Football Recap: Billy Baca and Zaiden Baker Pace Hot Springs Defense

Hot Springs made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Pojoaque Valley, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Tigers fell just short of the Elks/Elkettes by a score of 27-25 on Friday. The Tigers lost against the Elks/Elkettes in their previous head to head back in August of 2024, too, but the margin this time around was much closer than the 48-6 score last time.

When it comes to explaining why Hot Springs lost, don't look at Tristan Polanco. Despite the final result, he rushed for eight yards and three touchdowns, and also caught one score.

Tigers

Completion Percentage

08/29/25 @ Pojoaque Valley	47.1%
11/01/24 @ Ruidoso	38.9%
10/25/24 vs New Mexico Military Institute	11.1%
10/18/24 vs Dexter	41.7%
10/04/24 @ Hatch Valley	72.7%

While Hot Springs came up short, they sure didn't make it easy for Pojoaque Valley: they limited their QB to completion percentage of just 47.1%. The team can thank Aiden Jonas for the heroic effort on defense: he. The last time Hot Springs' completion percentage was this high was back in October of 2024.

Hot Springs didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Billy Baca and Zaiden Baker.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Pojoaque Valley to victory, but perhaps none more so than Joshua Gonzales, who threw for 202 yards and a pair of TDs on only 17 passes, and also rushed for 69 yards. Jaden Leyba-Moya was in the mix as well, providing the Elks/Elkettes with two scores.

Hot Springs dropped their record down to 1-1 with the defeat, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Pojoaque Valley, they have started the season off flawlessly and has a 2-0 record to show for it.

Hot Springs has already played their next match, a 37-6 victory against Capitan on the 5th. As for Pojoaque Valley, they also wasted no time getting back out on the field and have already played their next contest, a 58-20 loss against Los Alamos on the 4th.