FARMINGTON – There are lessons to be learned in the sport of football, and for Piedra Vista, the task will be to get a large group of younger starters ready for a campaign loaded with expectations.
The Panthers reached the championship game of last season’s New Mexico Activities Association’s state prep football tournament, finishing the season with an 11-2 record and a perfect 3-0 mark in District 1-5A play.
During that season, Piedra Vista hosted and knocked off Goddard, perennially one of the top teams in the state. Later, after losing on the road against Roswell during the regular season, the Panthers avenged that loss – on the road again – by beating the Coyotes 13-7 in the Class 5A semifinals.
Piedra Vista’s quest for a first state championship came up short, however, losing at home to Artesia by a score of 27-14. Bulldogs quarterback Nye Estrada threw a pair of touchdown passes as the Bulldogs won their 31st state championship.
While the final result was a disappointment on an otherwise strong campaign, head coach Jared Howell hopes his returning starters learned some valuable lessons for the upcoming campaign.
“It had been a bit of time since this team had played Artesia, so if you’re going into a game like that without seeing them first, there’s a style of play you’ve got to get used to,” Howell said. “Now that we’ve got that experience playing teams from that area and winning some of those games, that should go a long way for some of the younger kids.”
In fact, the number of younger kids on the Panthers roster will be daunting. A total of 27 seniors have graduated from last year’s football team and so the task of filling in the shoes of those key players will require a bit of transition.
“We’re going to have a whole new secondary, we’ve got a young group and they’re going to have to go through the fire,” Howell said. “There’s going to be a lot of new faces, especially on the offensive line, where I think we’ll be bigger up front this season.”
Felipe Begaye appears to be the leading candidate for Piedra Vista to be the starting quarterback when the season opens Friday, Aug. 18 at Hutchison Stadium against crosstown rival Farmington. Begaye, taking over the reins from Logan Howell, has caught the eye during summer offseason workouts.
“ (Begaye) is a bigger kid that looks like an outside linebacker. He understands the offense and is learning to make real intime game decisions,” Howell said. “When you have to make a split-decision second on the field, it’s a lot different from when you have time to make those choices.”
Also returning for the Panthers next season will be senior Andreas Romero, who will be a featured starter as both a running back and linebacker.
“(Romero) had a good summer,” Howell said. “He’s had a good summer so far and we’re starting to see the benefits of that.”
Howell, like several of the local and area coaches who have had success in beating competition from the southern part of the state, also believes the perceived gap between football in those geographical locations has narrowed significantly.
“Having the success we had last season (against Goddard and Roswell), we saw the nuances in those teams,” Howell said. “And then you have to contend with how those games are officiated and what you can do down there that maybe you can’t do up here. It’s different in a lot of ways, but once you do it, and you know you can do it, it gives you the confidence that we’ve started to see.”
Among the highlight games for the Panthers this season will be a road trip to Durango to face the Demons on Friday, Sept. 1. Durango will have a new head coach this season in Matt Burton, who took over at the end of last season after the resignation of Todd Casebier. The Demons advanced to the Colorado High School Athletic Association’s Class 3A semifinals last season before losing to Lutheran High School.
The Panthers will also again face both Goddard and Roswell during the non-district portion of the season. The Rockets will host Piedra Vista on Friday, Sept. 15 while the Panthers will host Roswell on Friday, Sept. 29.
For more information on the Piedra Vista High School football team, check out the team’s official page at MaxPreps.com.
Piedra Vista High School 2023 Football Schedule
Home Games in ALL CAPS
Friday, Aug. 18, 7 p.m. FARMINGTON
Saturday., Aug. 26, 1 p.m. @Sandia
Friday, Sept. 1, 7 p.m. @Durango
Friday, Sept. 8, 7 p.m. @Eldorado
Friday, Sept. 15, 7 p.m. @Goddard
Friday, Sept. 22, 7 p.m. CIBOLA
Friday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m. ROSWELL
Friday, Oct. 13, 7 p.m. MIYAMURA
Friday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m. HIGHLAND
Friday, Oct. 27, 7 p.m. @Belen
