SANTA FE — As the points continued to rack up on the scoreboard at Joe Raitano Field on Friday, even the biggest Santa Fe fans were having a hard time believing what they were seeing.
The Indians put on a historic performance, crushing the St. Thomas Eagles, 63-13. No one could remember the Indians scoring 50 points, let alone putting up nine touchdowns on their opponent.
Suddenly, a Santa Fe team that was predicted by most to finish last in District 24-4A, is off to its best start in five seasons.
“This is an amazing feeling,” junior running back Joseph Walton said. “For this to be the first time in Santa Fe history we’ve scored this many points — I can’t even think of words to describe it. I just hope we can keep this going in district.”
Dominance is the only way to describe Santa Fe’s first-half performance.
The Indians scored on their first five offensive possessions, along with a defensive and a special teams score.
Walton led the charge offensively. He carried the ball 10 times for 143 yards in the first half, scoring four times. He didn’t play in the second half with Santa Fe up 42-7.
On Walton’s first touchdown, he received some help from his offensive line. Needing 4 yards to reach the end zone, Walton appeared to be stopped just short. However, Louis Danesi picked up his running back and practically tossed him into the end zone.
“I wasn’t going to make it until (Danesi) lifted me up over everyone,” Walton said. “I have to credit half of that touchdown to him.”
Walton scored on his final three carries of the game, including a stunning 82-yard run in which he broke about four tackles and outran the rest of the Eagles defense.
As dominant as Walton was on offense for the Indians, Shane Sobnosky was just as tough on defense. The senior defensive end seemed unblockable throughout the contest, consistently beating the offensive linemen and putting pressure on St. Thomas quarterback Hunter Kopycinski.
Sobnosky also scored on a 29-yard fumble return, in which he appeared to be the only one on the field that realized it was indeed a live ball.
“I saw my guy make a hit on the running back, and as I was running to the ball, I was like, ‘Why ain’t the whistle been blown yet?” Sobnosky explained. “So I just picked it up and started running.”
Santa Fe (3-0) also scored on a 65-yard punt return by Domingo Morales, flashing its strength in every facet of the game.
“We asked them at the beginning of the game to make sure we got momentum tonight that we could carry into district,” Santa Fe coach Jay Buckner said. “The boys certainly rose up to the challenge. We knew if we had a mistake-free game, we could have a good performance. This was as close to perfect as it gets.”
The backups played almost the entire second half for Santa Fe. Justin Sumrall, Jacob Morse and Rockie Davis each scored rushing touchdowns in the second half to complete the rout.
Overall, Santa Fe had 38 carries for 370 yards rushing. Quarterback Garet Davidson also was precise in the passing game, completing 8-of-10 passes for 83 yards.
The Indians are off to their first 3-0 start since 2004 and Sobnosky said the message has been sent — Santa Fe is ready to end its three-year winless streak in 24-4A.
Santa Fe travels to Brazosport to open district play Friday.
“We sent a message to Brazosport tonight,” Sobnosky said. “We are going to come ready to play, and they can expect a world of pain. We have a lot of confidence right now, and if we keep it up, we can do something special.”
Added Buckner: “We need to build off of this momentum we have right now. We have a lot of confidence, but we have to remember what got us here. We need to keep doing what we are doing and beat teams throughout the week on the practice field. If we do that, we will be prepared on Friday nights.”
