NMMI Sports Press
The Colt’s 2023 season came to an end Saturday afternoon in Santa Fe where the Institute fell to the No. 1 St. Michael’s Horsemen 41-0 in the Class 3A state semifinals.
A steady rain began about a half an hour before the 1 p.m. kickoff and continued off and on throughout the game. While the cold, damp conditions played a role, the Horsemen were also a factor in stifling NMMI’s usually stout rushing attack.
After putting up more than 300 yards on the ground last week against West Las Vegas, the Colts managed just 94 at St. Mike’s and failed to score for the first time this season.
The Colt defense played hard until the end, but had no answers for the 1-2 punch of speedy junior Soren Annon and bruising senior Matthias Duran. The pair combined for 140 of the Horsemen’s 181 rushing yards.
Despite the unfavorable weather, the Horsemen punished the Colts through the air as well, completing 10-of-13 passes for 159 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown.
NMMI head coach John O’Mera, who coached the Colts and Broncos nearly 20 years ago and returned to the Institute this season, said he was pleased with his squad’s progress throughout the season, and excited about starting a new season with more of a leg up.
“I’m so proud of these kids. They’ve came so far in a short amount of time,” he said. “I really want to thank my coaches for working hard all year and thank you to our kids for letting us coach them hard. We ran into a buzz saw today, and didn’t play very well. But that’s football. We’ll go back to work and try to finish the run next year.”
Colt seniors made their marks on the game, with linebacker Leonardo Lopez recovering a Horsemen fumble in the second quarter and lineman Gabriel Richardson bookending a St. Mike’s drive with two sacks in the third period.
“It’s great to see your leaders, in their last game getting shutout, still playing hard to the final whistle,” O’Mera said. “It’s going to be hard to replace those guys, but we have a good group coming back that will already have the basics down and they’re hungry for their chance.”
The Colts lose nine seniors, but return several key pieces including quarterback/defensive back Cole Seidenberger, running back/defensive back Alex Sanchez, running back/linebacker Tegin Maloney, running back/linebacker Alejandro Piedras and lineman Samuel McCargish.
McCargish forced a fumble near the NMMI goal line on the final St. Mike’s possession, but the Horsemen recovered in the endzone to put an exclamation point on their big home victory.
No. 2 Robertson downed No. 3 Cobre 16-7 in the other semifinal. The Horsemen will host the Cardinals next Saturday at 1 p.m. for the Class 3A state title. St. Mike’s won at Robertson 21-0 on Oct. 6.