, has defeated McCurdy the last two seasons in what has become a hotly-contested game.
Escalante hired former Española coach Jesus Maes in July. Maes began the summer as McCurdy’s offensive coordinator before taking the head-coaching job at Escalante.
“It adds more fuel to the fire to what’s always been a good rivalry,” Vigil said. “It’s one of the top rivalries in the state that a lot of people don’t really know about.”
McCurdy and Escalante, fittingly, will finish the regular season by squaring off in Tierra Amarilla Nov. 1. That game will likely have state playoff implications, as it has the last three years.
“I expect near that type of atmosphere again,” Vigil said.