Former Horsemen coach Garcia gets emotional discussing players
ALBUQUERQUE — They were Gerard Garcia's kids before they were Dakota Montoya's, and talking about them had Garcia's voice quivering.
Garcia is the varsity assistant for Albuquerque Bosque School this year, but for the previous 2½ years — and the 20-plus years prior to that — Garcia called St. Michael's his home.
So the Horsemen upperclassmen group of Sabiani Guevara-Rios, Reed Bass, Jaden Perea, Isaac Borrego and Nick Angelley held a special place in Garcia's heart.
Even though Garcia called Friday's Class 3A semifinal between top-seeded St. Michael's and the No. 4 Bobcats "just another game," the new moment proved that it was not.
Not even a humbling 68-38 defeat the Horsemen dealt Bosque School could soothe those feelings.
"I love those guys," Garcia said. "I love Sabiani, Reed ..."
Garcia paused for a moment to collect his emotions, as the program he held near and dear to his heart for three decades collided with the one he now calls home.
"All of those seniors that I coached since eighth, ninth grade. They're a good group of guys. But I have a group here that I'm gonna see through for the next three years."
This reunion wouldn't have been so heart wrenching if not for how the past 11 months transpired. Despite leading St. Michael's to a 3A title in 2023, Garcia was a dead coach walking for the 2023-24 season, as rumors of his impending departure swirled amid a struggling 16-14 record.
That became true in April, ending Garcia's tenure after just two-plus seasons. Garcia and the Horsemen both indicated there was no animosity among them. In fact, many of them still talk to Garcia because he remains at St. Michael's as the school's transportation and security supervisor, and they all exchanged hugs prior to and after the game.
Not even Garcia showing some emotion in the first few minutes of the game, as Bosque had the score tied in the opening moments, changed players' views of their former coach.
"It was all love at the end of the day," Guevara-Rios said. "It was a little bit competitiveness at school. There was some smack talk, but it was all love."
That Garcia's first encounter with his former team came in the sport's biggest stage — the state semifinals in The Pit — didn't seem to add to the moment, he said.
"If we played them in a tournament or somewhere down the line, that would have been fine," Garcia said. "I've seen them enough."
The downside for Garcia with the game was that the Bobcats struggled to stick to the plan. If anything, turnovers after misses proved crucial, especially in the first quarter. After taking a 5-3 lead, St. Michael's reeled off 20 straight points for a 23-5 edge that was never threatened.
"We executed for the first four or five minutes, but then we just didn't executed it anymore," Garcia said.
With this moment out of the way, Garcia said he will focus on helping the Bobcats progress after their best performance since winning the state title in 2020. While he anticipates his name might come up in job openings, Garcia said he sees himself at Bosque School for the time being.
"I'll stay here for as long as [head coach Clifton] Davidson will keep me," Garcia said with a grin.
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