Taos, aiming for 4A title, will be on road while home field repaired
Aug. 13—For the 2022 football season, the Taos Tigers will try to make their opponents' home their home away from home.
The Tigers will be packing up the team bus for the season, because they will be on the road for most, if not all, it. Anaya Field is undergoing extensive repairs Taos head coach Art Abreu Jr. said are long overdue. With the field out of commission, the Tigers are practicing at Taos Middle School and playing at least three "home" games 28 miles north at Questa High School. Along with road trips to Aztec, Grants, St. Michael's, Española Valley and Bernalillo, Abreu estimates the team will travel almost 2,000 miles this season.
"We're not going to sing the 'Boo-Hoo' song that we got 10 road games," Abreu said. "I feel bad for the seniors, who will have 14 home games during their careers as of now. Most classes are guaranteed 20, and these guys might get 14."
The field problems began during the 2019 season as the foundation in several areas began to sink because of poor drainage, making the turf surface unplayable.
The school district tried to patchwork the foundation to get through the spring and fall of 2021 but finally had to start over with a new one.
On paper, the Tigers have a team that is the favorite in District 2-4A and could be a dark-horse candidate in 4A. In 2021, Taos started 0-4 before winning five straight, including a 13-12 overtime win over a Silver team that pushed eventual state champion Lovington to the brink in the 4A quarterfinals.
Abreu's enthusiasm is based on a strong crop of seniors who grew up quickly after a rocky start. Key to Taos' success is 6-foot-7 quarterback Daemon Ely, who is as adept at running with the ball (he was third on the team in rushing with
345 yards) as he is at throwing it (1,137 yards and
10 touchdowns).
What the Tigers struggled with last year was stopping opponents. They allowed 27.2 points per game, but that figure was misleading. If Taos' two shutouts and the seven points it allowed Bernalillo were taken out of the equation, the defense allowed 36.5 points per game.
Abreu said the team struggled to forge a defensive identity, which he attributed to a junior- and sophomore-dominated roster.
However, he said he took a different approach in the offseason, spending less time in the weight room and having "skull" sessions in which the players and coaches got to know each other.
The effect was that it brought the team closer together, which Abreu said translated onto the field for workouts and drill in the summer, then to the practice field during the preseason.
"These boys can talk to each other every day very sternly and nobody breaks down; they respond," Abreu said. "They are motivated. That, in turn, motivates coaches and the entire group."
Abreu added, if there was ever a team capable of handling a season away from home, it's this one.
The Tigers' reward might come in October, with the possibility of the final two district games — against Pojoaque Valley and Moriarty — shifting to Anaya Field.
Abreu expects the regular-season finale with the Pintos to determine the district champion — and it could have deeper implications on seeding for the 4A playoffs.
"Work ethic wise, this team is right there with the 2017 team and my 2018 state championship team," Abreu said.
"So far, this season has been very productive on the field and we get through practices the way I need them to," he said.
And Abreu will take 13 or 14 games away from home, if the final result is playing for a blue trophy on Thanksgiving weekend.
