School’s back in session, Week 1 of the prep football season is in the books and The Santa Fe New Mexican’s sports writers have purpose in their lives once more.

In the latest episode the “The Sports Den” podcast, Will Webber and James Barron share their takeaways and surprises from the first week of action on the gridiron, offer their picks for Week 2, chat about prep soccer and look to the start of the college football season.

The guys open the pod by discussing the games they attended on Friday, with James offering his impressions of the St. Michael’s-Capital blowout and Will talking about Santa Fe High’s loss at Alamogordo. Their findings? St. Mike’s is still really good, Capital could use some conditioning, and Santa Fe High could give some teams trouble with its fast pace of play.

The guys also chat about Santa Fe Indian School’s win over Zuni, Pojoaque’s victory over Taos, Española Valley's win over Los Alamos and more.

College football begins this week, and Will and James have their eye on the matchup between New Mexico Highlands and Eastern New Mexico, where former Baylor coach Art Briles will make his return to the sidelines with the Grehyounds. New Mexico State, meanwhile, will have its hands full in its opener in Tallahassee against Florida State. The University of New Mexico Lobos will make their 2026 debut Sept. 5 against Central Michigan.

James then shares his outlook for local soccer squads, focusing on the girls teams at Santa Fe Prep and St. Michael’s.

The guys end the show with their Week 2 prep football picks, including the intracity rivalry game between St. Mike’s and Santa Fe High.

School&rsquo;s back in session, Week 1 of the prep football season is in the books and&nbsp;The Santa Fe New Mexican&rsquo;s&nbsp;sports writers have purpose in their lives once more.
In the latest episode the &ldquo;The Sports Den&rdquo; podcast, Will Webber and James Barron share their takeaways and surprises from the first week of action on the gridiron, offer their picks for Week 2, chat about prep soccer and look to the start of the college football season.
The guys open the pod by discussing the games they attended on Friday, with James offering his impressions of the St. Michael&rsquo;s-Capital blowout and Will talking about Santa Fe High&rsquo;s loss at Alamogordo. Their findings? St. Mike&rsquo;s is still really good, Capital could use some conditioning, and Santa Fe High could give some teams trouble with its fast pace of play.
The guys also chat about Santa Fe Indian School&rsquo;s win over Zuni, Pojoaque&rsquo;s victory over Taos, Espa&ntilde;ola Valley's win over Los Alamos and more.
College football begins this week, and Will and James have their eye on the matchup between New Mexico Highlands and Eastern New Mexico, where former Baylor coach Art Briles will make his return to the sidelines with the Grehyounds. New Mexico State, meanwhile, will have its hands full in its opener in Tallahassee against Florida State. The University of New Mexico Lobos will make their 2026 debut Sept. 5 against Central Michigan.
James then shares his outlook for local soccer squads, focusing on the girls teams at Santa Fe Prep and St. Michael&rsquo;s.
The guys end the show with their Week 2 prep football picks, including the intracity rivalry game between St. Mike&rsquo;s and Santa Fe High.

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.

Week 1 Northern New Mexico prep football takeaways and surprises, Week 2 picks and a soccer preview

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.

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&rsquo;s coach Joey Fernandez and Capital coach John Michael Salazar join &ldquo;The Sports Den&rdquo; podcast to discuss the outlook and expectations for their teams.
In the first segment,&nbsp;Santa Fe New Mexican&nbsp;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&rsquo;s has some talented stars to replace from last year&rsquo;s Class 3A championship squad, including quarterback Kamal Stith. Fernandez said the roster is thin this year and won&rsquo;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&rsquo;s looking forward to seeing how his players handle the challenge.

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

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 dominant athletic tradition.

Weir joins “The Sports Den” podcast to discuss his plans and priorities for the St. Michael's. He also talks to Santa Fe New Mexican sports reporters Will Webber and James Barron about his time as head men’s basketball coach at New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico.

Weir, who was named St. Michael’s president in April, starts the interview by discussing some the changes that have been implemented so far, including a new cell phone policy, changes to the dress code and updated standards involving disciple, expectations and accountability at the Catholic school.

The guys ask Weir some questions about athletic facilities, including the possibilities of replacing the grass football field with field turf and adding lights around the field to allow for night games. Weir said he’s exploring all options, with a focus on what decisions will best facilitate a sustainable future for the school.

Weir also speaks about his recruitment of Santa Fe High star JB White when he was coach at the University of New Mexico, how White’s death impacted him and how he hopes to help White’s legacy live on.

Weir, who coached at UNM during the COVID-19 pandemic, addresses the challenges of leading the program through that time, saying he doesn’t know if he’ll ever have the time or emotional capacity to unwrap that difficult period. “It was traumatic,” he said. “It was powerful in a lot of ways.”

A Toronto native, Weir also talks about how New Mexico has become his home and the passion that he has developed for the state.

Before bringing Weir on, Will and James talk about the start of their Tour of the North series highlighting the football programs of Northern New Mexico teams ahead of the season. They also discuss the Frijoles Fire and how the smoke spreading across the region could impact athletics.

If you look at St. Michael&rsquo;s trophy case you probably wouldn&rsquo;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 dominant athletic tradition.
Weir joins &ldquo;The Sports Den&rdquo; podcast to discuss his plans and priorities for the St. Michael's. He also talks to&nbsp;Santa Fe New Mexican&nbsp;sports reporters Will Webber and James Barron about his time as head men&rsquo;s basketball coach at New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico.
Weir, who was named St. Michael&rsquo;s president in April, starts the interview by discussing some the changes that have been implemented so far, including a new cell phone policy, changes to the dress code and updated standards involving disciple, expectations and accountability at the Catholic school.
The guys ask Weir some questions about athletic facilities, including the possibilities of replacing the grass football field with field turf and adding lights around the field to allow for night games. Weir said he&rsquo;s exploring all options, with a focus on what decisions will best facilitate a sustainable future for the school.
Weir also speaks about his recruitment of Santa Fe High star JB White when he was coach at the University of New Mexico, how White&rsquo;s death impacted him and how he hopes to help White&rsquo;s legacy live on.
Weir, who coached at UNM during the COVID-19 pandemic, addresses the challenges of leading the program through that time, saying he doesn&rsquo;t know if he&rsquo;ll ever have the time or emotional capacity to unwrap that difficult period. &ldquo;It was traumatic,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It was powerful in a lot of ways.&rdquo;
A Toronto native, Weir also talks about how New Mexico has become his home and the passion that he has developed for the state.
Before bringing Weir on, Will and James talk about the start of their Tour of the North series highlighting the football programs of Northern New Mexico teams ahead of the season. They also discuss the Frijoles Fire and how the smoke spreading across the region could impact athletics.

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

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.

Week 1 Northern New Mexico prep football takeaways and surprises, Week 2 picks and a soccer preview

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