Week 3
Week three will be a prove-it week for some local teams. A few local teams are climbing in the rankings, but now face tougher competition as they look to stay ahead.
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Game of the Week
Española Valley Sundevils (0-2) vs. Escalante Lobos (1-1)
Final Score: Española 21, Escalante 14 (Full Story)
Friday, September 1, 7 p.m. in Tierra Amarilla (Escalante)
The Escalante Lobos gave the Sundevils – a much bigger school – all they could handle. But Española Valley did just enough to lead wire to wire. Abraham Tamayo’s fourth-quarter interception led to Andres Valenzuela’s second field goal late in the game. Valenzuela’s leg scored the only six points of the second half for either team. Trey Archuleta was tough on both sides of the ball for Escalante, carrying the ball over 30 times and making plays on defense. The Sundevils finished the game down to their third-string quarterback, Irvin Primero, who himself was battling an injury.
LEADERS
Rushing: Escalante – Trey Archuleta: 28 carries, 132 yards, 1 TD | Española – Adrick DeLeon – 12 carries, 99 yards, 2 TD, 1 2PT, 1 fumble
Passing: Escalante – Trey Archuleta: 5-10, 71 yards, 1 TD, 1 2PT, 1 INT | Española – Adrick DeLeon: 4-5, 11 yards
Receiving: Escalante – Greysen Horan: 2 receptions, 36 yards, 1 TD, 1 2PT | Española – Cody Coffeen: 3 receptions, 16 yards
PREVIEW: A year ago, the Sundevils kicked off a win streak and their best season in years with a 55-0 beat down of McCurdy. The Bobcats were happy to move on from that matchup after one year, and instead Escalante takes their place as another 2A opponent. The matchup returns for the first time since 2017, when the Lobos came out on top by one score for the second-straight year.
The Sundevils (0-2) started the year with perhaps their two toughest opponents. But they started to show momentum in the second half against Bernalillo, scoring 18 straight points after falling down 26-0, running out of time to finish the comeback. Plus, quarterback Alex Chavez should return in a limited capacity, adding another boost on offense.
But Escalante is not going to give in easily in their home opener. They took a win last week by running all over Tohatchi, scoring 58 points. Both teams should run the ball a lot, and the skill players bring speed all over the field. But Escalante will have to fight to compete with Española’s big men in the trenches. That will likely be the difference in the game.
Dulce Hawks (2-0)
vs. Questa, Friday, September 1, 6 p.m. in Dulce
Final Score: Dulce 56, Questa 52
The Hawks took an early lead, and went up 34-8 by early in the second half. Those early points proved important as Questa mounted a furious comeback, but Dulce managed to hold on to the end. In doing so, they defeated an opponent that had beaten them twice last year, and improved to 3-0. Now, the real tests begin for the Hawks, starting with defending state champions Ft. Sumner/House.
PREVIEW: The Hawks are off to a 2-0 start, their best in over a decade. They defeated Navajo Pine, and are up to 92 points through two games. Surprisingly, the passing attack has been a strength for Dulce this year. Questa expected to be revamped this year after spending some time in the dumps and moving down to 8-man. Through two games, though, they have lost by 28 and 32 points. A win here would make Dulce a state tournament berth contender before they hit the meat of their schedule.
McCurdy Bobcats (1-1)
Bye week
McCurdy had hoped to spend this week capturing the momentum of a 52-6 win over Hozho. They entered the coaches poll at No. 10, moved up to No. 9 in 2A on MaxPreps, and look to have a real shot at making the state tournament. But Tucumcari had a tragic death on their team over the weekend, and they opted to cancel the game. McCurdy will be back against Thoreau on Sept. 9.
Pojoaque Valley Elks (1-1)
Bye week
Coach Zeke Villegas would have preferred to have another game this week, so they could quickly move past a disappointing loss to Bloomfield, 50-0. Instead, this is how the schedule shapes up, giving Pojoaque a chance to regroup and work on conditioning, as multiple players said would be the focus. The Elks will return to action next Thursday against Santa Fe Indian, a very beatable opponent.