3A championship preview: Unbeaten St. Michael's meets indomitable Dexter

Class 3A features the only pairing of undefeated teams in its championship game, as No. 2 Dexter (12-0) visits No. 1 St. Michael’s (12-0) at Santa Fe High’s Ivan Head Stadium.

Kickoff is 1 p.m.

Joey Fernandez has been the head coach at St. Mike’s for 23 years, but this is the first time he’s faced the Demons, he said. The Horsemen are in the state final for the fourth consecutive year, Dexter for the first time since 2018.

“They’re big and they’re super aggressive. They’ve got a bunch of football players, to be honest with you,” Dexter coach Sonny Duran said. “They’re super aggressive and physical.”

This starts with a St. Mike’s defense that has only surrendered 66 points in 12 victories. And only one of those 12 opponents, Robertson, put up more than seven on the Horsemen.

St. Mike’s will sometimes go with a two-QB offense, with Kamal Stith and Reed Bass, with Bass the more prolific passer. The ground game is keyed by Soren Annon and Cole Sandoval.

“I want to limit their possessions,” Duran said. “Their offense is deadly.”

Dexter’s wishbone gets solid production from running backs Omar Loya and Garet Gonzalez; another back, Kaesn George, was hurt in the second half of a semifinal win at Robertson, and his availability is in question for Saturday. Sophomore CJ Granados is a threat to both pass and run.

“They’ve got a pretty good O-Line, they are big and physical,” said Fernandez, who went over 200 career wins this season at St. Michael’s. “They come off the ball real well. Their offense is executed real well.”

The Horsemen have a large number of players who already have appeared in at least one championship game already.

“I think it does help,” Fernandez said. “Our kids, they’ve been there, they know it’s just another week. Our kids, knowing they’ve been there, has helped them a lot.”