Demons' hot start makes no impression on coaches poll, MaxPreps analytics

For what its worth, the algorithms that dictate the tenor of high school football are not being kind to Santa Fe High.

In case you hadnt noticed, the Demons are off to a 3-1 start following last weeks district opener against Albuquerque High.

That win puts them in somewhat rarified air when it comes to the states largest classification.

Of the 21 teams in Class 6A, Santa Fe High is one of only nine with a winning overall record.

Of those, the Demons are the only team above .500 in both district games and overall.

Granted, the Demons are the only one of the nine whos actually played a district game but still.

Their 18-6 win last week over the Bulldogs is a great kickstart to a district schedule that gets increasingly difficult in the coming weeks.

Too bad its not nearly enough to get anyones respect.

The weekly coaches poll is published every Tuesday by the Facebook group, New Mexico Overtime Sports.

Seven of the nine 6A teams with winning records are in this weeks Top 10.

The eighth, Alamogordo, received enough votes to be an unofficial No.

11.

The Demons? Not one vote.

None of the 13 coaches who participated looked at Santa Fe Highs resume and said, Ya know, I respect that.

Heres my vote.

Then theres the MaxPreps power rankings.

The Demons are No.

21 out of 21 teams in 6A.

Theres no human input, so dont blame any hidden agendas.

MaxPreps uses a teams strength of schedule, among other things, to rank its teams.

But, so what? The only number that matters is 3.

If Santa Fe High wins three of its final six games, one would think it would be enough to land an at-large bid to the state playoffs.

Class 6A was breathed into existence in 2014, and the Demons have been nowhere close to being a part of its postseason bracket at any point.

This is their chance.

They literally control their own destiny.

The Demons get a visit from a winless (but still dangerous) Sandia team Friday, then host Eldorado in what is likely the most egregious example of bad scheduling you can get.

That Sept.

26 game against Eldorado will be the Demons senior night because the final four games are all on the road.

Theyll go through October without a game at Ivan Head Stadium, a stretch that includes a brutal 1-2 stop at Los Lunas (Oct.

17) and La Cueva (Oct.

25).

If and its a big if the Demons can pick off Sandia and Eldorado, it would clear the path for what could be a playoff clincher against Atrisco Heritage in early October.

Ah, the possibilities.

The regular season of the prep schedule reaches its halfway point this weekend as most schools play their fifth game.

All four 11-man teams from inside the city will be on the field.

Heres a look at them, plus all the other games in the Santa Fe area this week: The same affliction thats been making life miserable at Capital (a listless offense) is rearing its ugly head at SFIS.

The Braves have held their own on the defensive side of the ball, allowing just 32 points in the first three weeks before getting kicked around in a six-touchdown loss at Legacy Academy last week.

It doesnt get any easier this week in Farmington.

Navajo Prep has surrendered only 23 points all season.

Prediction: Navajo Prep 43, SFIS 12 All three of the Demons wins have come against teams with a combined 3-8 record.

The Matadors come into this one with a big donut in the win column, but lets face it: There arent many teams that will have a good time in games against Piedra Vista (3-1), Cibola (3-1), Volcano Vista (3-1) and La Cueva (1-2).

One of Sandias go-to guys in the backfield is George Smith, the offseason transfer from Robertson, who has all the makings of being a big star.

Prediction: Sandia 22, Santa Fe High 20 First place in the district is on the line here.

No, seriously, it is.

Capital and its 5.0 scoring average knocked off Del Norte in a 7-6 shootout last week, leaving the Jaguars in a four-way tie atop 1-5A with the Hilltoppers, Valley and Miyamura.

That pack will be trimmed to two after Friday since Valley and Miyamura play one another this week.

Los Alamos has an enormous advantage in this one, and its name is RB Jordan Herrera and his 191 yards-per-game average.

Prediction: Los Alamos 54, Capital 0 The Elks need to heal some injuries and get players back in game mode.

To put it mildly, this is a game they should win regardless of player availability.

Its becoming more and more obvious that Pojo is a Class 3A contender.

Ranked No.

6 in the coaches poll, things get serious next time out as the district opener against Robertson looms large on the horizon.

Prediction: Pojoaque Valley 52, Hozho Academy 6 Its been one extreme or the other for the Sundevils, who have bookended a pair of impressive wins with a pair of absolute nightmarish blowout losses.

The latest of those came last week in the district opener at Grants, a game where the teams still-evolving passing attack was completely shut down.

Then youve got Moriarty, which scored what was one of the bigger upsets of the season with a win over Bernalillo.

Prediction: Moriarty 40, Espanola Valley 8 What the prep football world wouldnt do to see what 2A powerhouses like Santa Rosa, Eunice and Texico could do in 3A.

This weekend, well get a pretty good idea as two of those teams play up in weight class and again next week when Texico hosts this same West Las Vegas club.

The Dons will have their hands full here as the host Lions are averaging more than 230 yards rushing.

Prediction: Santa Rosa 26, West Las Vegas 21 If history has taught us anything, its that Robertson getting punched in the mouth early in the season only serves as a wake-up call to a team looking to send a message the rest of the way.

The Cardinals took out their frustrations from a Sept.

5 loss to Santa Rosa by hammering Ruidoso down south last week.

Expect more of the same in a game that used to be a 2-3A marquee matchup.

Prediction: Robertson 42, Raton 14 The best matchup of the week, bar none.

The top-ranked Horsemen have won 24 straight and can equal Eunices 25-game run for the states sixth-longest streak of all time.

The Cardinals, ranked No.

2 in 2A, own the best offense in the state (59.5 points per game) led by one of the best run/pass QBs in New Mexico in Elijah Melancon.

The senior is averaging 369.5 yards of total offense and is completing 64% of his passes with 16 touchdowns.

Hell be the main target of a St.

Michaels front led by edge rusher Ryan Hunt.

If youre looking for entertainment, watch No.

8 in blue chasing No.

9 in white.

Also, expect the St.

Michaels grounds crew to keep the grass long and wet all week.

Prediction: St.

Michaels 44, Eunice 20 The Bobcats have been impressive thus far.

Theyll need to be a lot more than just impressive if they want to score a significant upset against a team that has the goods to make a state semifinal run in 2A.

The Silverbacks have a quality QB in Lorenzo Cedilla-Urban.

Expect him to take his fair share of shots downfield against a McCurdy defense that has held up well against lighter competition.

Prediction: Legacy 48, McCurdy 14 Went 8-2 in high school picks and 1-1 with college games.

There are no college games this week, with the Lobos and Aggies both off until their Sept.

27 showdown in Albuquerque.

For the season, 27-6 for the preps and 5-3 with the big boys..

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