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In Bayard, New Mexico, play on the diamond matters. The results are obvious as the Indians baseball and softball teams have consistently been threats and often been state champs.
Check it out in the Roll Call of State Champions below…
Softball
1990…Last of ten championships in a 12-year span for Cobre and its architect, coach Tom Powers, as Indians rout Bloomfield 8-1 in Class 3A final
1989…Cobre bounces back from one-year absence at the top by beating Artesia 6-2 for 3A softball bragging rights
1987…Indians double up Bernalillo, by a 6-3 count, and claim another state championship
1985…Seven consecutive titles as Cobre shuts out Bloomfield 6-0 in the finals of the Class 3A state tournament
1984…Bloomfield is the Indians’ latest victim in the finals as Cobre beats the Bobcats for the first-place state trophy
1983…Finishing touches for a 21-3 campaign? How ’bout a 4-2 victory over Los Lunas as Cobre takes the championship again
1982…A perfect 25-0 season is capped for the Indians and coach Tom Powers with a 7-3 victory over West Las Vegas
1981…A no-doubter in the Class 3A finale as Cobre finishes a 20-1 season by smoking West Las Vegas 15-2
1980…Indians manhandle Hot Springs 9-0 and walk away with the Class 1A-3A state championship for a second straight season
1979…The beginning of a dynasty as Cobre, led by coach Tom Powers, nips Hot Springs 10-9 for 1A-3A title
Baseball
2008…Cobre recalls past glories by sweeping through the Class 3A tournament and winning it all with a 5-1 triumph over Portales
1995…Before he moves over to coach softball, Larry Trower guides Indians to a 4-1 win over Portales in the finals and a state title
1985…Over a decade has passed since the last crown, but Cobre still has the right stuff following a 3-1 title game win over St. Pius
1974…Cobre grabs second baseball championship by beating Los Lunas 7-2 in the Class 3A finale
1971…First title on the diamond for the Indians, coached by Abe Armendariz, after edging Los Lunas 7-6
Wrestling
Led by coach Luis Alvarez, Cobre won two straight wrestling team championships in 2004 and 2005. A pair of outstanding contributors to that cause were Sam Trujillo, a four-time individual champ from 2002-2006, and Josh Lucero – a winner of three straight from 2004-2006. Guys like Josh Serano were building blocks for later success; Serano won three titles in a row from 1991 to 1993.
Football
1971…Almost Perfect: Cobre goes 11-0-1 for coach Ron Darnell, beating Portales 16-14 in Class 3A finals for first football championship
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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.
