Excitement surrounds the Montezuma-Cortez High School football program right now.
Of course this time of year, players are doing offseason workouts, going to camps and lifting iron in the weight room to get bigger, stronger and faster. Its a fresh start for all. Everyone is 0-0 at this point.
However, Panthers fans arent accustomed to exciting high school football, as M-CHS has struggled to build a winning program for quite some time.
This season, a new coach with a new offense has brought in some new optimism.
Everybody hears Cortez football and they laugh, and thats something that really irritates me, said senior starting lineman Stephen Candelaria. To come in, have everybody have a great attitude, great work ethic and just buy into the program and say, We are going to manhandle any opponent across form us; thats what its got to be. Its either, were going to make it to playoffs or were not.
Last year, the Panthers appeared prime for postseason football by winning their first three 2A Mountain League games. But that was followed by a three-game losing streak to end the year, including heartbreaking losses at home to Pagosa Springs and at Bayfield.
Mostly what it came down to last year was mental mistakes, Candelaria said. If we can stay sharp and focused, and eliminate our mental mistakes and play as one team, were going to be unstoppable.
This year, M-CHS hired Casey Coulter to take over as head coach following the resignation of Chuck Cotter. Coulter was most recently an assistant coach at Mesa State College in Grand Junction and at Grand Valley High School in Parachute.
Basically, he has come here and adopted all of us and said, This is me. This is all of us and Im going to work just as hard as you. But you have to work hard for me, Candelaria said about Coulter. Hes given everything hes got for us and were giving it back to him. I feel extremely confident to play behind him.
Coulter has brought with him a new I-Formation offense, where he will also serve as offensive coordinator.
Were just going to run downhill at you, Coulter said.
The smash-mouth football style offense will be anchored by senior running backs Destry Smith and Tam Phan with junior Chaz Thompson also getting reps. Junior Tallon Ralstin will be the starting quarterback.
The defense will be a 4-4 with a more loaded backfield. Smith leads the linebackers, and Phan and Ralston control the secondary. Candelaria and fellow senior Kody Deavers head both sides of the line.
To gear up for official practice on Monday, Aug. 15, the Panthers have participated in their summer workout program. M-CHS even went to a camp in Delta where they scrimmaged Cedaredge to iron out the offseason kinks.
It was a big learning experience, Coulter said about the camp. We had all of our young guys in. They did a decent job for only knowing the offense for a week and a half. From there until now, its leaps and bounds of where we were. If we went and scrimmaged them (Cedaredge) again, it would be a totally different game right now.
M-CHS will play 10 games this season with four nonconference bouts and six in the 2A Mountain League.
The Panthers open up their first two games at Panther Stadium against unfamiliar New Mexico schools Miyamura (4A, Gallup) and Zuni (3A) on Fridays, Aug. 26, and Sept. 2. All games are on Friday, except a league contest at Centauri on Saturday, Oct. 1. Coulter feels it is very important to get off to a good start at home.
The community has given us so much. I feel like they deserve something back in return, he said. If thats what we can give them, is wins, then thats great.
The players are definitely ready to hit the field.
(My) senior year, I feel like I am at the peak. Im just rearing to go, Candelaria said. I couldnt feel happier with the teammates Ive got beside me and behind me. Im excited. Everybody is working hard in the weight room, as hard as they possibly can. Its just something we havent had around Cortez.
M-CHS will then hit the road against fellow Panthers Delta (3A Mountain League) on Sept. 9, and return home to host Farmington, N.M. (4A), on Sept. 16 to conclude the preseason. The Panthers lost to both Delta and Farmington last year by a combined score of 63-19.
M-CHS opens conference play at Salida on Sept. 23.
Reach Bobby Abplanalp at bobbya@cortezjournal.com