A year ago, McCurdy football fell to the Thoreau Hawks in a close game. They felt that they had started a comeback attempt, and could have won if the game was longer.
This year, they had no such issues. Against a strong team from a higher classification, they dominated.
“We should’ve had the win last year,” said sophomore Mari Sanchez. “Definitely feels good.”
The Bobcats (2-1) went well over 500 yards of offense and scored touchdowns on nine of their 10 offensive drives in a 62-18 romp over Thoreau (2-2) at home on Sept. 9. After a tight first quarter, McCurdy scored 26 straight points before halftime, and outscored the Hawks 24-6 in the second half.
“One of our more complete victories,” said McCurdy coach Robert Nevarez. “Against a good team, Thoreau’s a good team. They’ll probably win their district.”
The Bobcats were not intimidated by a team from a bigger school with bigger players and a deeper bench.
“If they’re bigger, they’re slower,” said senior lineman Jacob Samaniego, who had three sacks in the game. “So we used our speed.”
Senior Lucas Martinez led the way with a ridiculous statline. He rushed 18 times for 214 yards and three touchdowns. He caught five passes for another 115 yards, and two more touchdowns.
Quarterback Jeremaya Roybal was 5-for-8 passing for 115 yards, and two touchdowns to Martinez. He also ran for 131 yards on 11 attempts and two scores. And sophomore Mari Sanchez gained another 92 yards on just three carries, two of which ended in touchdowns. Sanchez brought more impact on multiple long kickoff returns.
Of Sanchez, Nevarez said, “This year, he brings a confidence that he didn’t have last year.”
McCurdy’s football program was shut down in 2019, and not restarted until the 2021 season. For two years, Nevarez and the coaching staff had to teach the basics of the game. Now, they are starting to see the payoff.
“Now, we’re expecting to win,” Nevarez said. “We’re not out here for the moral victories.”
Before the game, Nevarez was concerned about potential “cobwebs” from a week off, but the McCurdy offense quickly erased those concerns.
“Everyone on the team is a better player than they were last year,” Sanchez said. “Just a better version of what they were last year.”
At first, the Hawks kept the game close. McCurdy took the ball first and took just three plays to drive down the field, ending with a 60-yard run by Martinez. But the Hawks answered with a 12-play touchdown drive and tied the game.
McCurdy again scored easily, and forced a 3-and-out, but the Hawks recovered a muffed punt in the red zone. And on a fourth down, their quarterback heaved a prayer that was answered for a touchdown grab, tying the game at 12.
But the Bobcats continued their dominance on offense, and the defense soon picked up. Thoreau’s next drives ended with a turnover on downs, an interception by Thomas Bolton, and another turnover on downs.
With three seconds left before halftime when they got the ball back, the Bobcats scored one more touchdown on a connection from Roybal to Martinez to make it a 38-12 game at halftime. After Thoreau scored once after a lost fumble (though it took them four tries to score from inside the 3-yard line), they were completely shut out as McCurdy kept dominating. By early in the fourth quarter, they started a running clock. Every play seemed to work for offensive coordinator Mel Martinez (Lucas’ father), who seemed to know exactly what to call.
“Our line really showed up today,” Nevarez said. “They were shooting off the ball against a bigger team.”
In their season back after the program shut down, the Bobcats seemingly have a chance to enter a program-defining win streak. McCurdy travels to Santa Fe Indian (1-3) on Friday, and then have more winnable games in the coming weeks with Navajo Prep (1-3) and Cuba (4-0).
Quoting what is apparently a teammate’s catchphrase, Lucas Martinez said that after the win, the team, “Got a fire in our bellies.”