BY JAMES YODICE Journal Staff Writer

Brent Jorgensen celebrates a touchdown Friday against Alamogordo while Tigers’ defensive back Paul Stewart argues that he had an interception. On this play there was simultaneous possession, which means that the reception goes to the offensive player. This touchdown tied the game at 21 in the fourth quarter.

   Fair or unfair, Judge Chavez was the story when the 2006 Cibola High School football season began 3 months ago.
Quicker than many thought possible, the Cougars’ journey became more about the team than their coach.
In fact, it is possible to pinpoint the night of this shift: Sept. 15, when the Cougars played third-ranked Rio Grande.
The Ravens were hailed as potential darlings in Class 5A football, but Cibola thumped Rio Grande 30-14 and announced itself as perhaps Albuquerque’s best team.
Almost nonstop from Sept. 15 until last Friday’s 24-21 state semifinal loss to Alamogordo, the Cougars were always prominent in that “who’s best?” conversation, along with Highland and Sandia.
“I think what we did was lay a great foundation for the future,” Chavez said Monday.
As early as the spring, Chavez, who left Highland after 11 seasons for Cibola, talked about how quickly his new players were adjusting to his personality and philosophies.
That adaptation became readily apparent on the field.
Cibola was a major curiosity when the season started, and the Cougars got off to a good start with a 13-7 win over Eldorado that featured a late goal-line stand.
“We wonder what direction our season would have gone if we had lost that game,” Chavez said.
Along the way, Cibola met nine of the other 11 playoff teams in 5A: Oñate, Gallup, Rio Rancho, Clovis, Hobbs, Highland, Alamogordo, Rio Grande and Eldorado. The only two the Cougars didn’t play were Sandia and Mayfield, and they maybe would have played the Trojans for the 5A championship were it not for the brilliant 46-yard field goal by Alamogordo kicker Scotty Gallardo that decided last week’s semifinal.
    The Cougars won easily in Los Lunas in Week 2, then posted a four-touchdown victory over St. Pius. Cibola forced seven turnovers in its win over Rio Grande. That was followed by a 24-7 victory against Oñate and a bye week.
    Cibola returned from its break with a home game at Milne Stadium against Clovis and a No. 2 ranking. The Cougars fell behind 14-0, rallied to get within a point at 14-13 but eventually lost 21-13.
    “We struggled when we got to 5-0,” Chavez said. “There are a lot of mental things we need to work on in the offseason as far as dealing with expectations.”
    Cibola outlasted La Cueva 21-14 in overtime the next week, then pounded West Mesa and Gallup in District 1-5A to improve to 8-1. Rio Rancho belted Cibola 34-14 to capture the 1-5A title.
    “That was probably the low point of the season,” Chavez said, “because they totally dominated the game.”
    Cibola rebounded to edge Hobbs 15-12 in the first round of the playoffs. A late touchdown on fourth down gave the Cougars a 24-20 upset of second-seeded Highland in the quarterfinals.
    Cibola (10-3) this year established a school record for victories (10) and won two consecutive playoff games for the first time in school history. Fans on the West Side turned out to watch this team in impressive numbers.
    All this, and Chavez had a relatively new coaching staff, including first-time offensive and defensive coordinators at the high school level.
    “I thought I surrounded myself with good people, but you never know until you get going,” Chavez said.
    The offseason for Cibola begins early next month, immediately after the holidays. Chavez admitted much of the pain had subsided after the Alamogordo loss.
    “Saturday was very tough,” he said. “You wake up and you hope to see that we won the game.
    “We had been going four months, seven days a week,” Chavez added. “You’re exhausted because you’ve worked so hard for so long.”
    Chavez said one of his priorities for his team in the offseason is to modify the program’s preparation methods.
    “We struggled throughout the year with what I considered being prepared,” he said. “That’s why we were so inconsistent at times. We need to learn how to practice better.”
    Still, when the next 5A poll is unveiled in August, the Cougars conceivably could be ranked No. 1 because of the high number of impact players who return. Cibola, which rarely had to leave Milne this year, won’t have that luxury in 2007. The Cougars have trips to Clovis, Oñate and Gallup.

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