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Click on Tournament for Bracket & Game Stories
Any chance that the success Animas once had on the football field will ever be duplicated? It would have to be one heck of a dynasty. The Panthers set a state record with seven straight championships and once went five years without even losing a game.
The details are below in the Roll Call of State Championships…
Football
1990…Animas loses a game for the first time in six seasons, but the Panthers throttle Lordsburg 36-0 in 2A title contest for seventh straight
1989…Another undefeated season as Animas overwhelms Santa Rosa 51-6 to complete 12-0 campaign
1988…Unbeaten Panthers and coach Billy Henson take fifth straight championship in Class 2A. Final: Animas 23, Clayton 8
1987…Perfect 13-0 season record for Panthers is culminated by a 14-0 shutout of Clayton in Class 2A championship game
1986…Two years without a loss as 13-0 Animas romps over Lordsburg 31-7 for 2A crown
1985…A 12-0 season for Panthers, who gain second straight championship by knocking off Jal 33-14 in finale
1984…Start of something big in Animas as Panthers deadlock with Tularosa 7-7 in Class 2A championship. Co-champs this year, but six more solo crowns to come…
Volleyball
2007…Veteran coach Charles Richardson guides Animas to another championship, which ends with a four-game victory over Elida
2000…Five-game title match in Class 1A goes the way of the Panthers, who beat Melrose for second straight crown
1999…At state tourney held in Moriarty, Animas outlasts Dexter 3-1 for first volleyball championship in nearly 20 years
1980…Panthers and coach Charles Richardson are tops in Class 2A for second year in a row following sweep of Jal
1979…A two-game sweep over Questa in championship match gives Animas its first volleyball title
Boys Basketball
1978…Lone boys hoops crown comes Animas’ way when the Panthers, led by coach Joe Croom, defeat Estancia 63-57 in 2A championship
Girls Basketball
2008…Sixth time’s a charm. Though Cliff beat Animas five times earlier in the season, the Panthers win 49-38 when it counts the most – in the 2A title game
1992…Coached by Charles Richardson, Animas takes first title on the hardwood, finishing perfect 29-0 season with 45-45 victory over Mora
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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.
