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” podcast to discuss the outlook and expectations for their teams.

In the first segment, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron offer their analysis of Week 1 matchups and make their picks.

Fernandez joins for the second segment to talk about the lofty standards the Horsemen have set as they ride a 33-game winning streak into the season. St. Mike’s has some talented stars to replace from last year’s Class 3A championship squad, including quarterback Kamal Stith. Fernandez said the roster is thin this year and won’t have much room to deal with injuries but he likes the makeup of his squad as it looks to make another run at a title.

Salazar comes on for the third segment to discuss how his team is hoping to build on a 4-7 record and playoff appearance last year. Pointing to a win last season against Highland where his team overcame a 21-0 deficit, Salazar says his players bring a bounce-back mentality to the field. With a difficult schedule that includes eight straight games against 2025 playoff teams to start the year, Salazar says he’s looking forward to seeing how his players handle the challenge.