A resounding comeback and a couple of workman-like performances highlight last week’s high school football games.
Española Valley 20, Capital 6
In a steady down pour Friday, the Sundevils (2-1) did just enough to hold off the winless Jaguars.
“We had a really great game plan and the rain took our game plan away,” Española coach Caleb Holbrook said. “That’s what held us to only the 20 points.”
The Sundevils actually had to come from behind after Capital took the opening possession right down the field for a score. But thereafter, the Española defense was impenetrable.
“Defense was dominant across the board,” Holbrook said. “Our biggest thing was contain, outside contain and they were able to do that. They didn’t get much, only two first downs.”
Sundevils quarterback Irvin Primero was solid with 311 passing yards, going 15-23 with two passing touchdowns and he also ran for another. The only thing that really kept it close was two interceptions.
Cody Coffeen again was the favorite target, catching three passes for 152 yards, including a 75-yard score.
Michael Maestas added four catches for 60 yards and a touchdown.
Leonard Martinez was all over the field defensively with 10 tackles and his late interception sealed the game.
McCurdy 40, Tucumcari 38
A 24-6 halftime deficit proved to be no issue whatsoever for the Bobcats (1-1), who rallied to give coach De’Jor Curtis his first head coaching victory.
“Tucumcari is a very good team,” he said. “They jumped out on us and we had to adjust.”
Curtis credits assistant coach Alejandro Martinez with making the adjustments that led to the comeback, and running back JJ Vigil and the rest of the offense with implementing the changes.
“Senior leadership and a great coaching staff,” Curtis said, explaining the win. “JJ Vigil had the most monster second half I’ve ever seen.”
Vigil finished with 184 rushing yards with five touchdowns, including four in the second half. His 13-yard score late in the fourth quarter capped a long, game-winning drive and Patrick Lovato made a big stop on the Rattlers ensuing possession to seal the game.
“We saw some things that we liked and we took advantage of it,” Curtis said of the halftime moves. “Adjustments are the best way to coach. You have to make adjustments if you want to be impactful in the game. We mixed up our calls a little bit. A big part of that was Alejandro Martinez. He singlehandedly won us that game. He’s our lineman coach and offensive coordinator. All of our blocking and scheming and play calls came from him.”
Quarterback Julian Vigil added 112 rushing yards and 42 through the air and Marius Sanchez had 94 yards on the ground with a touchdown.
And despite giving up 38 points, Curtis said the defense did its job against a tough foe.
“We knew they wanted to come out and throw the ball on us,” he said. “We practiced that the past week. Getting reps in man-to-man coverage and zone coverages. They were ranked in the top 10 in the state and they have one of the best passing attacks in the state. Their quarterback and two receivers, those boys are going to be All-State. They’re really good.”
Los Alamos 58, Pojoaque Valley 20
The Hilltoppers are proving to be the bully on the local block after taking out the Elks on Thursday and beating Española Valley at the beginning of the season.
Pojoaque (2-1) led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter and trailed 21-14 at halftime, but a big Los Alamos third quarter put the game away.
“We came out, I really felt that we were able to run, pass, play action, we were able to do what we wanted to,” coach Zeke Villegas said. “The second quarter was back-and-forth. We had the ball at the 9-yard line right before half, with a chance to tie it at halftime.”
Instead, quarterback Josh Gonzales picked up his second unsportsmanlike penalty, which is an ejection and the Elks were left scrambling.
“Without our quarterback, it’s a big hit,” Villegas said. “He can run, pass, he runs the offense. So we either put in a freshman quarterback or senior Joaquin Baca, who played some quarterback in the summer and we knew he could throw. We went with the older kid. Two things, it took our best receiver off the field and the other, we became one-dimensional because Joaquin didn’t know the mesh point for handoffs.”
Gonzales completed three of seven passes for 46 yards before he left and Baca went 6-16 for 55 yards. They each threw a touchdown pass, but they combined for three interceptions.
“I felt like he did a really good job because we didn’t prepare him for that moment,” Villegas said of Baca.
Pojoaque did rush for 200 yards, with D’Marcus Rodriquez and Jaden Leyba-Moya each gaining 50. Leyba-Moya also had two catches for 62 yards and Baca and Matthew Romero each had a touchdown reception, while Romero also added a rushing TD.
Defensively, Leyba-Moya and Baca each grabbed an interception, but the Elks were unable to stop Hilltoppers bowling ball running back Jordan Herrera, who piled up 233 yards on 19 carries with five touchdowns.
“We felt that we had a really good game plan to stop them or make them work a little bit harder to get points,” Villegas said. “But Jordan did break a big one right off the bat, and then we adjusted.”
Still, Pojoaque trailed just 27-20 midway through the third quarter.
“We were still in it at that point,” the coach said. “Once they went up two scores, it just got away from us. We had a couple of interceptions that put us in a hole and our defense was just out there too long.”
Escalante 50, Dulce 0
In a game that ended early in the third quarter on the mercy rule, the Lobos (2-1) did just about everything right against the Hawks (0-3), who are breaking in nearly an entirely new team.
“We just played good,” Escalante coach Carlos Casados said. “We were able to execute everything that we needed to. Our defense really stepped up. We allowed minimal yards.”
The Lobos drove the ball for a score on their first possession and on Dulce’s first play on the ensuing possession, RJ Atencio scooped up a fumble and returned it 30 yards for another touchdown.
Running backs Tristen Ulibarri and Jacoby Valdez each had two touchdowns for Escalante, and Julio Lujan, Braylon Emery and Jerome Montoya all added scores.
Despite the lopsided result, Hawks coach Jeremy Wooten said the team’s improvement is coming along.
“From week one to now, it’s been gradual improvement with a bunch of dudes who have never played before or haven’t played in a while,” he said. “Coming in late, that’s all we can ask for.”
The players are continuing to remain engaged and wanting to get better, which is important, Wooten said.
“They’re very coachable, willing to learn, hungry,” he said. “What we have to do is temper our expectations to match theirs and even lower theirs. They get so frustrated and so upset so you have to talk to them that this is not an overnight process. Any good program, it takes time.”