The McCurdy School football team left campus Nov. 14 at noon amid cheers from their fellow students and fans.
They were off to face the formidable Fort Sumner Foxes in the semifinals of the Class A football playoffs. After having upended the Jal Panthers 49-36 in the quarterfinals Nov. 8 at McCurdy, the Bobcats were riding high.
But the Foxes manhandled the Bobcats 60-0 under the lights at Fort Sumner and sent them home licking their wounds.
McCurdy dug itself a hole early and the Foxes kept making it deeper as the first half wore on.
“We had so many turnovers and mistakes,” McCurdy coach Eric Vigil said. “We just didn’t play well at all.”
The first mistake may have been letting the Foxes start on offense. McCurdy won the toss on the opening kickoff and deferred to Fort Sumner, who elected to receive, according to Scott Stinnet of the De Baca County News.
The Foxes scored six plays later and on the ensuing kickoff, McCurdy fumbled and the Foxes scooped up the ball and ran in for a touchdown, giving them a 14-0 lead.
“Things got bad quick and went to worse in a hurry,” Vigil said.
Fort Sumner kept beating up the Bobcats for the remainder of the quarter. Receiver Justin Chavez went to the sidelines after a hard hit to his chest, and quarterback Louie Martinez went down with a hip injury.
“They should be okay, just banged up,” Vigil said.
McCurdy running back Devin Duran, who normally serves as Martinez’s backup, was out recovering from a broken hand he’d suffered against Jal. Wide receiver Kevin Redman filled in at quarterback after Martinez left the game.
After taking a 48-0 lead, the Foxes opted to kick field goals on their next two possessions, passing up the opportunity to score more touchdowns.
Fort Sumner led 54-0 at the half. In the second half, the Foxes scored on an interception to make the score 60-0. They played their reserves on offense the rest of the way.
Fort Sumner advances to the Class A championship game Friday at Clayton, where the 9-1 Foxes will be seeking their fourth consecutive state championship.
“They have a tremendous program at Fort Sumner,” Vigil said.
Despite the loss, the Bobcats earned the praise of their coach after finishing the season with an 8-4 record.
“The way it ended doesn’t diminish what this team accomplished this season,” Vigil said.