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Click on Tournament for Bracket & Game Stories
In one area, Carrizozo has come out on top when it comes to year-end state tournaments. In that sport, the Grizzlies have an extraordinary history of success.
Find out which sport in the Roll Call of State Championships…
Football
1976…Carrizozo captures ninth gridiron title in school history by shutting out Capitan 8-0 in Class 1A championship game
1972…Four titles in a row, second in row under coach Roger St. Louis, when Grizzlies finish 10-0 season with a 19-14 win over Melrose
1971…A perfect 11-0 campaign for Carrizozo culminates with a 20-7 victory over Hagerman for Class 1A bragging rights
1970…Grizzlies go back-to-back in 1A with a 12-8 victory over Navajo Mission in the state championship game
1969…Returning to the top after five-year absence, Carrizozo decisively beats Cloudcroft 28-6 in 1A finale
1964…A convincing 26-7 victory over Roy gives Grizzlies a 9-1 record for the year and coach Bernie Laabs his fourth crown
1963…Bludgeoning McCurdy 42-0 in Class C championship, Carrizozo pick up third title in last four years
1961…Grizzlies leave little doubt who’s best in state by trouncing Estancia 57-0 in championship contest
1960…Guided by coach Bernie Laabs, Carrizozo begins a stellar football tradition by going unbeaten. Class C finale: ‘Zozo 34, Chama 0
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And now, a word from our Sponsor…
“Ole!” greets drive-through customers from the speaker box.
If that’s the case, it can only be one business: Taco Box.
From frijole burritos to Spanish fries to pig-in-a-panchos, and quite nearly everything in-between, the restaurant has been serving up its eclectic menu for 40 years.
According to owner Tom Martin, the number one seller is the simple-and-tasty frijole burrito while tacos, chalupas and cheese sticks follow closely in popularity.
A popular side item are Spanish fries, a Taco Box-invented title for another potato-based munchie (any guesses?). Martin says his restaurant has only occasionally ventured into making regular french fries and the attempts have ultimately always been futile with the Taco Box customer base.
“I always joke that I don’t make french fries so I can help keep McDonald’s in business,” Martin says.
Other items also remain popular to an extent even though not officially on the menu board anymore – a testament to the loyalty of the typical Taco Box consumer.
The Mexi-Burger was on the menu back in the early 1980s and still gets ordered today. By those in the know, at any rate.
“There’s probably at least a dozen different items over the years like that,” Martin says. “We took it off, just because of space, but we still make ‘em. We probably sell as many as we did when they were on the menu.”
Martin lists breakfast tacos, frijole tacos, guacamole tacos as other such “underground” items. And that’s not to mention the vast array of drink combinations, utilizing the different soft drinks and flavorings, that have actually never been listed on the big board at Taco Box.
Martin, raised in Cleveland and a graduate from Cornell University in New York, ventured west after college and tried his hand with the Taco Box brand. He took over Taco Box on June 1, 1970.
Remembering his first foray into Mexican food, Martin has an oft-repeated story with some variation or another.
“I never had a taco until I was 21. I remember having a mild green chile taco and I thought I was going to die,” Martin recalls.
After having a tastebud-adjustment and following countless tacos served to his customers at Taco Box, it’s safe to say one thing about the guy who originally thought he’d be in the Land of Enchantment for “a couple of years.”
Well Tom, you’re a New Mexican now.
