Football: Taos 62, Pojoaque 0
What has become a long season for the Elks (0-8, 0-2 in district) continued on Oct. 22 when they lost their eighth straight game by 42 or more points.
The Tigers (8-1, 2-0) piled on points from the jump at home (the game was played in Questa), leading 28-0 in the first quarter, and adding 34 more points in the second, ending the game at halftime with the 50-point mercy rule. Taos had crossed that margin with plenty of time left in the game, and then they added another score on a pick-six before the half, adding insult to injury.
Pojoaque will look to stop their nightmare slide when they take on Española Valley (5-4, 0-2) in their season conclusion on Friday at home.
Football: Santa Rosa 50, Escalante 0
The Lobos (5-5, 2-1) ran into a buzzsaw on Oct. 21, losing big on the road and failing to keep a game close against district rival Santa Rosa (8-2, 3-0).
“I think we could have played better,” said Escalante coach Rico DeYapp. “But those guys, they got after us.”
The Lions ran for a total of 320 yards and six touchdowns. They scored 14 points in the first quarter and 28 in the second. The Lobos defense picked up in the second half, forcing stops and turnovers and holding Santa Rosa scoreless in the third quarter. But Santa Rosa scored early in the fourth quarter and ended the game with a two-point conversion.
Escalante will have to hope that they have done enough over 10 weeks to make the eight-team postseason. They currently sit at No. 8 in the MaxPreps rankings and the final coaches poll.
If they were to claim the No. 8 seed, it would set up a fascinating matchup with Jal (8-0), after former Lobos coach Dusty Giles left the program to take over in Jal. It would also be a roughly 450-mile bus ride if they game were not played in a neutral site.
McCurdy 28, Laguna-Acoma 19
The Bobcats (4-6, 1-2) ended their season with a strong win over a district foe, claiming third place in their district over the Hawks (3-7, 0-3).
Lucas Martinez and Casey Nevarez both had two rushing touchdowns in the win, and Ryan Montoya had a clutch interception at the 1-yard line.
“We were able to come out and play our game,” said McCurdy coach Robert Nevarez.
After the school shut down the football program from the end of 2018 until the start of the 2021 season, McCurdy doubled their win total in the second year of a new regime.
McCurdy led 14-0 until the Hawks scored shortly before halftime, but the Bobcats quickly answered to take a 22-6 lead.
Laguna-Acoma scored twice to get within three points in the fourth quarter, but McCurdy drove down to score to make it a two-possession game and grab a win.
Nevarez was encouraged by the Bobcats’ ability to fight in a close game, while most of their games this year had been blowouts in one direction or another.
“This is definitely something we can build off of going into next year,” he said.
McCurdy loses four seniors this year, all strong contributors, but return lots of players including multiple eighth-graders and freshmen who were starters at points this season, as they look to continue momentum into the future.
Volleyball: Lady Leopards Continue District Play
Coronado volleyball (12-6, 5-5) continues playing strong in a crowded district, but fell to fourth (out of eight teams) with a loss to Chesterton (7-6, 6-4) in straight sets on Oct. 22, 25-20, 25-21, 26-24. The Saints, in their first full season as a program, got revenge of an Oct. 4 home loss to the Leopards.
Coronado next play against New Mexico School for the Deaf (10-7, 3-7) on Wednesday on the road.
Española Volleyball Slide Continues
Española (2-18, 0-6) played strong but lost in straight sets to Los Alamos (14-6, 4-1) on Oct. 20, losing their ninth straight match.
On the verge of going winless for a second-straight season, Española lost 25-19, 25-21, 25-22 to Taos (8-12, 3-3) on Tuesday, and goes on the road to Moriarty (12-7, 1-3) on Thursday.
Lady Trojans Back in the Win Column
Mesa Vista volleyball (3-11, 2-4) broke a four-match losing streak with a four-set win over McCurdy (2-12, 0-6) on Oct. 22.
They will look to build momentum on Thursday against Escalante (16-2, 6-0), and on the road Saturday at Questa (7-11, 2-4).
Soccer: Elks Get Ties Late in Season
Both Pojoaque soccer teams (girls: 2-15-1, 0-5-1; boys: 3-12-3, 0-5-1) drew matches on Oct. 18 against Moriarty (girls: 7-9-3, 2-2-2; boys: 7-11-1, 2-3-1), both 1-1. Matteo Nagle scored for the boys team.
They both lost their last match of the season to strong Los Alamos teams (girls: 12-8, 6-0; boys: 14-4-1, 6-0), 6-1 on the boys side and 10-0 for the girls.