The experienced Escalante Lobos dominated local rival Dulce 62-12 Sept. 4 in Dulce.
The Lobos’ junior tailback Isaiah Maldonado and senior quarterback Justin Atencio spearheaded a two-pronged attack that lit up the scoreboard for 55 first-half points, giving first-year coach Diego Brusuelas his first victory.
“The boys executed very well,” Brusuelas said. “Our strengths are our team’s speed and maturity, and we used them to our advantage.”
The Lobos scored on the game-opening drive when Atencio scampered 22 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion made the score 8-0 in favor of the Lobos.
Dulce failed to move the ball, and on the Lobos’ next possesssion Maldonado took the snap from center and launched a long pass downfield that Miguel Archuleta gathered in behind the Dulce defense for a 50-yard scoring play.
“I may be young, but I’m kinda old school believing you have to be able to run the ball,” Brusuelas, a 2001 Escalante graduate, said. “When the defense adjusts to the run, that’s when you can really hurt them with the pass.”
The score was 22-0 in the second quarter when Dulce gave its fans something to cheer about. Senior quarterback Jarrett Vigil picked up yardage running the draw play, and freshman running back Juwan Welito shook free for nice gains after taking shovel passes from Vigil. From the Lobos’ 6-yard line Vigil tossed a quick pass in the flat to sophomore Dominic Panzy for the Hawks’ first touchdown of the season. The score cut the Lobos’ lead to 16 points.
“I saw some great signs on that drive,” Dulce coach Jesus Maes said. “I could see the strides from week one to week two.”
It took the Lobos just 19 seconds to answer Dulce’s score. Maldonado returned the ensuing kickoff to the Hawks’ 35-yard line and on the next play Atencio ran around the right end for a touchdown.
“We lost any momentum we may have had,” Maes said. “That broke our backs.”
The Lobos scored four more touchdowns in the first half and led 55-6 at halftime.
Maes was the head coach at Escalante last season when the Lobos had no seniors on its roster. Brusuelas inherited a team that now boasts seven experienced seniors.
“They know how to prepare for a game,” Brusuelas said.