The crowd at Española Valley High School’s homecoming game Sept. 27 chanted “Long live the king” after senior running back Derek Vigil scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 95-yard interception return with 6:14 left in the game. Vigil ran for a two-point conversion to give the Sundevils a 30-26 lead over Santa Fe Indian School.
The Sundevils held off the Braves for the rest of the game, surviving an apparent touchdown by Indian School that was nullified by a penalty. It was the Sundevils’ first homecoming victory in eight years.
“It feels great to get over that hump in Española history,” Vigil said. “My line played their minds out and it was a total team effort.”
Vigil, who was also Española’s homecoming king, scored three touchdowns. He was the heart and soul of the Española offense, beginning with the Sundevils’ opening drive.
After sophomore slotback Ryan Fresquez returned the opening kickoff to Española’s 27-yard line, Vigil carried the ball on eight consecutive plays. He finished with a 12-yard touchdown run that gave the Sundevils a 6-0 lead.
The Braves marched down the field after the kickoff and scored on a 30-yard pass from quarterback Steven Rodriguez to wide receiver Antoine Salazar. Joey Vallo booted the extra point and the Braves led 7-6.
Española drove down to the Indian School 31-yard line on its next possession, but the drive stalled and the Braves took over on downs. Salazar, who served as the Dulce Hawks’ quarterback before transferring to Indian School, shook himself free in the Sundevils’ secondary and Rodriguez found him with a 20-yard scoring pass.
The Sundevils answered on their next drive. With the Braves’ defense keying in on Vigil, quarterback Steven Vandenbusch faked a handoff to Vigil and handed the ball to Fresquez on a counter. Indian School was caught going the wrong way, and Fresquez sprinted into the end zone from 50 yards out. Vigil ran for the two-point conversion and the score was tied 14-14.
It took the Braves less than two minutes to drive 65 yards on their next possession and take the lead. Rodriguez ended the drive with a one-yard quarterback sneak. The Sundevils blocked the extra-point kick and the Braves led 20-14 at halftime.
Indian School began the second half on offense, but a fired-up Sundevil defense forced a punt and Española took over at its own 40-yard line.
On second down, Vigil slashed through the line, slipped past a defender, sped around the corner and dashed down the sidelines for a 60-yard scoring run. Vandenbusch ran for the two-point conversion and Española led 22-20.
The Braves pulled ahead 26-22 with a long drive that culminated with a five-yard touchdown run by Matthew Lasiloo.
On the Sundevils’ next possession, a 30-yard touchdown run by Vigil was called back by a holding penalty and the Braves took over on downs. Four straight running plays by Lasiloo gave the Braves first-and-goal just inside the Sundevils’ 10-yard line.
On first down, Rodriguez eschewed the successful running attack that had put the Braves in scoring position and attempted an ill-advised pass across the field. Vigil picked it off and returned the ball for the winning touchdown.
“We were in a man-to-man defense and I got a good break on the ball,” Vigil said.
Española coach Bill Moon said the play is one of Indian School’s favorites from that field position — it just didn’t work this time.
“We were in a man-to-man and Derek has no run responsibility,” Moon said. “We got enough pressure on them to result in a poorly thrown ball, and Derek turned on the afterburners.”
But the drama was not yet over. After an exchange of fumbles, the Braves faced a fourth down at Española’s 25-yard line with less than two minutes left in the game. After a time-out and a team huddle, the Braves lined up for the next play.
Rodriguez dropped back to pass and lofted the ball downfield, where a wide-open Salazar gathered it in and scored an apparent touchdown.
However, after a conference, the officials threw a flag and the play was called back on an illegal procedure by the Braves.
According to Moon, the Braves had huddled on the field during the time-out with some of their players outside the numbers on the field. When play resumed, under the rules, all the players had to return inside the numbers. Salazar had stayed outside the numbers, resulting in the penalty.
“That’s why during a time-out, I always huddle inside the numbers,” Moon said.
The deflated Braves threw an incomplete pass on the ensuing fourth-down play and Española took over. They ran out the clock for the victory.
The jubilant Sundevils celebrated and drenched Moon after the game with a cooler of water.
“We showed more poise than we’ve shown before,” Moon said. “There was no panic and we stayed intent on doing our job.”
One thing’s for sure — there will be a different feeling at this year’s homecoming dance.
“Now we can enjoy the dance,” Española senior Chris Shamy said.
The Sundevils improved to 2-3. On Friday they face Farmington, the team that defeated Española in last year’s Sundevil homecoming game.