The Escalante High School Lobos defied the odds all season.
They routinely defeated schools many times their own size, playing two out of 10 regular season games against football teams in their division.
Every other team the Lobos played was in a higher division.
This reached a peak as Escalante prevailed over Santa Fe High School, Oct. 13, a school 15 times larger and four divisions higher.
However, the one team with a smaller enrollment than the Lobos, Fort Sumner High School, was a brick wall in their path to a perfect season.
The two teams met for the final game of the regular season, Oct. 27, where the Lobos suffered their first loss, 35-8.
They faced off, once more, for the state championship game, played at Fort Sumner, in which the Foxes took the 2A title by a score of 55-7.
“We got dominated, just like the score says we got dominated,” Escalante head coach Dusty Giles said. “They were pretty fantastic on both sides of the ball. Walking away from the thing, I think both the coaches and the boys were satisfied with our effort. I mean, we threw everything we had at them.”
The Lobos did not make it onto the scoreboard until the Foxes held a 28-0 lead. Fort Sumner quarterback Jude Segura threw for two touchdowns and ran for one more. Hunter Sturgeon also caught an interception for a touchdown, to give the Foxes a four-score lead.
Senior wide receiver Anthony Paul Martinez caught the lone touchdown pass for the Lobos, a 19-yard throw from Esteban Archuleta. This was Archuleta’s second game back from an injury that sidelined him for a solid chunk of the second half of the season.
“I think he played pretty well for being off for as long as he was,” Giles said of Archuleta. “That’s one of the reasons why I coach the Lobos, is because they’re a bunch of tough kids. You can hardly keep them out of the game.”
After that, the game was all Fort Sumner’s. Segura passed for four more touchdowns, capping off a performance of 234 yards and six touchdowns.
Escalante’s offensive statistic leaders were Martinez and junior running back Anthony Ulibarri.
Martinez had 57 yards on 15 carries for his last game of the year and Ulibarri had 56 yards with 18 carries.
Twelve Escalante seniors will graduate, and while a number of them are key players, there will be no major rebuilding work needed.
The Lobos will carry over their starting quarterback, running back and one wide receiver.
“The future is always bright over here,” Giles said. “It’s been a good thing. We graduate a really talented class and then we have another one coming in.”
More concerning for Giles is the shifting realignment from the New Mexico Activities Association. This places the Lobos in a bit of an uncertain position, with regard to the district make-up and schedule.
Scot Stinnett of the Portales News-Tribune contributed to this story.