Long-awaited St. Michael's clash with Robertson is set

It wasn't so much the look on Joey Fernandez's face that told the story as much as it was the sound of his voice and his relaxed body language during his postgame speech last week.

At long last, his Horsemen had reached Robertson Week.

"We can talk about those guys now," the St.

Michael's coach told his players.

"You already know what it's like." Having dispatched of Pojoaque Valley in a laughably lopsided district game, the undefeated, top-ranked and defending state champion St.

Michael's football team were ready to take a full head of steam into its regular season finale Friday night against archrival Robertson.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

at Cardinals Stadium.

Unbeaten and ranked No.

2, the Cardinals (9-0 overall, 3-0 in District 2-3A) represent the stiffest test of the year for the Horsemen (9-0, 3-0).

To the winner goes the district title and the top overall seed in the Class 3A playoffs.

Postseason pairings are out Sunday morning.

The loser likely drops to No.

3 behind unbeaten Dexter.

In either case, the Horsemen already know their road map to the state finals; a home game in the quarterfinals, a potential home game in the semifinals and, should it come down to a rematch with the Cardinals or a date with Dexter, a return trip to Las Vegas, N.M., for the championship game or, if St.

Michael's is the top overall seed, a home game against Dexter.

Here's a breakdown: OFFENSE Quarterback If ever there was a QB who embodies Robertsons play-with-your-hair-on-fire mentality its Jesse James Gonzalez, a 5-foot-6, 145-pound senior who has the quickness to leave anyone grasping at air, the speed to outrun anyone on the field, the field vision to create on the fly and the grit of a linebacker whod never shy away from lowering the pads and running through a would-be tackler.

He is also remarkably accurate, completing more than 75% of his passes with eight times as many touchdowns as interceptions.

He is probably even more dangerous when flushed out of the pocket because his ability to improvise and create is what makes him so special.

Hes the teams leading rusher and has accounted for nearly 80% of his teams total offensive yardage.

Stop him and you blow the Cardinals out.

Slow him down and you have a chance.

The Horsemen have used two QBs all season with steady senior Reed Bass getting the starts an playing the vast majority of snaps.

Junior Kamal Stith usually gets a drive or two and proven himself as a capable backup should Bass get injured.

Bass isnt the showstopper Gonzalez is because he doesnt need to be.

The Horsemen are deeper in the backfield and at the skill positions; Bass has more tools to work with and the Horsemen offense is built around featuring no one but including everyone.

Being the QB in blue means being a reliable game manager who occasionally is asked to step onto the grand stage and wave a magic wand.

Skill positions The brotherly bond of the Gonzalez boys Jesse Jamess twin is wideout Nathaniel is a dynamic thing for the Cardinals.

Plays can literally be drawn in the sand between the two.

Thats far from the only option, though.

You would be hard-pressed to find a faster deep threat than Cardinals freshman George Smith, the top pass catcher on the team.

Then theres sophomore Nathan Gonzales and freshman Diego Maez.

Gonzalez is at his best when buying time and playing the game on instinct.

His receivers are in tune with it, which make the Cardinals' offense so fun to watch.

The running game leaves something to be desired a harsh criticism that isnt entirely fair.

Gonzalez is the leading rusher, followed by Smith and all those jet sweeps he gets.

This is not a three-yards-and-a-cloud-of dust offense.

The Horsemen are a headache to prepare for.

Cole Sandoval, Soren Annon and Isaiah Dominguez serve as a three-headed monster in the backfield, each of whom gets from five to 12 carries a game if not more.

Each one is different, too.

Sandoval is the speedster with the power and lateral quickness to get outside.

Annon is the muscle, the one who will gladly run through contact and ask for seconds.

Dominguez is the Barry Sanders-esque spin guy, the dual threat who can catch a pass or use his smaller stature to find a crease in any line.

The wideouts include Brayden Hollis and Brandon Meyer; Hollis being the big-play gamebreaker and Meyer the reliable threat who can high-point the ball with the best of them.

Then theres the emergence of Ryan Hunt at tight end and Sabi Rios-Guevara at receiver.

Hunts role has grown exponentially as the season continues while Rios-Guevara is settling into his role after missing half the season.

DEFENSE As good as Robertson has been in blowout wins over playoff-worthy teams such as Socorro, Santa Rosa, Tularosa, Cobre and Raton (46 combined points allowed in those games), St.

Michaels is on a historic run.

The Horsemen havent allowed more than eight points in a game and have given up just 38 all season.

In fact, Robertson is the only team to score more than once in the last 11 games since last years playoffs.

Simply put, no one plays D better than the blue.

The unit has registered 24 sacks and picked off 17 passes.

No one has been able to run the ball on them.

Even fewer teams have been able to throw it.

Much of that can be attributed to a deep and talented line led by Hunt and Joe Sanchez, and linebackers Pete Johnson, Joele Griego, Angel Montoya and Annon.

Johnson leads the team in stops while defensive backs like Hollis, Dominguez, Rios-Guevara, Meyer and Stith can shut anyone down.

Theres an edge to the Horsemen defense, a unit that uses its irritation at giving up points and positive yards to refocus for the next play.

Robertsons man in the middle is lineman Dominic Mascarenas.

If it seems like hes in on most plays its because he is.

Same, too, for the Gonzalez twins.

Jesse James is a shutdown corner while Nathaniel is a marksman at safety.

Paul Duran anchors the linebackers alongside Tony Rubin and Santos Martinez, a freshman.

SPECIAL TEAMS There really isnt a better kicker in 3A than Robertsons Aaron Doss, a senior with a college-level leg.

Proof of that is the sound the ball makes when his powerful kicking leg makes contact; its a sound similar to the crack of a bat on a home run or the swish of a 3-point jumper.

Elijah Gutierrez is the Horsemen kicker, although Annon handles the punts and kickoffs.

The book on Gutierrez isnt quite as comprehensive as it is for Doss; Gutierrez is solid at PATs but hasnt had the need for showing his skills on field goals.

Doss has a 54-yarder to his credit in a game against Hope..

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