Weekly News & Notes: Grants, Capital Hire New Coaches
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Not so long ago, when he was a first-year college student, 24-year-old Brandon Hernandez caught the coaching bug. He was a freshman at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas when he started helping coach the West Las Vegas boys…
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Continue ReadingNot so long ago, when he was a first-year college student, 24-year-old Brandon Hernandez caught the coaching bug.
He was a freshman at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas when he started helping coach the West Las Vegas boys basketball team.
In 2017, after transferring to the University of New Mexico, Hernandez contacted nearly every school in Albuquerque and volunteered to coach. West Mesa football coach Ron McMath offered him an opportunity. He spent the next three seasons (2018-20) coaching the Mustangs, most recently serving as offensive coordinator.
Then his alma mater, Grants High, called him home.
Hernandez was named the new head coach of the Pirates earlier this week, becoming one of the youngest high school head coaches in New Mexico, if not the country.
“It’s been a dream, for sure,” Hernandez told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “Especially coming in and taking over my alma mater. It’s a great opportunity. I don’t have a whole lot of time to sit here and think about it because we have to get right to work.”
Hernandez plans to run a spread offense with four wide receiver sets, occasionally bringing an H-Back into the game.
“We’re going to be reading defenders all the time,” Hernandez said. “I’m a firm believer in if they’re hard to block, they’re easy to read and if they’re easy to block, they’re hard to read.”
Hernandez’s top priority, of course, is finding a quarterback in the wake of rising senior Brandon Furbee Brandon Furbee 6'3" | QB Farmington | 2022 State NM ’s transfer to Farmington. The leading candidate for the job is 6-foot-2, 190-pound rising senior Tyler Everhart Tyler Everhart 6'2" | 190 lbs | QB Grants | 2022 State NM , who played wide receiver and defensive back in the spring.
“Tyler is probably our best overall athlete,” Hernandez said. “He’s got good size, he’s a great kid and he’s fast. He has some speed.”
Except for Everhart and a few other seniors, Grants will be a young football team in 2021. The Pirates ended the spring season with 27 players.
“We graduated a lot of talent and with Brandon transferring, that leaves a hole at quarterback,” Hernandez said. “We’re going to need some freshmen and sophomores step up and grow up quickly, a lot sooner than they normally would have.”
NEW CAPITAL COACH NAMED: Capital High School in Santa Fe has promoted assistant Joaquin Garcia to Jaguars head coach. He succeeds Bill Moon, who resigned in May after compiling a 36-50-1 record with three district titles in nine seasons.
Garcia has previous head coaching experience. He directed the West Las Vegas program for two years in the early 2000’s. Twenty years later, he’s a head coach again. Between 2002-20, Garcia served as an assistant at Clovis, St. Michael’s, Santa Fe and Capital.
“ I feel like we need to build upon the tradition here at Capital,” Garcia told the Santa Fe New Mexican. “Butat the same time we have to kick it up a notch and do some different things, as well.”
Garcia coached linebackers and running backs for Capital in his two seasons as an assistant under Moon. One of his major goals is expanding the roster. Capital had fewer than 40 players for the spring season after nearly two dozen players opted out after participating in workouts in 2020.
NMAA CALENDAR RELEASED: The NMAA has posted the fall sports calendar on its website. Here are the key dates for football:
Aug. 2 – Football practice begins
Aug. 19-21: Week 1
Aug. 26-Oct. 30: Weeks 2 thru 11
Oct. 30 – Playoff brackets released for Classes 2A-6A
Nov. 5 – Classes 3A-6A First Round
Nov. 12 – Classes 3A-6A Quarterfinal Round
Nov. 19 – Classes 3A-6A Semifinal Round
Nov. 27 – Classes 3A-6A State Championship Games
NOTES:
— Rio Rancho RB Zach Vigil Zach Vigil 5'9" | 190 lbs | RB Rio Rancho | 2022 State NM continued his camp tour this week with stops at Utah State (Tues), Weber State (Thur) and Colorado Mesa (Sat). His camp tour ends Monday at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Co. before he returns to Rio Rancho.
— 2022 Farmington QB Brandon Furbee Brandon Furbee 6'3" | QB Farmington | 2022 State NM also attended the Colorado Mesa camp yesterday.
— Carlsbad QB Dane Naylor Dane Naylor QB Carlsbad | 2023 State NM and OL Ramon Loya Ramon Loya 6'4" | 280 lbs | OL Carlsbad | 2022 State NM attended the Abilene Christian University camp in Texas on Saturday. 2022 Rio Rancho LB Lucas Lucero Lucas Lucero 6'2" | DB Rio Rancho | 2022 State NM was also the ACU camp.
— 2023 Albuquerque Academy QB A.J. Rivera A.J. Rivera 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB Albuquerque Academy | 2023 State NM is camping at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA on Wednesday.
— Three Las Cruces players camped at Texas Tech on Monday: Luis Nevarez, Tre Evans and Royce Paulk Royce Paulk 6'5" | OL Las Cruces | 2022 State NM . In addition, 2023 La Cueva QB Aidan Armenta Aidan Armenta 6'3" | 190 lbs | QB La Cueva | 2023 State NM participated in the camp and made some nice throws. 2023 Cibola DE Brayden Mummert Brayden Mummert 6'3" | 220 lbs | TE Cibola | 2023 State NM and 2022 Highland LB Abraham Lopez Abraham Lopez 5'11" | 195 lbs | LB Highland | 2022 State NM were in Lubbock as well. Several players from Volcano Vista were at the Texas Tech camp too, including QB Josh Gerardo Josh Gerardo 6'1" | QB Volcano Vista | 2022 State NM , Tyler Martinez Tyler Martinez 6'1" | 180 lbs | DB Volcano Vista | 2022 State NM , Kaden Valdez Kaden Valdez 5'11" | 175 lbs | WR Volcano Vista | 2022 State NM and Kieran Cordova.
— Four Santa Fe football players – Isaiah Madril, Dylan Tapia, Martell Mora Martell Mora 5'9" | 185 lbs | RB Santa Fe High | 2022 State NM , Harrison Ostenberg – combined to capture the district title in the 4×100 relay. 2022 Santa Fe OL Ben White Ben White 6'2" | 270 lbs | OL Santa Fe | 2022 State NM camped at Northwestern earlier this week.
— 2022 Jal OL Roger Carreon Roger Carreon 6'5" | 305 lbs | OL Jal | 2022 State NM took an official visit to Boise State this weekend.
https://twitter.com/CoachBranTheMan/status/1404599408604291074
Tonight we are excited to introduce Joaquin Garcia as our new Football Head Coach. Go Jags! @thenewmexican @sfnmsports @SportsPrimo @KSWVradio @_NMAA @rick_tripp58 @SportsScribe505 @JnorthSports pic.twitter.com/DpVOgkhzzV
— Capital Jaguar Athletics (@capital_jaguar) June 18, 2021
Thank you @Coach_Barela for inviting me to the Colorado Mesa camp. Had a great time talking and working with @coachmac_22! Just a few clips of the 1 on 1s today @PrepRedzoneNM @gpannoni @rioramsfootball pic.twitter.com/hieuHMaMIR
— Zach Vigil (@zacharyvigil21) June 19, 2021
Had a great day at the ACU camp. Thank you @JoshLamberson for the tips and coaching. @cavemenstrong @dez1130 pic.twitter.com/HBO6W0tIDG
— danenaylor13 (@danenaylor13) June 20, 2021
Had a great time today at the ACU camp, big thanks to @CoachKiraly and @coachliddle for the guidance and coaching @PrepRedzoneNM @cavemenstrong @dez1130 pic.twitter.com/RKnWJKSxa2
— Ramon Loya ‘22 (@ramonloyaa75) June 20, 2021
Video from the @TexasTechFB camp. @TTUCoachWells @SonnyCumbie_TTU @coachlukewells @coachcos25 @coachDLSmith1 @EronHodges @CoachBrown_TTU @CoachCannova63 @Coach_MattClark @ziad_qubti11 @CoachLenz @JrothschillerNM @dcaro_UNM pic.twitter.com/JqoPwu2ubk
— Aidan Armenta (@AidanArmenta) June 15, 2021
https://twitter.com/Abe58Lopez/status/1404614192112443395
4×100 & 4×200 meter Champs! Congratulations Mark Allen, Harrison Ostenberg, Dylan Tapia, @martellmora32 Isaiah Madril. 🔥 🔥 🔥 🏈🏈🏈🥅 pic.twitter.com/bRPfK9tvV9
— SFHS Demons Football (@demons_football) June 18, 2021
10.72 100m pic.twitter.com/GakZ7WWGn8
— Luke Wysong (@LukeWysong) June 19, 2021