THE NEXT GENERATION OF WOLVERINES
Three consecutive state championships have made Texico the standard in Class 2A football. Now, the Wolverines begin a new chapter.
After graduating 15 seniors from last year’s title-winning team, Texico enters the 2026 season with a younger roster. But despite the fresh faces, head coach Bob Gilbreath believes the foundation built over the past several years will continue to carry the program forward. “We’re kind of in a rebuilding phase, but I have some really good young kids coming,” Gilbreath said. “The kids in our program for the last few years have known success, so they know what it takes. They’re eager and smart. It’s a changing of the guard, but I’m real excited about this bunch.”
The Wolverines have played in five of the last six state finals and have captured the last three Class 2A state titles. While much of last year’s senior leadership has moved on, several familiar names are ready to take center stage. It starts with junior Cross Figg, who burst onto the scene a year ago. “I’ve got a young man that stepped in last year and rushed for close to 2,000 yards and threw for 1,000 named Cross Figg,” Gilbreath said. “He’s a good one to start with.”
Texico’s athletic success extends well beyond the football field, and several key contributors helped the Wolverines capture back-to-back Class 2A boys basketball championships. “Jett Curtis is an outstanding basketball player, and we’re moving him to an outside receiver,” Gilbreath said. “A lot of these kids you’d be familiar with from the state basketball tournament.”
The supporting cast also includes Nathan Autrey, quarterback Austin Haakma, 6-foot-4 tight end Dexter Chapman, and a young offensive line that will be asked to grow up quickly. “We’ve got a young offensive line,” Gilbreath said. “For those kids, it’s going to be a little bit overwhelming at first, but they’ll grow.”
As the Wolverines chase a fourth consecutive state championship, Gilbreath isn’t interested in dwelling on the possibility of making history. Instead, he’s focused on the daily process that has built one of New Mexico’s premier programs. “Everyone wants to talk about, ‘Can you win a fourth one in a row?’ That’s something we have no control of at this point,” he said. “To me, it’s more about a mission. We know we want to get there; we don’t really talk about it a lot. We’re going to have to cross rivers and valleys and hike mountains, but it’s going to take us all working together.”
“If we just focus on those things every day, the process will take care of itself, and we will be where we want to be at the end. We just have to keep growing.”
That mindset will be tested immediately. Texico opens the season against Santa Rosa before facing three challenging opponents from Texas: Sudan, Farwell, and Ropes. “I don’t worry about our record,” Gilbreath said. “Our goal is never to be 12-0 or 13-0. We may not have a good record because we play some Texas schools early and we’re going to get tested.”
For Gilbreath, the measuring stick has never been September or October. “What I tell the kids is all that matters is how good we are in November.”
