Española Valley had never before won a state playoff game.
In 1991, the Sundevils lost to Clovis, who would go on to win the championship that year. In 2015, Española was the favorite at home, but was upset by Farmington.
On their third try, and after nearly 50 years, Española football came out on top. The No. 7 seed Sundevils (8-3) took down No. 10 St. Pius X (4-7) on Friday night in a 31-7 rout. Española ran for 400 yards on the ground, and senior running back Jack Purdy had a career night in the win. Española next travels to face No. 2 Lovington (7-3) in a challenging quarterfinal game.
“I don’t even know if you can describe the feeling,” Purdy said. “We know we made history. It’s, like, crazy. This is stuff we’ve dreamed of.”
Calls of “We made history!” sounded out in the postgame huddle.
“It’s amazing, it’s one of a kind,” said running back Adrick DeLeon. “You’re never going to feel this … Emotions are high.”
After the game, music could be heard blaring from the Española locker room, before they left for a team-wide pizza party.
“Excitement beyond belief,” said Española Coach Tylon Wilder.
The turning point in the game was when Española let up its only touchdown, letting St. Pius within seven points in the second quarter. The Sundevils quickly responded on a drive that included a 62-yard run by Purdy that would have been a touchdown if not for a horsecollar penalty. DeLeon scored instead. They had quickly answered, and would keep the Sartans scoreless the rest of the game.
Signs around town throughout the week supported the Sundevils in advance of their game. A highway sign entering Española flashed the time of the game.
“You’ve never seen that before,” DeLeon said. “Everybody out here coming to support, it’s just amazing.”
A pair of Sundevils had an odd-seeming celebration based on Shadeur Sanders, the star quarterback for the University of Colorado. Sanders made a trademark celebration of showing off a watch that USA Today reported as worth $70,000.
Purdy was inspired by his celebration, and along with wide receiver Victor Parra wanted to replicate it.
“I don’t really have that kind of money,” Purdy said. Unfortunate.
Instead, the two hilariously drew a watch face on a piece of paper and taped it to their wrists.
“I turned it into my own thing, cause I’ve never seen anyone do it,” he said. “I didn’t put any thought to it, but now it’s kind of a signature thing between me and Vic (Parra). It’s like our friendship on the field.”
He sure had plenty of chances to show off the watch in the game.
Purdy finished with 220 yards in the game, averaging over 11 yards per attempt, with one touchdown. DeLeon ran a whopping 31 times for 168 yards and three touchdowns, and he added another 25 receiving yards.
“We could just do everything we wanted at will,” Purdy said. “We just executed on all fronts tonight.”
The Sundevils ran for 160 yards in the first quarter alone. Both of Española’s backs were over 100 yards by halftime.
Purdy, the 5-foot-3 running back who weighs in at barely 100 pounds (during powerlifting season, at least) is never afraid to take on the biggest player on the field. He had found less success early in the season. He said he struggled with self-confidence.
But in the most important time of the year, he delivered. In the Sundevils’ last three games, Purdy has ran for 440 yards, averaging 10 yards per carry, with 6 touchdowns.
“I just feel on top of the world,” Purdy said. “I know what I’m capable of as a football player. I know what I can do as a player. I’m glad I could show everyone.”
Wilder delighted in being able to, by the second half, tell the team to run the same running play, with the opposite sideline watching him, and still get a big game when everyone knew what was coming.
Kicker Andres Valenzuela hit all four extra-point attempts, and added a 24-yard field goal. He also had a 35-yard attempt blocked.
The Sartans deferred the ball to Española after winning the coin toss, and it took just three plays for the Sundevils to take the lead. After an incomplete pass, Purdy ran for 13 yards, then 46 to the end zone. Parra’s return set up good field position.
Española’s next two drives ended with a punt and an interception, but the Sundevils also grabbed interceptions twice in the first quarter (they finished the game with three total, two by Abraham Tamayo and one by Kevin Coffeen). After the second, they capitalized with a score to go up 14-0. After St. Pius scored on a pass play, the Sundevils answered. And right before halftime, Valenzuela made a field goal as time expired to make it a three-possession game.
In the second half, Española kept St. Pius completely scoreless. They stayed in control with the ground game until they were able to kneel out the clock.
Next week, Española will travel to Lovington to face the second-seeded Wildcats. The Sundevils are excited for a chance at a top team. And while they are confident headed into the game, they also seem to be the team with nothing to lose.
“They’re excited, and I keep hearing them talk about making history,” Wilder said. “But in the very next breath, they’re saying — We’re not done. We have work to do.”
Wilder, who graduated from Hobbs and coached at Silver City before moving to Española in 2022, knows far more about Southern New Mexico football than any of his players.
“These kids down south, they come out of the womb with a football in their hands,” Wilder said. “The mindset, the passion they have, the fans, the community. You’re going down into a whole different world.”
But the Wildcats will post a big challenge while on a hot streak and with a great passing game.
“No matter what happens, at the end of next week, it’s going to be a great experience for the entire coaching staff, for the kids, for the school,” Wilder said.