Even as the points piled up at the other end, Dulce never lost hope or gave up on their game, continuing to fight for every yard.
“Seeing them improve during the game, and gain momentum, even though the scoreboard was still 50 to zero, there was still no quit in this team,” said Dulce coach Brad Muniz. “That’s the type of team that I like. That’s one thing we always talk about, the easiest thing you can do is quit. But if you keep pushing forward, and you keep working towards whatever you want, it’s going to change.”
The Hawks (1-4) lost 54-0 to Melrose (4-3), with the game ending at halftime due to points rules. But even with the large deficit, and every break going the wrong way, the Hawks kept in positive spirits throughout the game, and were content in nearly forcing a third quarter.
“We know we’re not going to win every game,” said senior quarterback Bob Harrison Jr. “But it’s just how football goes. It’s just a tough-man sport. And we just try our best every time we go out.”
“They played a really good game today,” Muniz said. “Their improvement from last week, against Logan, they improved a little bit more. And it’s a good sign, especially against a top quality team.”
At their homecoming game, the parking lot was full as hundreds of fans came to support the football team.
Dulce is still adjusting to playing 8-man football, a switch they made in 2019 when they had declining interest. But now, the team is back to over 20 players on the roster. Muniz says the administration is debating whether to switch back to playing in 11-man, and he hopes they will. The 8-man teams are mostly in the southern part of the state, while several 11-man teams are much closer to Dulce. Next weekend’s drive to Tatum is about eight hours on the bus, and charts as a two-night trip.
Muniz said even with losing a big senior class after this year, there is a large interest from current middle-schoolers, who will continue to bring strong numbers to the program.
After Harrison Jr. suffered a hand injury, his cousin Ivan Harrison took over.
“We’re basically brothers,” Bob Harrison said. “We call ourselves brothers.”
Muniz said both quarterbacks have the ability to call their own plays depending on what they see from an opposing defense.
Melrose, the defending state runner-up and the current No. 3 8-man team in rankings, returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown for their first eight points. Dulce gained a first down on a running-into-the-punter penalty, then threw an interception, the first of three. Melrose scored a touchdown on the next play.
But after taking a big deficit, Dulce seemed to gain some momentum. On one play, down 24-0, speedy receiver James Johnson broke past defenders, but just missed catching a pass that could have been an easy long touchdown.
Later down 40-0, the Hawks connected on a pass from Bob Harrison to senior Damian Amarillo for a first down, and a facemask penalty put them deep in Melrose territory. That drive ended with an interception, but the Hawks stopped the Buffaloes for the first time of the day, forcing a turnover on downs and exciting the crowd.
“The team started getting more hype, and the crowd got on their feet,” Ivan Harrison said. “We use that as energy, and kept going.”
The Hawks were just a few minutes away from keeping the halftime deficit below 50 and forcing a third quarter, a small yet meaningful victory, but Melrose connected on a long touchdown pass. Dulce had a long run wiped out with a penalty, and lost a fumble. Melrose finished the half by kneeling out the clock.
“One of our goals for Logan (last week) was to put points on the board, and we achieved that,” Muniz said. “And then same thing with this game, to make it to a third quarter, and put points on the board, even move the ball down the field, which we were capable of doing compared to the last couple of years.”
After the game, both teams came together for a joint prayer.
Dulce finishes the year with road games at Tatum and at Fort Sumner, two teams that combined last year to beat the Hawks 124-0, while they look to end the season with more than a single win.