The New Mexican Sports Den with Will and James

A big week of regular season tournaments is in the books and we’re getting a clearer picture of the contenders as teams head into the second half of the season.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron offer their observations of what they’ve seen so far for boys and girls teams across classes.

Among the topics of conversation, the guys discuss how St. Michael’s, Santa Fe Indian School and Navajo Prep are looking like they could be battling among each other a trophy in Class 3A, while Pecos made a statement in the Northern Rio Grande Tournament and looks to be a top two or three team in Class 2A. James also talks about what he’s seen from Santa Fe High.

On the girls’ side, the guys go over some area teams including Santa Fe High, Robertson, Santa Fe Indian School and Mesa Vista.

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The high school basketball regular season revs up this week with big tournaments around the region. In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron offer an overview of the action and highlight the matchups to watch.

James discusses the Jason Abeyta Memorial Tournament at Santa Fe Indian School, the St. Michael’s Shootout and the Northern Rio Grande Tournament at Española Valley. The NRG showcases some of the area’s top Class 2A schools and brings the possibility of a Pecos-Mesa Vista battle in the boys tournament.

In the second segment, the guys make some NFL playoff predictions before discussing the athletic director opening at the University of New Mexico following the departure of Fernando Lovo to Colorado. Will shares his thoughts on interim AD Ryan Berryman, a 32-year-old graduate of UNM and East Mountain High School, and advocates for a youth movement for the department.

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Santa Fe New Mexican sports scribe James Barron is turning 50 as the calendar turns to 2026 and his birthday wish is to one day see successful coaches and administrators at his alma mater stick around for a while.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Barron and University of New Mexico beat writer Will Webber discuss the latest departure from Albuquerque as 37-year-old athletic director Fernando Lovo heads to Colorado after an eventful 13-month stint at UNM.

Will and James talk about the big decisions Lovo had to make in his short time in charge of Lobo athletics, including the hiring of Jason Eck as head football coach and Eric Olen as the men’s basketball coach. Eck went on to become Mountain West coach of the year as the football team’s success ignited a dormant fan base.

The guys touch on why it’s tough for UNM to keep successful coaches and administrators, and share their thoughts on what Lovo is getting into as he heads to Boulder, where Deion Sanders’ presence looms large.

Will and James also share some of their most memorable moments from 2025 and take a look at the local prep hoops scene.

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The Santa Fe High boys basketball team is off to a 6-1 start and showing signs of being a contender in Class 5A. Ahead of the Demons’ trip to The Holiday Classic in San Diego, where they will face off with teams from across the country, head coach Cisco Rivera took some time to chat with Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron about what he’s learned about his team so far.

The guys start with questions about the upcoming holiday tournament, which will place Rivera in his former stomping grounds. The coach talks about his ties to the San Diego area and discusses the opportunity this offers for his players.

Rivera gets into his evolution as a coach and describes what led to the success he and former Santa Fe High coach Zack Cole had together. He also offers credit to the Demons’ assistants, who have provided stability to the program over the years.

After the break, Will and James chat a bit more about prep hoops before talking about college football. They discuss the University of New Mexico's upcoming matchup with Minnesota in the Rate Bowl, as well as the New Mexico Bowl which will pit San Diego State against North Texas.

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Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, an Albuquerque native and former New Mexico State Aggie, wasn’t exactly gracious after his runner-up finish for the Heisman Trophy and had some choice words for voters in a social media post afterward. Will Webber, Santa Fe New Mexican sports editor and one of 870 media members with a Heisman vote, has some words to share on Pavia, too.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Will explains why he left Pavia off his ballot and speaks with fellow sports writer James Barron about how Pavia's antics and stature could impact his pro prospects. The guys compare him to other Heisman finalists and discuss other flawed athletes to come out of New Mexico.

Will and James turn to hoops talk in the second segment, discussing recent prep basketball results and the University of New Mexico men’s team.

The guys chat a bit about Santa Fe High’s promising start to the season and the impressive displays the Santa Fe Indian School boys and girls have had so far.

The Lobo men, meanwhile, are 9-2 heading into Mountain West Conference play. The guys talk about how the conference seems up for grabs this year and that, at this point, it seems like UNM could be in the mix.

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The Mesa Vista boys basketball team seized a win heard ’round New Mexico last week when the Class 2A Trojans took down perennial Class 5A powerhouse Hobbs in the Española Shootout. With a school enrollment of 87, Mesa Vista's 60-58 victory over the Hobbs, which has an enrollment of nearly 2,300, caught the attention of prep hoops coaches and fans of teams from all classes.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Mesa Vista boys basketball coach Thomas Vigil joins Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron to discuss the Trojans’ impressive victory over one of the state's most storied teams and the reaction he has received. Vigil also reflects on his roots in the community and what he has focused on to build a winning program at Mesa Vista.

In the second segment, the guys talk about the University of New Mexico getting picked to face Minnesota in the Rate Bowl in Phoenix on Dec. 26. They also talk about Diego Pavia’s days in New Mexico ahead of the announcement of this year’s Heisman Trophy winner on Saturday.

Will and James also chat a bit about UNM men’s basketball and the Lobos’ dominant win over Santa Clara before closing out the show by returning to prep hoops talk.

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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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