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2A championship preview: Top-ranked Texico travels to No. 2 Santa Rosa
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Top-ranked Texico will be on the road playing at No. 2 Santa Rosa for the Class 2A championship. The Wolverines are the only one of the five No. 1 seeds that is traveling on Saturday.
Fourteen weeks ago, on opening night, defending state champion Texico whipped the Lions 50-0.
“They’ve matured quite a bit,” Texico (11-0) coach Bob Gilbreath said. “They were pretty young and green when we played them back at the beginning of the season.”
Said Santa Rosa (9-3) coach David Chavez: “We’re a whole different team.”
The championship game kicks off at 1 p.m.
In August, Chavez said, the Lions were in transition with a multitude of new faces in the lineup. They’ve matured and grown up over the ensuing three-plus months, with the most noticeable improvement seen along both lines, Chavez noted.
To that end, Santa Rosa will look to do what it does best: operate that single wing offense, and let Josh Cordova do damage. The 6-foot, 185-pound junior quarterback rarely throws, and why would he, since he’s rushed for 1,515 yards and 24 touchdowns with a mix of power and speed. And he’s of high value at linebacker, too.
“He’s their long-ball threat,” Gilbreath said. “If he gets loose, he’s their best athlete.”
On defense, Cordova is part of a unit that will be tracking Texico senior Alex Fuentes (nearly 1,800 yards, 31 TDs), who works behind a giant offensive line.
That size differential, Chavez said, is the primary schematic dilemma for the Lions.
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“Last year, we battled them toe to toe, but that size did wear on us,” he said.
