West Las Vegas 34, Escalante 13
The Escalante Lobos held tough against a bigger-school opponent in their season opener; at halftime, they were just a touchdown behind West Las Vegas (No. 6 in 3A coaches poll) before falling in the second half.
“We didn’t get the outcome we wanted,” said Rico DeYapp after his first game as head coach, “But the boys played tough.”
West Las Vegas ultimately dominated through their star quarterback CJ Perea, who had two touchdowns and over 300 total yards.
The Lobos scored in the first half on a pass from Trey Archuleta to Dominic Arellano, and in the second half on a touchdown run from Luka Torrez.
DeYapp said penalties were the most costly mistakes that he will look to improve.
“We got called for a little bit of everything.”
Escalante remained at No. 9 in the most recent 2A coaches poll published on Tuesday.
The Lobos will host Tohatchi on Friday. The Cougars beat Shiprock 12-7 in their first game, but Escalante beat them 56-6 last year.Â
Socorro 50, Pojoaque 0
A rainy day put a damper on Pojoaque’s first game, and they could not establish any momentum against the 3A title contender (Pojoaque plays in 4A).
The Elks went down 31-0 in the first quarter, and the game ended at the 50-point mark in the third quarter.
Coach Pat Mares said a young offensive line needs to continue working on their timing and blitz pickups.
The Elks failed to complete a pass in the game, but quaterback Adam Pacheco surprised with his running ability when forced to scramble, recording 30 yards on the ground. But the Elks managed just 55 yards of total offense.
Mares said the defense played well, and forced multiple turnovers, but occasionally struggled with missed open-field tackles in the wet weather.
Pojoaque travels to No. 2-ranked Bloomfield on Friday for another tough road matchup. The Bobcats are coming off a 29-19 week one win over St. Pius X.
Pojoaque Soccer Starts with Busy Schedule
The Pojoaque Valley girls soccer team started the year with a 7-0 win over Shiprock on Aug. 16, led by four goals by freshman Mia Herrera, and one each by Yaneiri Veleta, Jasmine Valdez and Elena Archuleta.
The start of their schedule had four matches in five days; on Aug. 18 they lost 10-0 to Santa Fe Prep, and 10-1 to Bosque and 1-0 to East Mountain in an Aug. 20 doubleheader.
The Elkettes get a bit of a breather before facing Bernalillo at home on Sept. 2.
The boys soccer team started the year on Aug. 18 with a 4-0 loss to perennial powerhouse Santa Fe Prep. On Monday, they lost 8-2 to St. Michael’s, going down 6-0 in the first half but matching the Horsemen’s two second-half goals.
The Elks pick up their schedule with a Saturday doubleheader against Oak Grove and Tierra Encantada.
Lady Hawks Get Two Sweeps
The Dulce volleyball team started the year strong with two sweeps in their opening week, getting a head start on the year.
On Aug. 19, they started the year with an easy win over Jemez Valley, 25-21, 25-11, 25-9. The next day, they beat Pecos 25-16, 25-20, 25-18.
Last year, Dulce started slow while adjusting to a new team after a year away and with limited experience, but they finished with wins in six of eight matches, only losing to eventual state champion Laguna-Acoma in that stretch.
Dulce will continue their season with games Tuesday night at Cuba, on the road at Aztec on Thursday, and at home against Mesa Vista on Aug. 30.