Forty-two years is a long time between appearances in the state championship for the Santa Fe High boys’ soccer program, but Chris Eadie hopes the next one won’t be that long.
Unaware that it had been so long since the program had reached the finals, Eadie, the Demons’ third-year head coach, did what his team achieved by beating Albuquerque Atrisco Heritage in the semifinals on Wednesday night. Santa Fe High, the top seed, will face Albuquerque Sandia for the Class 5A title on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the UNM Soccer Complex in Albuquerque.
The last time the Demons played on the last day of soccer season in 1979, the soccer team was about to win their final state title, Lenny Roybal coached the boys’ basketball program, and soccer wasn’t even one of the New Mexico Activities Association. Santa Fe High was part of the New Mexico High School Soccer League when they played for the big school title against the Albuquerque Academy for the second year in a row.
The Chargers defeated the demons in that game, and soccer at Santa Fe High slumbered for the next five decades until this year. This year’s team stormed through the season with a 2-1 record and the top seed of the tournament, another premiere for the program. It was the Demons’ first post-season appearance since 2018 and only the third in the last 30 years.
Eadie said this could be the start of a good football stretch for the program.
This year’s team is clearly the best in program history, with a record of 21 wins, a District 5-5A title and the top seed in the 5A class. The Demons face a Matadors team that finished second in District 2-5A, but returned the favor with a 3-0 semi-final win at 2-5A champions La Cueva, who defeated them twice in the district season.
Sandia is a senior dominated team led by striker Christian Baker, who scores 18 goals, and Junior Conner Cousins, who is on his way at 17. Eadie said the Matadors are a bigger team than Atrisco Heritage and would use their physicality to their advantage. He said the Jaguars appeared to be a slightly better fit team, but Sandia’s size would cause problems.
“It’s going to be a bit like Volcano Vista [which the Demons beat 4-3 in the quarterfinals]but more under control I hope, ”said Eadie.
Santa Fe High will counter with the state’s top scorer in Alex Wagoner (69 so far) and perhaps the state’s best passer in Mike Wissman, who has the state’s top 36 assists. Eadie said he feels that with Wagoner, the Demons have the speed and ability in midfield to create scoring opportunities.
“The ability for him to score and break up with people is pretty impressive,” said Eadie. “It’s interesting to see on video how quickly he breaks up.”
Regardless of the Matadors outcome, Eadie believes he’s set up the program for continued success. He pointed to an 11-2 record from junior varsity, a team that had about half a dozen eighth graders signing up to play for the program. Some of those players will have big footsteps to fill in next year as Santa Fe High loses 10 seniors from its roster.
Eadie said the key is to just play football in the off-season, especially during the spring club season, which is an important factor in helping players improve their skills.
We have to stay on track and preach the same things over and over again, ”Eadie said. “As soon as the children see the success, it begins to decline and the buy-in is there.”
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