Until halfway through the second quarter, the Española Valley Sundevils went toe-to-toe Oct. 9 with the mistake-prone Capital High School Jaguars.
But Kevin Morales broke up a 7-7 tie with a touchdown with just over five minutes left in the first half, and he would run effortlessly through the Sundevils’ defense after that, adding a second score to give the Jaguars a 21-7 lead at halftime.
Morales rushed for two touchdowns in the second half to lead Capital to a 42-13 road victory. He finished with 234 yards rushing, most of his yards coming after taking an option pitch from quarterback Beau Graham.
“That was a big part of the game plan coming in,” Capital coach Steven Castille said. “Our tailback (Morales) had a breakout performance.”
Capital scored first in the game with 6:21 left in the first quarter on a pass from Graham to Isaiah Lovato. It didn’t take the Sundevils long to answer.
Ryan Fresquez took the ensuing kickoff at his own 2-yard line, burst through a wall of blockers at the 20-yard line and outran the Jaguars to score on a 98-yard return. Dustin Casados’ extra point tied the score at 6:05 of the first half.
Capital muffed Española’s ensuing kickoff and the ball bounced around the turf until Capital finally recovered it on their own 12-yard line. It was one of many missed opportunities by the Sundevils. The Jaguars fumbled the ball seven times, but Española only recovered two of them. The Sundevils also dropped two interceptions that were potential touchdowns.
“If we recover just half of those fumbles and hold on to those interceptions, it’s a different game,” Española coach Bill Moon said. “You can think we could have, should have, but we didn’t play well enough to beat them.”
Española missed a second opportunity to take momentum in the game with the score tied at 7-7 in the second quarter. The Sundevils had a first down at Capital’s 16-yard line, but failed to move the ball. Capital took over on downs and drove downfield for Morales’ first touchdown.
The Sundevils lost more than just a game. Linebacker Jared Daniels, who started the game at fullback and carried the ball on Española’s first two plays, limped off the field with a knee injury after his second carry and did not return.
Sundevil quarterback Mike Aragon, himself a replacement for injured starter Isaiah Serrano, hurt his right (throwing) arm in the second half and was replaced by freshman Antonio Garcia. Garcia led the Sundevils to the game’s final score, throwing a touchdown pass to Ricky Gonzales after Capital had taken a 42-7 lead.
“He made a real nice read on it,” Española assistant coach Matthew Abeyta. “He found the short receiver.”
Moon, who declined to discuss Aragon or Daniels’ injuries, indicated Española will start Garcia at quarterback for the remaining games. The Sundevils travel Friday to Taos.