The Mesa Vista boys basketball team seized a win heard ’round New Mexico last week when the Class 2A Trojans took down perennial Class 5A powerhouse Hobbs in the Española Shootout. With a school enrollment of 87, Mesa Vista's 60-58 victory over the Hobbs, which has an enrollment of nearly 2,300, caught the attention of prep hoops coaches and fans of teams from all classes.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Mesa Vista boys basketball coach Thomas Vigil joins Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron to discuss the Trojans’ impressive victory over one of the state's most storied teams and the reaction he has received. Vigil also reflects on his roots in the community and what he has focused on to build a winning program at Mesa Vista.

In the second segment, the guys talk about the University of New Mexico getting picked to face Minnesota in the Rate Bowl in Phoenix on Dec. 26. They also talk about Diego Pavia’s days in New Mexico ahead of the announcement of this year’s Heisman Trophy winner on Saturday.

Will and James also chat a bit about UNM men’s basketball and the Lobos’ dominant win over Santa Clara before closing out the show by returning to prep hoops talk.

The Mesa Vista boys basketball team seized a win heard &rsquo;round New Mexico last week when the Class 2A Trojans took down perennial Class 5A powerhouse Hobbs in the Espa&ntilde;ola Shootout. With a school enrollment of 87, Mesa Vista's 60-58 victory over the Hobbs, which has an enrollment of nearly 2,300, caught the attention of prep hoops coaches and fans of teams from all classes.
In the latest episode of &ldquo;The Sports Den&rdquo; podcast, Mesa Vista boys basketball coach Thomas Vigil joins&nbsp;Santa Fe New Mexican&nbsp;sports writers Will Webber and James Barron to discuss the Trojans&rsquo; impressive victory over one of the state's most storied teams and the reaction he has received. Vigil also reflects on his roots in the community and what he has focused on to build a winning program at Mesa Vista.
In the second segment, the guys talk about the University of New Mexico getting picked to face Minnesota in the Rate Bowl in Phoenix on Dec. 26. They also talk about Diego Pavia&rsquo;s days in New Mexico ahead of the announcement of this year&rsquo;s Heisman Trophy winner on Saturday.
Will and James also chat a bit about UNM men&rsquo;s basketball and the Lobos&rsquo; dominant win over Santa Clara before closing out the show by returning to prep hoops talk.

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.

Thomas Vigil discusses Mesa Vista's eye-opening upset of Hobbs; plus Lobo and prep hoops talk

It was a big two days for local sports coverage last week as the University of New Mexico football team defeated San Diego State on Friday to finish in a tie for first in the Mountain West Conference and then St. Michael’s football team won another championship game thriller against Dexter for its third straight Class 3A title.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron share their takeaways from St. Mike’s and Lobos’ victories.

They start by discussing the Horsemen-Demons showdown and the rare adversity St. Mike’s had to overcome to fight back and edge out Dexter for the second year in a row. The guys talk about key moments in the game, then highlight the legacy of the Horsemen seniors and look ahead to what the team may look like next year.

Will and James then focus on the Lobos, offering their thoughts on the incredible run UNM has had under first-year coach Jason Eck, who has helped infuse excitement around a program that was in the doldrums. With the Mountain West Conference about to undergo an overhaul and the Lobos experiencing some positive momentum, Will discusses why this could be one of the most crucial times in UNM athletics history.

It was a big two days for local sports coverage last week as the University of New Mexico football team defeated San Diego State on Friday to finish in a tie for first in the Mountain West Conference and then St. Michael&rsquo;s football team won another championship game thriller against Dexter for its third straight Class 3A title.
In the latest episode of &ldquo;The Sports Den&rdquo; podcast,&nbsp;Santa Fe New Mexican&nbsp;sports writers Will Webber and James Barron share their takeaways from St. Mike&rsquo;s and Lobos&rsquo; victories.
They start by discussing the Horsemen-Demons showdown and the rare adversity St. Mike&rsquo;s had to overcome to fight back and edge out Dexter for the second year in a row. The guys talk about key moments in the game, then highlight the legacy of the Horsemen seniors and look ahead to what the team may look like next year.
Will and James then focus on the Lobos, offering their thoughts on the incredible run UNM has had under first-year coach Jason Eck, who has helped infuse excitement around a program that was in the doldrums. With the Mountain West Conference about to undergo an overhaul and the Lobos experiencing some positive momentum, Will discusses why this could be one of the most crucial times in UNM athletics history.

Will and James reflect on St. Mike's three-peat, discuss why now is a crucial time for UNM athletics

St. Michael’s powerhouse football program is in the midst of a 32-game winning streak heading into its Class 3A championship game showdown Saturday in Dexter. Senior standouts Kamal Stith and Isaiah Dominguez have had a big hand in the team’s success.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Stith and Dominguez join Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron to reflect their football careers, which they hope to cap with a three-peat.

Stith and Dominguez discuss their memories of last year’s championship game against Dexter, share how being multi-sport athletes helps them from season to season, and give some props to the unsung heroes of the team.

St. Michael&rsquo;s powerhouse football program is in the midst of a 32-game winning streak heading into its Class 3A championship game showdown Saturday in Dexter. Senior standouts Kamal Stith and Isaiah Dominguez have had a big hand in the team&rsquo;s success.
In the latest episode of &ldquo;The Sports Den&rdquo; podcast, Stith and Dominguez join&nbsp;Santa Fe New Mexican&nbsp;sports writers Will Webber and James Barron to reflect their football careers, which they hope to cap with a three-peat.
Stith and Dominguez discuss their memories of last year&rsquo;s championship game against Dexter, share how being multi-sport athletes helps them from season to season, and give some props to the unsung heroes of the team.

St. Mike’s Kamal Stith, Isaiah Dominguez reflect on football careers ahead of chance at three-peat

Both teams have held up their end of the bargain all year and now the game everyone’s been talking about is almost here. In a rematch of last year’s Class 3A championship game that came down to the wire, St. Michael’s will look to cap off another unbeaten season when the Horsemen take on No. 2 seed Dexter on Saturday in Dexter.

In the first of two “Sports Den” podcast episodes this week previewing the big game, Dexter coach Sonny Duran joins Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron to discuss the strength of the Demons and what it’s going to take to stop St. Mike’s 32-game winning streak.

The Demons were the last team to really push the Horsemen, who have cruised through their 2025 schedule. St. Mike’s needed a gutsy drive to come from behind and win 28-26 in the final minute of the 2024 title game against Dexter. Duran recalls that game and the challenge of moving past that emotional loss.

Ranch and farm boys are spread through the Dexter roster, which Duran says has a big impact on the team’s hard-working mentality. The Demons don’t have a lot of height on the line, but they’ve got strength, and Duran said “if we’re going to win, it’s going to be in the trenches.”

In the second segment of the episode, Will and James offer their own thoughts on the St. Mike’s-Dexter matchup and then talk University of New Mexico football ahead of one of the program’s biggest regular season games in its history when the Lobos take on San Diego State for a chance to play for the Mountain West Conference title.

Tune in for a second episode of "The Sports Den" on Thursday when Will and James chat with St. Mike's standouts Kamal Stith and Isaiah Dominguez. 

Both teams have held up their end of the bargain all year and now the game everyone&rsquo;s been talking about is almost here. In a rematch of last year&rsquo;s Class 3A championship game that came down to the wire, St. Michael&rsquo;s will look to cap off another unbeaten season when the Horsemen take on No. 2 seed Dexter on Saturday in Dexter.
In the first of two &ldquo;Sports Den&rdquo; podcast episodes this week previewing the big game, Dexter coach Sonny Duran joins Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron to discuss the strength of the Demons and what it&rsquo;s going to take to stop St. Mike&rsquo;s 32-game winning streak.
The Demons were the last team to really push the Horsemen, who have cruised through their 2025 schedule. St. Mike&rsquo;s needed a gutsy drive to come from behind and win 28-26 in the final minute of the 2024 title game against Dexter. Duran recalls that game and the challenge of moving past that emotional loss.
Ranch and farm boys are spread through the Dexter roster, which Duran says has a big impact on the team&rsquo;s hard-working mentality. The Demons don&rsquo;t have a lot of height on the line, but they&rsquo;ve got strength, and Duran said &ldquo;if we&rsquo;re going to win, it&rsquo;s going to be in the trenches.&rdquo;
In the second segment of the episode, Will and James offer their own thoughts on the St. Mike&rsquo;s-Dexter matchup and then talk University of New Mexico football ahead of one of the program&rsquo;s biggest regular season games in its history when the Lobos take on San Diego State for a chance to play for the Mountain West Conference title.
Tune in for a second episode of "The Sports Den" on Thursday when Will and James chat with St. Mike's standouts Kamal Stith and Isaiah Dominguez.&nbsp;

Thomas Vigil discusses Mesa Vista's eye-opening upset of Hobbs; plus Lobo and prep hoops talk

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