Coach Ocampo back in business

It didn’t take long for former Socorro football coach Damien Ocampo to find a new gig.

Ocampo, the highly successfully Warriors coach who twice guided them to Class 3A state championship games, resigned unexpectedly in February.

St. Pius, a private, 4A school in Albuquerque, has hired Ocampo to be its head power lifting coach and to be an assistant with the football program, said Spartans athletic director Jim Cook.

St. Pius reached the state championship game last season, losing 62-28 at Bloomfield in the finale.

Ocampo comes as part of a package deal as his son, rising sophomore Ezra Ocampo, will be attending St. Pius. He played football for the Warriors as freshman, primarily as a defensive back and a wide receiver. He had 10 catches for 114 yards, including two touchdowns. He defended three passes and caused a fumble.

Ezra Ocampo also was a member of the Warriors track and field team, helping the medley relay team finish second and the 4X200-meter relay take fourth place.

Coach Ocampo, who coached the Warriors from 2007-12 and again from 2017-24, compiled a 114-40 record. His teams won seven district championships and reached the championship game in 2009, losing to Lovington, and again in 2019, losing to Hope Christian.

Coach Ocampo takes over the power lifting program at St. Pius even though that was not a varsity sport at Socorro.

Coach Ocampo declined to be interviewed for this story, but in a text conversation, he did say that he will continue to be active in Socorro, where he has an insurance business and is a member of the city council. He also plans to remain involved in youth sports as well as a youth minister.

“To be honest, no offense, but I’d rather not talk about it,” he said via text. “I still feel very raw and hurt about what they did to me here. I love this town. I always have, but going down that road gets me in a negative frame of mind and won’t help the new guy, that isn’t fair.”

Coach Ocampo just finished coaching his oldest son, quarterback and sprinter Isaiah Ocampo, who recently graduated from Socorro, but he still wanted to continue coaching his youngest son.

“I have another son that’s gonna go to school there,” he texted of Ezra Ocampo attending St. Pius. “ So I’m gonna help out wherever they need, because I want to keep coaching my son and helping out wherever he’s at.”

After a long search, that included the first, out-of-state candidate rejecting the position, former Gadsden assistant coach Derek Smith accepted the head coaching position and has been working to build up the number of players and continue the legacy that coach Ocampo built.

The Warriors should have quite a lot to build from as the top four wide receivers are scheduled to return, although they will be looking for a new quarterback and new ball carriers.

“I’m sorry for being difficult but I really don’t want to talk about it,” coach Ocampo wrote. “It’s opening old wounds and going there won’t do anything but make me more confused and upset and hurt the new guy, who deserves as much support as he can get.”