PREP FOOTBALL: MENAUL AT A GLANCE
Coach: Josh Baca (4th year; 14-14) Last season: 5-5; beat Alamo Navajo in 8-Man first round, lost to Tatum in 8-Man quarterfinals Returning starters: 4 offense, 4 defense Key players: Cody Leslie, sr. (6-3, 190, QB/DE); Benjamin Morales, sr. (5-9, 135, CB/WR); Tito Diaz, sr. (5-9, 230, NG/C)
Outlook: Menaul, as usual, opens the season wondering exactly what kind of mix it will have, especially because its school year begins a bit later than many, and because the Panthers’ opener is a week later than most everyone else’s. Of note also is this: 8-Man is dropping from 12 playoff qualifiers to just eight this season; Menaul got in as a 7 seed last fall, so there will be less wiggle room to make it into the field. It is a team top heavy with seniors and freshmen, and Baca, as he must do every year, will look for additional potential athletes after classes begin. Leslie is moving into the QB role after playing tight end last year. He also was a second-team all-state selection on defense, has four years in Baca’s program. Menaul lacks a solid running back, and that is probably the biggest question mark leading up to its opener. Menaul could start as many as four ninth-graders on defense as the Panthers look to get back into the postseason.
2019 schedule
(x-denotes District 2 8-Man game) Aug. 30, at Mesilla Valley, 7 p.m. Sept. 6, at Gateway Christian, 7 p.m. Sept. 13, Dora, 7 p.m. Sept. 20, at Navajo Pine, 7 p.m. Sept. 27, Dulce, 7 p.m. x-Oct. 3, Magdalena, 7 p.m. x-Oct. 11, at Mountainair, 7 p.m. x-Oct. 19, Alamo Navajo, 1 p.m. x-Oct. 25, Foothill, 7 p.m.
Circle the date: The district opener with Magdalena could prove pivotal for both teams. The Steers’ win over the Panthers 22-20 in Magdalena a year ago decided second and third place in their district.