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 already.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Will and James discuss how they think the teams from Santa Fe will fare this season. Will St. Michael’s go undefeated yet again? If they drop a game, who would it be to? Will Santa Fe High and Capital make the playoffs? The guys go over these questions and more.

And what about who will officiate the games? The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a crisis point for officials as numbers dropped significantly. Will goes over some numbers that show a positive uptick, but James says there’s still a great need for referees in Northern New Mexico.

Will and James also chat about a recent ruling involving the NCAA’s new five-for-five eligibility rule and speculate on how it could impact the college sports landscape.

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&rsquo;s squads and they&rsquo;ve got some thoughts to share already.
In the latest episode of &ldquo;The Sports Den&rdquo; podcast, Will and James discuss how they think the teams from Santa Fe will fare this season. Will St. Michael&rsquo;s go undefeated yet again? If they drop a game, who would it be to? Will Santa Fe High and Capital make the playoffs? The guys go over these questions and more.
And what about who will officiate the games? The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a crisis point for officials as numbers dropped significantly. Will goes over some numbers that show a positive uptick, but James says there&rsquo;s still a great need for referees in Northern New Mexico.
Will and James also chat about a recent ruling involving the NCAA&rsquo;s new five-for-five eligibility rule and speculate on how it could impact the college sports landscape.

Hosted by award-winning sports scribes Will Webber and James Barron, The New Mexican Sports Den podcast provides coverage of the local sports scene in Northern New Mexico with a focus on prep sports and the University of New Mexico Lobos. Dialed into the New Mexico sports landscape for decades, Will and James share their insight on the latest developments from season to season. They also welcome guests for lively and colorful conversations.   
The New Mexican Sports Den with Will and James is a production of The Santa Fe New Mexican.

Hosted by award-winning sports scribes Will Webber and James Barron, The New Mexican Sports Den podcast provides coverage of the local sports scene in Northern New Mexico with a focus on prep sports and the University of New Mexico Lobos. Dialed into the New Mexico sports landscape for decades, Will and James share their insight on the latest developments from season to season. They also welcome guests for lively and colorful conversations.&nbsp;&nbsp; The New Mexican Sports Den with Will and James is a production of&nbsp;The Santa Fe New Mexican.

The New Mexican Sports Den with Will and James

Hosted by award-winning sports scribes Will Webber and James Barron, The New Mexican Sports Den podcast provides coverage of the local sports scene in Northern New Mexico with a focus on prep sports and the University of New Mexico Lobos. Dialed into the New Mexico sports landscape for decades, Will and James share their insight on the latest developments from season to season. They also welcome guests for lively and colorful conversations.  

The New Mexican Sports Den with Will and James is a production of The Santa Fe New Mexican.

Hosted by award-winning sports scribes Will Webber and James Barron, The New Mexican Sports Den podcast provides coverage of the local sports scene in Northern New Mexico with a focus on prep sports and the University of New Mexico Lobos. Dialed into the New Mexico sports landscape for decades, Will and James share their insight on the latest developments from season to season. They also welcome guests for lively and colorful conversations.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The New Mexican Sports Den with Will and James is a production of&nbsp;The Santa Fe New Mexican.

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

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 sports season and offer a postmortem on another rough campaign for Santa Fe’s semi-pro baseball team.

The Fuego finished among the worst teams in the Pecos League once again as they dealt with constant pitching struggles. Out of the 21 players who pitched for the team this year, 20 had an ERA of 10 or above.

The organization has had basically one good season in its history when it won the Pecos League in 2014. According to Will and James, many of the squad’s struggles can be attributed to one big issue — its home field.

With a horrible pitcher’s mound, tiny dimensions and poor field conditions, the guys say Fort Marcy ballpark is a venue where no hurler wants to toe the rubber. Without serious changes to the field, Will and James say the team will continue to struggle to attract any pitching talent.

Will the city of Santa Fe ever step up to invest in improving the field? The guys share their thoughts.

Summer break is nearly over, the Santa Fe Fuego&rsquo;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 &ldquo;The Sports Den&rdquo; podcast, the&nbsp;Santa Fe New Mexican&rsquo;s&nbsp;sports writers chat about gearing up for the fall sports season and offer a postmortem on another rough campaign for Santa Fe&rsquo;s semi-pro baseball team.
The Fuego finished among the worst teams in the Pecos League once again as they dealt with constant pitching struggles. Out of the 21 players who pitched for the team this year, 20 had an ERA of 10 or above.
The organization has had basically one good season in its history when it won the Pecos League in 2014. According to Will and James, many of the squad&rsquo;s struggles can be attributed to one big issue &mdash; its home field.
With a horrible pitcher&rsquo;s mound, tiny dimensions and poor field conditions, the guys say Fort Marcy ballpark is a venue where no hurler wants to toe the rubber. Without serious changes to the field, Will and James say the team will continue to struggle to attract any pitching talent.
Will the city of Santa Fe ever step up to invest in improving the field? The guys share their thoughts.

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

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 eligibility following the NCAA’s new five-for-five rule.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron discuss Dent’s prospects for another year on the hardwood and if there’s a possibility he could return to the Lobos.

Will shares clips from an interview of a conversation he had with Dent at a recent camp where Dent discussed his engagement, his time playing in the Big Ten and how he enjoys being back in New Mexico.

The guys also chat about former UNM runner Josh Kerr recently breaking the world record in the mile, and New Mexico United’s recent surge in the USL Championship standings.

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 eligibility following the NCAA&rsquo;s new five-for-five rule.
In the latest episode of &ldquo;The Sports Den&rdquo; podcast, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron discuss Dent&rsquo;s prospects for another year on the hardwood and if there&rsquo;s a possibility he could return to the Lobos.
Will shares clips from an interview of a conversation he had with Dent at a recent camp where Dent discussed his engagement, his time playing in the Big Ten and how he enjoys being back in New Mexico.
The guys also chat about former UNM runner Josh Kerr recently breaking the world record in the mile, and New Mexico United&rsquo;s recent surge in the USL Championship standings.

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

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 Mexico Highlands in late June and has been hard at work assembling a squad that can compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Waterman joins Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron to talk about his coaching journey and why he was drawn to the opportunity in Las Vegas, N.M.

Waterman first talks about building a winning program at Division II Academy of Arts University in San Francisco. He inherited a program that had never won more than 12 games and helped the team win 20-plus games in four straight seasons, including two NCAA Tournament appearances. The school decided to discontinue its intercollegiate sports programs at the end of the 2024-25 season, leaving Waterman looking for another job.

He ended up joining Eric Olen’s staff at UNM last season as the Lobos made a deep run in the National Invitation Tournament. In the episode, Olen shares his thoughts on Waterman and what he brought to the Lobos’ program.

Waterman discusses the differences between coaching at the Division I and Division II levels and offers some insight on how his roster is shaping up.  In the second segment, the guys discuss quarterback situations at Santa Fe High and St. Michael’s, then about a change coming to high school baseball that could lead to an increase in offensive output.

Scott Waterman&rsquo;s life has been in boxes in recent years as he has followed coaching opportunities, but he&rsquo;s hoping he&rsquo;ll now be able to fully unpack and settle down for a while.
The former University of New Mexico&rsquo;s men&rsquo;s basketball assistant coach was named the head coach of the program at New Mexico Highlands in late June and has been hard at work assembling a squad that can compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
In the latest episode of &ldquo;The Sports Den&rdquo; podcast, Waterman joins&nbsp;Santa Fe New Mexican&nbsp;sports writers Will Webber and James Barron to talk about his coaching journey and why he was drawn to the opportunity in Las Vegas, N.M.
Waterman first talks about building a winning program at Division II Academy of Arts University in San Francisco. He inherited a program that had never won more than 12 games and helped the team win 20-plus games in four straight seasons, including two NCAA Tournament appearances. The school decided to discontinue its intercollegiate sports programs at the end of the 2024-25 season, leaving Waterman looking for another job.
He ended up joining Eric Olen&rsquo;s staff at UNM last season as the Lobos made a deep run in the National Invitation Tournament. In the episode, Olen shares his thoughts on Waterman and what he brought to the Lobos&rsquo; program.
Waterman discusses the differences between coaching at the Division I and Division II levels and offers some insight on how his roster is shaping up.  In the second segment, the guys discuss quarterback situations at Santa Fe High and St. Michael&rsquo;s, then about a change coming to high school baseball that could lead to an increase in offensive output.

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

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