St. Mike's, Capital football coaches offer outlooks; Will and James make Week 1 picks

The return of high school football is just a couple days away and optimism is abundant as teams look to kick off the 2026 season on a positive note. Ahead of their intracity matchup Friday night, St. Michael’s coach Joey Fernandez and Capital coach John Michael Salazar join “The Sports Den” podcas…

Paul Weir looks to build on St. Michael’s athletic success, turn around school's falling enrollment

If you look at St. Michael’s trophy case you probably wouldn’t know it, but the school has been experiencing a declining enrollment since 2008. Now in place as St. Mike's new president, Dr. Paul Weir hopes to set the Santa Fe school on the path for a sustainable future while maintaining its dominan…

How will Santa Fe's prep football teams fare this year?

The first official week of prep football practice is underway and the season kicks off Aug. 21. Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron have begun visiting schools for their Tour of the North series previewing the region’s squads and they’ve got some thoughts to share alrea…

The Santa Fe Fuego’s frightful ball field is a massive handicap. Will it ever be fixed?

Summer break is nearly over, the Santa Fe Fuego’s season has come to an end and Will Webber and James Barron are about to be drowning in sports to cover once again. In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, the Santa Fe New Mexican’s sports writers chat about gearing up for the fall sport…

Back in New Mexico, Donovan Dent reflects on college basketball career and looks to the future

Donovan Dent has been back in the state where he gained college hoops stardom, putting on basketball clinics at multiple schools around Northern New Mexico in July. The former University of New Mexico All-Mountain West Conference guard, who played at UCLA last year, is seeking a fifth year of elig…

Former UNM assistant Scott Waterman excited for opportunity to build a winner at Highlands

Scott Waterman’s life has been in boxes in recent years as he has followed coaching opportunities, but he’s hoping he’ll now be able to fully unpack and settle down for a while. The former University of New Mexico’s men’s basketball assistant coach was named the head coach of the program at New Me…

USMNT crashes out of World Cup; Will and James discuss NCAA’s new five-year eligibility rule

Eight matches remain in what's been a pretty thrilling World Cup as the cream of the crop national teams head into what’s sure to be a scintillating quarterfinal round, but the tournament is effectively over for Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron. The U.S. men’s natio…

Gripped by World Cup fever, Will and James have some gripes, plus discuss a new-look Mountain West

Disregarding the world’s most popular sport for most of their days, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron can’t help but get caught up in the drama of the World Cup when it rolls around every four years. Will filled out his bracket for the knockout rounds on Sunday, and …

Schools approve 'one-time' transfer rule; Will and James discuss the next big prep sports shakeup

The highly anticipated vote on instituting a “one-time” transfer rule took place Monday, with New Mexico Activity Association member schools approving the measure by a narrow 67-60 margin. Student-athletes will now have the option to transfer to another school once without losing eligibility for t…

Owner/founder Peter Trevisani talks New Mexico United’s staying power and stadium outlook

The New Mexico United launched as an expansion franchise of the USL Championship in 2019 to overwhelming support, leading the league in attendance in its inaugural season and developing an electric atmosphere that generated buzz across the state. While many other Albuquerque-area pro sports franch…