The No. 1-seeded Roswell Coyotes football team will face the No. 8-seeded Santa Fe Demons in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A state playoffs at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at the Wool Bowl.
Roswell (9-1, 7-0 District 2-5A) earned a first-round bye as the tournament’s top seed. Santa Fe (7-4, 5-2 District 1-5A), meanwhile, enters the matchup after a 23-7 first-round home win over No. 9 Cibola on Saturday.
Roswell head coach Jeff Lynn said the Coyotes will need to play well to earn a victory against a strong Santa Fe team.
“They’re a pretty good team,” Lynn said. “They’ve improved throughout the years, so we’re going to have to play well.”
Quarterback Andruw Fuentez will orchestrate the offense for Roswell. Fuentez completed 68.1% of his passes for 2,376 yards and 32 touchdowns with four interceptions during the regular season. He also rushed for 345 yards and seven touchdowns on 46 carries.
Lynn said Fuentez’s decision-making will be important to the Coyotes’ success.
“If Andruw makes good decisions and gets the ball to the players that are open, I think he’s the key guy to victory,” Lynn said
Fuentez’s top target is wide receiver Danny Castro, who has recorded 43 receptions for 981 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. Receiver Izaic Gonzales also contributed to the passing attack, hauling in 56 catches for 586 yards and nine touchdowns.
On the ground, running back Luis Rodriguez gives the Coyotes another dimension. Rodriguez has rushed for 960 yards and nine touchdowns on 96 carries.
“Every game, we’ve had a different guy step up,” Lynn said. “Castro had a huge game against Artesia, Gonzales played well against Mayfield and Rodriguez was big against Goddard.”
Lynn also pointed to the growth of his defense. Linebacker Jonthan Ellis and defensive ends Elias Lujan and Jake Amador have been among the leaders of the unit, according to Lynn.
Santa Fe counters with quarterback Manuel Peña, who has completed 68.4% of his passes for 1,588 yards and 16 touchdowns with two interceptions through 11 games. His primary target is receiver Alex Bobolsky, who has recorded 27 receptions for 624 yards and five touchdowns.
The Demons also bring a productive ground attack led by John Henry Clement, who has rushed for 604 yards and 11 touchdowns on 117 carries.
“Santa Fe has a good running game and passing game,” Lynn said. “The quarterback is capable of doing damage, so we have to be ready.”
For Lynn, defense will be key in the outcome of the matchup.
“Santa Fe is a fast paced team and tries to snap the ball every 15 seconds,” Lynn said. “Defensively, we’ve got to make sure that we’re communicating and getting lined up. I feel like if we can do those things, we’ve got a pretty good chance to have a good game defensively.”
Marshall Mecham can be reached at (915) 232-1793 or on X @mecham_marshall. Mecham serves with the New Mexico Local News Fellowship, which places emerging journalists in newsrooms across the state. Learn more at www.newmexicolocalnewsfellowships.org.
