The school district would not reveal the reason, saying it does not discuss personnel matters, but students at Onate seemed to have a pretty good idea of what happened. They said it involves alcohol.

"I heard that the coaches were on the way to a football game; they were drinking," said Hunter Hall, a sophomore at Onate.

"That the coaches were drinking," said another student who did not want to be named.

"That six assistant coaches well they were caught drinking, like, what was it, during school time," said Robert Nance, a senior at Onate.

The head coach of the Black Knights talked about the challenge his team now faces.

"It's a distraction. You know, we are 23 hours away from playing No. 3-ranked Cibola. It's a distraction that no coach wants and no team needs. This is my toughest day as a coach," said coach Kelly McKee.

Students wondered why the coaches would do something wrong and do it during the season.

"They are over age, they can drink, but not around students," said Nance.

"They don't have their coaches, they don't have their coaches' moral support, so they're not going to want to do well," said Hall.

The district said it hope to complete its investigation by next week. It also said no students were involved or in danger at any time.

KFOX contacted the Las Cruces Police Department, and it said the district has not filed anything with its officers.