NMMI Sports Press

After undefeated runs through their district schedules, the Colt Soccer and Football teams have qualified for the state playoffs and will host games this weekend on campus.

Colt Soccer

After going 8-0 in district play and 15-3 overall, the Colts earned the second seed in the eight-team bracket for Class A/AAA and will host district rival Hatch Valley on Friday at 5 p.m. on Stapp Parade Field.

The Colts downed the No.7 seed twice this season — 4-1 at home on Oct. 10 and 3-1 last Saturday in Hatch — but the 8-10-1 (5-2-1) Bears gave NMMI the most trouble in district play and is the only team to score a goal against the Colts in the last six games.

Leading the Institute offensively is midfielder David Portugal with 20 goals and 18 assists. The senior from Culiacan, Mexico has baffled defenders throughout the fall with his fancy footwork and ability to find open teammates in traffic.

But the Colts are far from one dimensional with four other players scoring six or more goals on the year and four with at least five assists.

Defensively, four NMMI fullbacks at least 30 steals, led by senior Alan Cordova and junior Nicolas Barcenas with 39 apiece. Freshman Rodolfo Anaya has been steady at goalkeeper all season, with 16 goals allowed on 94 shots and just three goals allowed in district play.

A win Friday secures another home game, a state semifinal on Tuesday of next week against the winner between No. 3 Robertson and No. 6 Oak Grove.

The Class A/AAA state title match is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the University of New Mexico Soccer Complex in Albuquerque.

Colt Football

After missing out on the playoffs in 2022, the Colts are back with new-old head coach John O’Mera and will host No. 12 Navajo Prep on Saturday at 1 p.m. on Colt Field.

O’Mera has past tenures as head coach for NMMI’s high school and junior college football teams and has enjoyed his return to Roswell and the Institute.

“It’s been a fun season so far, the kids have really bought in and improved throughout the fall,” he said. “We have a nice mix of seniors that have been at the Institute for a while and newcomers that have made their marks in a short time.”

The Colts scored 34 points per game with a run-first approach led by junior quarterback Cole Seidenberger. The new cadet from Ruidoso carried the ball 96 times for 678 yards and 13 touchdowns, but made the most of his chances through the air with 26 completions on the season, seven for scores.

Junior running back Cohen Tomasits was the team yardage leader with 709 on the ground and another 181 through the air with six total touchdowns. Three more Colts had at least 200 yards rushing this season.

Senior linebacker Steven Griego was the unquestioned leader of the defense with 52 total tackles including 7.5 for a loss and 2.5 sacks. He also had two interceptions, including a long pick six at Cloudcroft, a fumble recovery and a blocked punt.

The Eagles bring a more balanced offense led by senior quarterback Xavier Nez and senior running back Joshua Wells. The duo accounts for more than half of Navajo Prep’s offensive output. The Eagles finished 5-5 overall and went 3-0 in their district.

O’Mera praised his assistant coaches as well as former coach Randy Montoya, who left the Institute after 12 years at the helm after the 2022 season.

“All our coaches have done a great job giving extra time to these kids and making sure they are working hard and prepared for game days,” he said. “Coach Montoya ran a great program and established a lot of good things that we have stuck with.”

A win Saturday will earn the Colts a trip to Las Vegas, NM to take on the West LV Dons next week.

For more information about NMMI’s athletic programs, visit NMMIAthletics.com.