It was a big two days for local sports coverage last week as the University of New Mexico football team defeated San Diego State on Friday to finish in a tie for first in the Mountain West Conference and then St. Michael’s football team won another championship game thriller against Dexter for its third straight Class 3A title.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron share their takeaways from St. Mike’s and Lobos’ victories.

They start by discussing the Horsemen-Demons showdown and the rare adversity St. Mike’s had to overcome to fight back and edge out Dexter for the second year in a row. The guys talk about key moments in the game, then highlight the legacy of the Horsemen seniors and look ahead to what the team may look like next year.

Will and James then focus on the Lobos, offering their thoughts on the incredible run UNM has had under first-year coach Jason Eck, who has helped infuse excitement around a program that was in the doldrums. With the Mountain West Conference about to undergo an overhaul and the Lobos experiencing some positive momentum, Will discusses why this could be one of the most crucial times in UNM athletics history.

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St. Michael’s powerhouse football program is in the midst of a 32-game winning streak heading into its Class 3A championship game showdown Saturday in Dexter. Senior standouts Kamal Stith and Isaiah Dominguez have had a big hand in the team’s success.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Stith and Dominguez join Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron to reflect their football careers, which they hope to cap with a three-peat.

Stith and Dominguez discuss their memories of last year’s championship game against Dexter, share how being multi-sport athletes helps them from season to season, and give some props to the unsung heroes of the team.

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Both teams have held up their end of the bargain all year and now the game everyone’s been talking about is almost here. In a rematch of last year’s Class 3A championship game that came down to the wire, St. Michael’s will look to cap off another unbeaten season when the Horsemen take on No. 2 seed Dexter on Saturday in Dexter.

In the first of two “Sports Den” podcast episodes this week previewing the big game, Dexter coach Sonny Duran joins Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron to discuss the strength of the Demons and what it’s going to take to stop St. Mike’s 32-game winning streak.

The Demons were the last team to really push the Horsemen, who have cruised through their 2025 schedule. St. Mike’s needed a gutsy drive to come from behind and win 28-26 in the final minute of the 2024 title game against Dexter. Duran recalls that game and the challenge of moving past that emotional loss.

Ranch and farm boys are spread through the Dexter roster, which Duran says has a big impact on the team’s hard-working mentality. The Demons don’t have a lot of height on the line, but they’ve got strength, and Duran said “if we’re going to win, it’s going to be in the trenches.”

In the second segment of the episode, Will and James offer their own thoughts on the St. Mike’s-Dexter matchup and then talk University of New Mexico football ahead of one of the program’s biggest regular season games in its history when the Lobos take on San Diego State for a chance to play for the Mountain West Conference title.

Tune in for a second episode of "The Sports Den" on Thursday when Will and James chat with St. Mike's standouts Kamal Stith and Isaiah Dominguez. 

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The state volleyball tournament is a wrap and state football is all that remains of the prep fall sports season. And wouldn’t you know, the University of New Mexico football is still playing meaningful games.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron put a bow on the volleyball season and discuss prep football semifinal matchups for St. Michael’s and Taos.

The unbeaten Horsemen will take on No. 5 seed New Mexico Military Institute in the Class 3A semis and are looking to make it to their fifth straight state championship game. Taos, meanwhile, is a game away from the finals but has to take on powerhouse Bloomfield in the Class 4A semis.

The guys also talk about the scenarios that could play out for the UNM football team, which is in a tight battle to earn a spot in the Mountain West Conference championship game. Next up is Air Force, which Will and James say has less talent than the Lobos but could pose a challenge with their tricky triple option offense. If they win, the Lobos would take on San Diego State in what would be one of the most important regular season games in the program’s history.

The UNM men’s hoops team scuffled in a loss to New Mexico State and now heads to Kansas City for the Hall of Fame Classic, where the Lobos will take on Nebraska on Thursday and either Kansas State or Mississippi State on Friday. Will and James offer their impressions on first-year coach Eric Olen’s squad so far.

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Several prep sports teams have hoisted a blue trophy to cap their season but there are still plenty more to earn. In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron review the success of local teams in cross country and soccer, then preview the week ahead for the state volleyball and football tournaments.

James will be camped out at the Rio Rancho Events Center for volleyball this week and discusses what he expects from local teams, including three-time Class 3A defending champion St. Michael’s, Santa Fe Indian School, Santa Fe Prep and Santa Fe High.

The guys then talk about the local teams left in state football. Undefeated St. Mike’s road to another title goes through rival Robertson, while Pojoaque, Los Alamos and Taos also look to extend their seasons.

In the second segment, Will and James talk about the University of New Mexico football team’s possible path to the Mountain West Conference championships game and the challenge head coach Jason Eck has laid down for fans this weekend against Colorado State.

They also discuss college hoops, including the UNM men breezing by lesser opponents and the Highlands men’s team busting at the seams with 45 players listed on the roster.

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With his development of the Northern New Mexico Youth Sports League, Zeke Villegas was already a well-known name in the regional football community by 2022-2023 when he was applying to various schools in search of his first high school head coaching job. He got his shot at Pojoaque Valley, where he was hired to turn around a program that had gone winless the previous season.

Fast forward three years and Villegas has the Elks in the playoffs for the second straight season with their highest-ever seed. Pojoaque landed the No. 4 seed in Class 3A to earn a first-round bye and will face the winner between No. 5 New Mexico Military Institute and No. 12 Wingate in the quarterfinals.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den,” Villegas joins Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron to discuss the Elks’ run this year and how he’s worked to build a winning mentality within the program. A 2001 Capital grad and former coach at a variety of levels at the school, Villegas shares what he learned from coaching legend Bill Moon that he uses with his players today. He also talks about his aggressive coaching style and his openness to listen to his players’ input during critical moments in games.

In the second segment, Will and James talk a bit more about the state football tournament as well as state soccer. They then discuss the University of New Mexico’s football and men’s basketball teams, with Will bringing up the wild-sounding possibility of the football team competing for a Mountain West Conference title if it can win out.

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We’re well into fall and the University of New Mexico football team is vying for a bowl bid, the Lobos men’s basketball team has tipped off its exhibition season and prep sports postseason kicks off this week with state soccer.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den,” Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron discuss the UNM football team’s convincing win over former coach Bronco Mendenhall and Utah State and the Lobos men’s basketball team’s loss to Washington State in its exhibition opener. With the football team’s strong start to the season under Jason Eck, Will discusses the rarity of UNM first-year coaches finding success.

The guys also talk about New Mexico Highlands’ ambitious plans for a massive upgrade of its athletic facilities, which would cost an estimated $85.5 million. Will shares what he learned from a long conversation with Highlands President Neil Woolf and other school officials about the plans, and offers his take on how much money he thinks the school is likely to actually receive.

In the second segment, the guys turn to prep sports. James shares his thoughts on the state soccer tournament and offers his favorites to win titles. They then discuss the last week of the prep football season, which includes a matchup between St. Michael’s and Robertson that they say doesn’t seem to have as much hype as in past years. They also talk about Capital and its chances of making the playoffs.

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One of the big stories from last week was the suspension of the Academy for Technology and the Classics girls soccer coach Vilma Ontiveros for violating the school’s social media policy. In the latest episode of “The Sports Den,” Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron discuss the fallout at the school following the suspension.

Will and James also take a look at local prep football teams as the end of the regular season approaches, including St. Michael’s dominance and if there is hope for Robertson to make some noise in the playoffs after dealing with recent suspensions in its program.

In the second segment, the guys are joined by St. Michael’s multi-sport athlete Brandon Meyer, who has had to endure heartbreak during his senior year with the loss of his father as well as the disappointment of a severe knee injury in the football team’s first game of the season. Meyer discusses the support he has received from the St. Mike’s community, the pride that he has for the football team as it has continued to roll despite many injuries to key players, and his aim to return from injury for the track and field season in hopes of helping the Horsemen claim another state title.

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Adam Diehl is a play-by-play broadcaster for everything from college cross country to prep football and volleyball, to New Mexico United soccer and more. Working for ESPN Radio 101.7, Sports Primo and the Mountain West Network, the New Mexico native is well-versed in the sports scene throughout the state.

As high school fall sports head into the home stretch of the regular season, Diehl joins “The Sports Den” to share his outlook on football playoff seeding and contenders in soccer and volleyball. He also shares a rant on the state volleyball format.

Diehl, who played soccer at Eastern New Mexico University, talks about how he got into broadcasting, including being mentored by Doc Elder. He also discusses how he handles making mistakes, how he deals with criticism, and his first experience calling a game one of his children played in.

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The University of New Mexico football team’s momentum was stopped cold with a disappointing loss against San Jose State last week, but the prep sports storylines keep heating up.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron talk about the Pojoaque football team’s first-ever win over a shorthanded Robertson squad. They discuss what the victory means for the Elks’ playoff outlook and look ahead for a Robertson team that has been dealing with suspensions.

The guys also talk about St. Michael’s continued dominance following last week’s throttling of Hope Christian. The victory extended the Horsemen’s win streak to 27 games. James talks about the significance of the streak and the excellence of coach Joey Fernandez.

Will and James also talk about their new weekly prep athlete spotlight, which kicked off this week with a feature on St. Mike’s standout quarterback Kamal Stith.

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