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PREP FOOTBALL

Yodice: Guys, remember, whatever happens, do not push the tush

Existing rule going to be enforced more than ever this year

Eldorado and La Cueva face off at Wilson Stadium in Albuquerque on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026.
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A word to the wise to high school football teams in New Mexico this season: Don鈥檛 push that tush!

In fact, don鈥檛 do anything in short yardage plays that could be deemed as assisting a runner, because officials are specifically going to be monitoring this much more closely than ever before in our state.

And for this, of course, we can thank the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles鈥 monumental success in operating the ubiquitous 鈥楾ush Push鈥 has, perhaps inevitably, led the NFHS (the National Federation for State High School Associations) to make this a 鈥減oint of emphasis鈥 starting with the 2026 season.

Thus, New Mexico, like every other state, will have its officials cracking down much more stringently on such plays.

According to the NFHS, pushing the pile remains legal, but officials have been told to penalize a team if it observes any direct pushing or pulling of the ball carrier.

Sandia鈥檚 Jahleel Lewis (back to the left) throws the ball over the Cibola defense at Wilson Stadium, Thursday.

The Sandia Matadors learned this the hard way. Sandia had two 1-yard touchdown runs by quarterback Jahleel Lewis negated Thursday night against Cibola because the officiating crew deemed that he was physically being assisted in his attempt to get over the goal line.

This penalty is only 5 yards, and the Matadors ended up scoring TDs on their next play, anyway, but in a close game late in the fourth quarter, a penalty like this might make the difference between a win and a loss.

The NFHS all but admitted that the success of this play, which originated with the Eagles, has trickled down to the prep level around the country as high school teams are eager to emulate Philadelphia.

I will confess, I was surprised to learn on Friday that this rule 鈥 Helping the Runner 鈥 has pretty much always been on the books. But I have never personally witnessed this penalty called until Thursday night.

UNPACKING AN EPIC: Roswell鈥檚 64-60 victory over Hobbs on Friday night at Wool Bowl is tied for eighth all-time on the list of combined points in an 11-Man game.

The Coyotes scored with 30 seconds left, a touchdown run by quarterback Andrew Fuentez 鈥 both Fuentez and his counterpart, Hobbs鈥 Junior Medrano, had incredible statistical games 鈥 put Roswell ahead for good.

That was the 13th and final lead change in this game. To put that into context, a truly close and  compelling high school football game might have five or six lead changes. You鈥檇 be lucky to stumble onto a game like that. To have 13? That鈥檚 almost indescribable.

Roswell coach Jeff Lynn was apparently wearing the evening on his face when he finally walked through his front door late Friday night.

鈥淢y wife asked me, 鈥楢re you OK?鈥 鈥 Lynn said with a laugh. 鈥淚t was fun, though.鈥

Lynn was a little divided. Happy his Coyotes won the game, but he also calls the defense.

鈥淚 was really disappointed with how we played defensively,鈥 he said.

This game was so bonkers, Lynn said, that late in the game he walked over to his offensive coordinator and asked him how much time he needed to score. At this point, Hobbs was about to go in front 60-57 with several minutes to go.

Both Lynn and his counterpart, Hobbs coach Ken Stevens, broke down film Saturday morning with their teams.

鈥淟ooking back,鈥 Stevens said Saturday afternoon, 鈥渋t was fun to be involved in. (But) it鈥檚 never fun to lose.鈥

The primary message, Stevens added, was that every Hobbs Eagle shared responsibility.

鈥淲e win as a team and we lose as a team,鈥 he told them.

This was not only the best game in Week 1 of the season, but this one may have some stamina and be classified as the Game of the Year in New Mexico. Gonna be hard to find one to top this.

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN鈥: The St. Pius Sartans are gonna be gone a while. They don鈥檛 have another game inside of New Mexico until Thursday, Sept. 17, their home opener against rival Albuquerque Academy.

Between now and then, the Sartans will have a game in California, and another in Colorado.

On Friday, St. Pius is taking on Holtville, Calif., a school located roughly halfway between San Diego and Yuma, Arizona.

The travel was by design.

鈥淭here are six St. Pius schools throughout the country and we want to be the premier St. Pius in the country,鈥 Sartans coach Curtis Flakes II said.

This is an extremely ambitious undertaking.

Both the football team and St. Pius鈥 state championship winning volleyball team are flying to San Diego later this week 鈥 volleyball on Thursday, football on Friday morning. Then they will bus to Holtville, about 125 miles to the east.

Volleyball will be playing Holtville late Friday afternoon. Football plays in the evening.

The cost of this endeavor? About $40,000.

Between football and volleyball, athletic director Jim Cook said, approximately 80 players, coaches, trainers and administrators are making this trip, at $500 a head.

Fundraising and alumni contributions generated a large chunk of the money needed to travel; parents will have to pay their own way.

STARS OF THE WEEK: The Journal will be renewing its Stars of the Week feature, but we have moved it from Sunday to Monday this season.

We are looking for the top individual performers from the weekend. If you have someone you鈥檇 like to nominate, we need all pertinent stats from his game.

My contact information is here at the bottom of my column. I鈥檒l be accepting nominations each week up until mid-afternoon on Sundays.

James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at .