Pigskin Clovis native Kamal Cass has led Eastern New Mexico University and the Lone Star Conference in rushing the last two seasons. What’s he planning for his final season? “Whatever I’ve got to do.”
Preview
2017 Inside
Portales lost a talented senior class from its Class 4A state championship team, but returns a slate of talent, including linebacker Logan McDaniel. The Rams enter 2017 knowing a target is on their backs.
Content by ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Alisa Boswell Tony Bullocks Thomas Garcia Zech Lucero Peter Stein Dave Wagner Kevin Wilson
Clovis Portales Texico Floyd Melrose San Jon Tucumcari Dora Logan Bovina Farwell Muleshoe ENMU
2-3 4-5 6 6 8 9 10 11 11 12 12 13 14-15
When he wasn’t picking off passes in the secondary, Sterling Sena was quarterbacking Melrose to its third-straight eight-man championship. The Buffaloes are likely favorites to pull off what would be the classification’s first four-peat since New Mexico added eight-man football in 2006.
Rosters were supplied by area coaches, athletic directors and Maxpreps.com, and current at press time.
A publication of
PAGE 2 ✦ WEDNESDAY, AUG. 23, 2017
PIGSKIN PREVIEW
CLOVIS MEDIA INC.
CLOVIS WILDCATS Cats start anew
❏ Native Wildcat Fullerton takes reins of Clovis team looking to rise in Class 6A. By Peter Stein STAFF WRITER pstein@thenews.email
CLOVIS — The last time Clovis’ football team had a head coach other than Eric Roanhaus, Jimmy Carter was turning down thermostats in the White House. That was 1977. Cal Fullerton hadn’t even been born yet. Now, 40 years later, Fullerton begins his journey as Wildcats’ head coach. Fullerton — a Clovis quarterback for Roanhaus in the 1990s and most recently an offensive coordinator under Roanhaus — has the skill set. And he’s already begun using it. Fullerton has his own mind, WILDCATS he’s his own man. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t gleaned a few things from Roanhaus, who resigned his position after 39 years as head coach. “Organization for sure,” Fullerton said. “He was the most organized guy I’ve ever been around, and that helps in all phases of life, not just football. Being organized, always having a plan, it’s just something that he’s taught me that I’ll never forget.” Fullerton says his predecessor also taught him about reducing mental mistakes, which Fullerton and his staff have worked on with the current players throughout preseason practices. “Coach Roanhaus always said, ‘dumb
Staff photo: Kevin Wilson
Cal Fullerton, a 1997 Clovis High graduate, is entering his first season as head coach for the Clovis Wildcats. people can play football, but dumb people can’t win football games,’” Fullerton recalled. “So that goes a long way. I think that guy knows what he’s talking about.” Aside from sanding down those early rough edges, dealing with those basics in practice, Fullerton is adding some new wrinkles to the system, establishing his own identity, while
not throwing out everything that came before. “The terminology’s going to change a little bit,” Fullerton said. “We’re going to try to bring the play-calling down a little bit to make it a little simpler and a little faster, but we’re still going to run the same stuff pretty much. I’ve always thought you’ve got to run the ball to win big football games, so that’s going to be
our main thing, we’re going to be able to run the football. But at the same time we’re not going to be afraid to pass it on first, second down, whenever we need to. “So the philosophical side of it is — run the football to win games, but throw it when we need to.” To accomplish the latter, senior Brandt
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PIGSKIN PREVIEW
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 23, 2017 ✦ PAGE 3
Staff photo: Kevin Wilson
Senior Aaron Heredia hauls in a catch during Wildcat practice. Davis seemed to have the edge in the preseason quarterback competition. “Brandt’s been around the program a long time,” Fullerton said. “He’s grown up a Wildcat, (his father, assistant Darrell Davis) has coached here forever. He knows what it means to be a Wildcat, he’s a tough kid. ... Right now Brandt looks like he could lead the team and win us football games. ... Brandt is competing as good as anybody.” Fullerton is also confident in the ground attack. “I think we’ve got four or five running backs that can constantly win football games for us, or at least constantly move the football for us,” he said. “I think our o-line has really looked good ... and behind those big guys I think we have four or five running backs that are really dangerous when they touch the football.” Fullerton made specific mention of senior Seth Lopez, a third-year varsity starter who can be effective in both the running and passing games. “We’ve got him split out a little bit at receiver and at running back,” Fullerton said. “He’s kind of one of those kids that you can put in multiple positions and he can hurt defenses any time he touches the ball. So we’re just trying to move him around and get him the football whenever we can.” Clearly, Fullerton already has an idea of how he will approach the season. Even during the first week of practice, he was already settled in, not just with regard to his own comfort level, but in the players’ eyes, too. “It’s been a smooth transition from Coach Roanhaus to Coach Cal,” Davis said. “Pretty much the same offensive system that we’ve had for a long time.” “Coach Cal really brings a new energy to the team,” senior center Stevin Lindsey said. “I’m super excited for the season.”
Roster
Clovis breakdown District: 2-6A 2016 record: 8-4 (4-1 district) Head coach: Cal Fullterton (1st year, 0-0) State titles: 13 (1960, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1991, 1994, 2001) Last playoff appearance: 2016 (lost to Las Cruces 35-14 in quarterfinal round) Returning starters: 6 offense, 6 defense Key offensive players: C Stevin Lindsey, RB Seth Lopez Key defensive players: Joe Gallegos and Tomas Gallegos, both safeties, no relation Biggest team strength: The seniors — about 40, Fullerton estimates. Not all of them will see much time, but the program doesn’t plan to cut a senior. “They want to be here for this, we want them to be here for this,” Fullerton said. Biggest team struggle: “Despite the large number of seniors, our inexperience in the starting positions,” Fullerton said. Key game on schedule: Hobbs, Friday. The Eagles are no longer a district opponent, but they’re still a rival and Fullerton feels the team has to worry about the challenges that are right in front of them before looking down the road.
Schedule August: 25 — Hobbs, 7 p.m. September: 1 — Carlsbad, 7 p.m.; 8 — at Rio Rancho, 7 p.m.; 15 — Goddard, 7 p.m.; 29 — at Lubbock Cooper, 7 p.m. October: 7 — at Eldorado, 2 p.m.-x; 13 — Manzano, 7 p.m.-x; 20 — at Santa Fe, 7 p.m.-x; 27 — Sandia, 7 p.m.-x. November: 3 — at La Cueva, 7 p.m.-x. x-Denotes District 2-6A games.
Staff photo: Kevin Wilson
Defensive coordinator Drew Hatley pushes the players during a formation drill.
# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 13 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 28 29 30 32 33 39 42 43 49 52 54 55 57 58 62 63 65 66 67 68 70 71 72 73 74 75 77 79 81 82 85 86 88 90
Name Year Demerious Milton Sr. Rheal Kuchta Sr. Seth Lopez Sr. Xavier Rodriguez Jr. Seth Damron Sr. Joe Gallegos Sr. Elijah Cobb Sr. Nickolas Perez Sr. Johnathon Avila Sr. Chance Harris Fr. Darian Goins Sr. Jailen Gallegos Jr. Ben Foster Sr. Deven Ulses Sr. Brandt Davis Sr. Caden Zarikta Jr. Adrian Fitch Sr. Jaylen Mason Jr. Montez Wright Jr. Demarco Fitch Jr. Jeremiah Lucero Jr. Tomas Gallegos Sr. Xaysaleumsack Jr. Khamphai Austin Fuentes Sr. Ricky Ulses Sr. Guillermo Sr. Montanez Andrew Jaramillo Jr. Masen Austin Sr. Jack Palla Sr. Kabel Brooks Sr. Jiles Masiclat Sr. D’Angelo Green Jr. Josiah Thomas Sr. Stephen Acosta Jr. Darius Phillips Sr. Dakota Foust Jr. Sterling Muse Sr. Fernando Guzman Sr. David Daffern Sr. Chris Gurule Sr. Hunter St. John Sr. Victor Gonzales Sr. Stevin Lindsey Sr. Josh Masaniai Sr. Ethan Encinias Jr. Steve Negrete Sr. Marselo Roy Sr. Armando Ramos Sr. Adam Reid Sr. Jacob Howell Sr. Aaron Heredia Sr. Neil Nguyen Sr. Efren Sr. Boceanegra III Cisco Cobian Sr. Larry St. John Sr. Ian Yrueagas Jr.
Pos. RB/C WR-SS RB/C WR-FS RB/C WR-FS WR-C WR-OLB RB-LB QB-SS QB-FS WR-FS TE-OLB TE-DE QB-LB QB-C RB-C WR-SS RB-C RB-C RB-FS WR-FS TE-OLB
Ht 5-7 5-10 5-5 5-10 5-10 5-10 5-10 5-7 5-7 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-3 6-2 6-0 5-9 5-5 6-2 5-8 5-7 5-7 5-11 5-10
Wt 165 180 150 170 160 150 155 185 205 180 185 145 200 245 195 150 162 185 155 165 145 160 163
WR-C TE-LB WR-C
5-5 6-1 5-8
150 205 142
RB-DE TE-DE K-P K-P WR-DE OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DE OL-DL OL-DL OL-DE OL-DE OL-DL C-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DL OL-DE OL-DL OL-DL WR-FS WR-FS WR-FS
5-11 5-10 6-1 6-2 5-9 6-3 6-2 6-1 5-10 6-0 6-0 5-9 5-10 5-10 6-3 5-7 5-11 5-10 5-11 5-9 6-3 5-9 6-4 6-4 5-11 5-9 5-11
195 205 165 175 165 210 280 235 220 190 210 190 265 210 220 243 220 205 210 245 270 200 345 270 150 177 155
TE-OLB TE-OLB TE-LB
5-10 6-1 5-10
205 185 200
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PAGE 4 ✦ WEDNESDAY, AUG. 23, 2017
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PORTALES RAMS
Correspondent photo: Alisa Boswell
Portales defensive end Fred Johnson moves to tackle quarterback Tyrese Dawson during practice.
Repeat will require reload By Dave Wagner SPORTS WRITER dwagner@thenews.email
PORTALES — How do you top a state championship? Simple, you try to win another one. The Portales Rams are in that position after posting a 12-1 record in 2016, capped by a 43-14 rout of Robertson in the Class 4A state championship game. As usual, there’s a lot of work to be done to prepare for a new season, and key graduation losses to replace — not the least of which are quarterback Junior Ramirez and running back Darion Ontiveros. The Rams, who also reached the 4A semifinals in 2015, open the season on Friday at Texico. “We lost a lot of guys at key positions,” sixth-year coach Jaime Ramirez said. “No matter what, when (new) guys haven’t been in those positions, it’s an area of concern. “We did a good job of playing a lot of juniors last year, and that will help.” The Rams have around a half-dozen players on each side of the ball with starting experience or at least significant playing time. “Our progress is probably a little slower than what it’s been the last couple of years,” Ramirez said. “We have some work to do to get better.” Most of the skill positions on offense have competition for playing time. Seniors Tyrese Dawson and Julian Urioste are vying for the quarterback slot after seeing duty at wide receiver last season. Ramirez said whichever one does not end up starting under center will play a slot receiver position. Others who saw major duty on offense last year include running back Marc Lovato, wide receiver Jose Solorzano and center Isaac Gomez, all seniors. “We lost some good players, but we’ve gained players who can become as good as those guys were last year,” said Lovato, who also is a returning starter at free safety. As a senior and a likely
“They circle our name on their schedule, and they want to beat us. We have to be better-prepared, more focused and more disciplined.” — Portales coach Jaime Ramirez
two-way starter, Lovato said he realizes it’s on him to pick up more of a leadership role. “I’m sure playing both sides (of the ball), I’ll have more responsibility,” he said. “There’s some — not really pressure, but some opportunities.” Among candidates at the skill positions are seniors Ethan Self and Braden Bridges and junior Hasan Howard at wide receiver; junior Julian Garcia and sophomore Romeo Gbassagee at running back, and seniors Juan Espinoza and Jace Wallace, junior Jakeb Killette and sophomore Jalen Allen at slot receiver. Other than Gomez, the offensive line will be all new. Likely starters are senior Logan McDaniel and sophomore Philip Blidi at the tackles, and senior Paul Gallegos and sophomore Gavriel Gaona at the guards. On defense, PHS returns three regulars at the linebacker positions in McDaniel and fellow seniors Enrique “Kiki” Cabral and Josiah Lucero. Meantime, Urioste and Dawson are listed as cornerbacks, although whichever one plays QB is likely to see less time on defense. Senior Braden Bridges is a candidate at safety with Lovato, while several others are competing for playing time. The three-man front includes Blidi and Gomez at the ends and Gbassagee at nose guard. Other than reversing the sites, the Rams’ schedule is identical to last season for Week 6, where PHS has replaced Espanola Valley with a home game against Socorro. Ramirez said the Rams expect to get pretty much everybody’s best shot. “They circle our name on their schedule, and they
want to beat us,” he said. “We have to be better-prepared, more focused and more disciplined.” Lovato, though, said it doesn’t feel different from any other season, despite the team coming off a state title. “I feel the same as any other year,” he said. “I don’t feel any different. It’s a new season, and hopefully we can go all the way again.”
Por tales breakdown District: 4-4A 2016 record: 12-1 (4-0 district) Head coach: Jaime Ramirez (6th year, 38-20) State titles: 5 (1979, 1981, 1988, 2008, 2016) Last playoff appearance: 2016 (beat Robertson 43-14 in championship game) Returning starters: 5 offense, 5 defense Key offensive players: Sr. QB/SB Tyrese Dawson; junior QB/SB Julian Urioste; Sr. RB Marc Lovato; Sr. SB Juan Espinoza.
Key defensive players: Sr. LB Logan McDaniel; Sr. LB Kiki Cabral; So. DE Phillip Blidi. Biggest team strength: Linebackers on defense, receivers on offense, where the team has the most returning experience. Area of concern: Youth and inexperience at key positions. “Some guys will have to step up,” Ramirez said. Key game on schedule: Ramirez declined to pick one game, saying the four district contests should all be challenging. “I expect all the (district) teams are going to be pretty good,” he said.
Correspondent photo: Alisa Boswell
Right guard Isaac Gomez kicks off during drills as the Rams open their final week of preseason practice.
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WEDNESDAY, AUG. 23, 2017 ✦ PAGE 5
Roster # 7 8 9 11 12 16 20 22 27 32 40 42 44 50 52 54 64 74 77 78 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Name Year Pos. Matthew WR n/a Coronado Hassan Howard OLB n/a Louis Valenzuela Jr. WR/ CB Freddie Exiga n/a K Julian Urioste WR/CB Jr. Marc Lovato Sr. RB/OLB Jose Solorzano Sr. WR/OLB Julian Garcia Jr. RB/MLB Juan Espinoza Sr. WR Romeo So. RB Gbassagee Chaney Hancock Sr. RB/OLB Enrique Cabral Sr. RB/MLB Logan McDaniel Sr. LB Isaac Gomez Sr. T/OLB Ethan Short Jr. G/MLB Paul Gallegos Sr. G/DT Isiah Saiz So. n/a Mario Cordova n/a n/a Sergio Encinias n/a n/a Fred Johnson n/a n/a Aaron Burciaga n/a n/a Braden Bridges n/a n/a Ethan Self n/a n/a Isaiah Ornelas n/a n/a Jakeb Killette Sr. SB/OLB Jayden Killette Jr. WR/FS Phillip Blidi n/a n/a Tim Garcia n/a n/a Wromiah n/a n/a Gbassagee Zac Grubbs n/a n/a
Ht 5-8
Wt 139
5-10 n/a 5-10 5-11 Sr. 6-3 5-7 5-9 n/a
155 n/a 160 150
n/a 5-5 5-10 n/a 5-9 6-2 n/a 6-2 5-9 5-9 n/a 6-1 n/a n/a 5-9 n/a n/a n/a n/a
n/a 180 180 n/a 165 n/a n/a 245 223 155 n/a 180 n/a n/a 170 n/a n/a n/a n/a
n/a
n/a
169 160 n/a
Schedule
Correspondent photo: Alisa Boswell
Rams wide receiver Braden Bridges gains extra yards after the catch.
August: 25 — at Texico, 7 p.m. September: 1 — Lovington, 7 p.m.-x; 8 — West Las Vegas, 7 p.m.; 16 — at St. Michael’s, 1:30 p.m.; 22 — at Dexter, 7 p.m.; 29 — Socorro, 7 p.m. October: 6 — at Hope Christian, 7 p.m.-x; 20 — Ruidoso, 7 p.m.-x; 27 — at Moriarty, 7 p.m.-x. November: 3 — New Mexico Military, 7 p.m.-x. x-Denotes District 4-4A games.
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TEXICO WOLVERINES Roster
Staff photo: Tony Bullocks
Texico head coach Patrick Crowley gets the team fired up at the start of a practice session.
Offense, D get makeover Texico breakdown
District: 5-3A 2016 record: 5-6 (4-0 district) Head coach: Patrick Crowley (1st year, 0-0) State titles: 6 (1983, 1990, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2008) Last playoff appearance: 2016 (lost to Eunice 26-22 in quarterfinal round) Returning starters: 4 offense, 6 defense Key offensive players: RB Tyler Romans.; WR Cayd Bilbrey.; QB Brayden Wines.; WR Craig Ray. Key defensive players: DL Colter Figg.; MLB Chris Harrison.
# 2 3 4 5 10 12 15 22 24 32 35 50 53 56 60 63 64 67 70 71 72 73 74 75 80 82 83 86
Name Year Pos. Gabe Dickerman Fr. WR Anders Nelson Fr. QB/WR A.J. Sanders So. WR Cayd Bilbrey Sr. WR Ben Loewen So. QB Brock Thompson Sr. QB Brayden Wines Sr. QB Tyler Romoans Sr. RB Gabriel Bailey Fr. WR Chris Harrison So. WR Tyler Marlin So. RB Colter Figg Jr. OL Troy Teague Fr. OL Brandon Palaia Fr. OL Mason Pieratt Jr. OL Paden McDermid Sr. OL Julian Hernandez So. OL Robby Clauss So. OL Manuel Loera So. OL Collin Haakma So. OL Josh Myers Fr. OL Issac Ortiz Jr. OL Treyton Hedgecock Fr. OL Connor McDermid So. OL Larami Tredway Fr. WR Pacen Hartley Jr. WR Bryce Douma Jr. WR Ruger Horton So. WR
Ht 5-7 5-10 5-8 5-11 5-8 6-1 5-7 5-9 5-10 5-10 5-7 5-9 5-7 5-9 5-9 6-1 5-11 6-2 5-8 6-0 5-9 6-0 5-9 6-0 5-7 6-0 5-11 6-2
Wt 140 155 150 170 140 170 150 165 160 170 150 205 175 180 185 200 215 215 200 180 155 210 165 225 155 125 175 185
Biggest team strength: “Our strengths would have to be our tenacity,” Crowley said. “We have 29 kids and each fight for a position every day. Also our biggest August: 25 — Portales, 7 p.m. strength would have to be my assistant coaches.” September: 1 — Dexter, 7 p.m.; 8 — at Fort Sumner, 7 Biggest team struggle: “Due to graduating a number of them last year, our biggest team struggle would have p.m.; 15 — at Eunice, 7 p.m.; 22 — Loving, 7 p.m.; 29 — to be our offensive line, and a new learning curve,” Capitan, 7 p.m. October: 6 — at Clayton, 7 p.m.-x; 13 — at Santa Crowley said. “We are installing a brand new offense and Rosa, 7 p.m.-x; 27 — Raton, 7 p.m.-x. defense this season.” November: 3 — Tucumcari, 7 p.m.-x. Key game on schedule: “We just like to take one game x-Denotes District 5-3A games. at a time,” said Crowley.
Schedule
FLOYD BRONCOS Returning core young
Roster
Name Year Pos. Ht Wt Alex Martinez So. RB 5-6 135 Alonso Gallegos So. K 5-4 110 Chance Essary Fr. OL/DE 5-10 155 District: 6-man District 1 Cobe Correa So. OL/DE 5-5 165 2016 record: 2-5 (1-2 district) Daniel Griego Sr. 5-10 160 n/a Head coach: Steve Foust (6th year, 15-24) Edwin-Ivan Pacheco Sr. 5-10 160 n/a State titles: 1 (2000) 8th FB/DE 5-10 145 Last playoff appearance: 2015 (lost to Hondo 40-22 in Ibis Melendez Johnathon Wofford So. CB 5-11 145 championship game) John McDonald Jr. OL/DE 6-3 200 Returning starters: 2 offense, 1 defense Juan Alvarez Fr. WR/CB 5-10 145 Key offensive players: RB Juan Delgado, Jr.; QB Juan Delgado Jr. RB/ILB 5-7 150 Paco Torres, So; OL Cobe Correa, So. Fr. RB/LB 5-8 145 Key defensive players: LB Juan Delgado,; CB Paco Julian Moran Mikey Najera Sr. OL/DE 5-10 240 Torres. So. QB/CB 5-6 145 Biggest team strength: The Broncos seem to use their Paco Torres Fr. OL/DE 5-8 165 great attitudes as a strength. Foust player is coachable Santiago Zamora and works hard, even though they are a young team, Trinity Watson So. RB/DE 6-0 145 they focus on getting better each day. Victor Salazar So. n/a 5-8 150 Biggest team struggle: “The weakness will have to be the little experience we have,” Foust said. “We have one junior and two seniors who did not play much last seaSeptember: 1 — Vaughn, 3 p.m.; 9 — vs. Animas at son, so we are a very young team. Our sophomores and Mescalero, 3 p.m.; 15 — vs. Reserve at Carrizozo, 3 freshmenwill be stepping up this year,” Foust said. Key game on schedule: “We are preparing for each p.m.; 29 — Hondo, 3 p.m. October: 6 — at Roy/Mosquero, 6 p.m.-x; 13 — Lake game,” said Foust. “We are working with our guys to get them prepared, because you can’t just single any team Arthur, 3 p.m.-x; 20 — at San Jon, 3 p.m.-x. x-Denotes 6-man District 1 games. out.”
Floyd breakdown
Schedule
Staff photo: Zech Lucero
Floyd junior running back Juan Delgado finds some open room during an offensive drill. The Broncos host Vaughn Sept. 1 to open the year.
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WEDNESDAY, AUG. 23, 2017 ✦ PAGE 7
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MELROSE BUFFALOES Roster
# 1 2 7 11 12 21 24 25 42 62 62 64 66 88
Name Year Pos. Sterling Sena Sr. QB/DB Tristan Sena So.QB/RB/LB Kendal Burnett Sr. RB/DB Tate Sorgen Fr. TE/ILB Jordan Jasso Sr. TE/DE Carson Fraze Sr. RB/DE Devon Bailey Fr. TE/DE Sam Knight Fr. TE/DB Blake DeVaney Sr. G/MLB Jake Pierce Jr. C/DT Michael De La Rosa Jr. G/DT Chazz McAllister So. G/DT Tatum Trollinger Sr. DB Hunter Sorgen Sr. TE/DE
Ht 5-11 5-8 5-11 6-3 6-6 5-10 6-5 5-10 6-1 5-8 5-10 5-8 5-5 6-2
Wt 150 130 150 185 215 160 175 140 225 179 195 170 135 160
Schedule
Staff photo: Kevin Wilson
Senior Jordan Jasso grabs a reception during a Buffalo practice. Melrose opens defense of the eight-man football title Sept. 1 at Mescalero.
September: 1 — at Mescalero, 7 p.m.; 8 — vs. Mancos, Colo. at Menaul H.S. (Albuquerque), 4 p.m.; 15 — Tatum, 7 p.m.; 21 — vs. Magdalena at Mountainair, 7 p.m.; 29 — Dora, 7 p.m.-x. October: 6 — at Mountainair, 7 p.m.-x; 13 — Logan, 7 p.m.-x; 27 — at Springer, 7 p.m.-x. x-Denotes 8-man District 4 games.
Aiming for first four-peat Breakdown District: 11-1 (4-0 district) Head coach: Dickie Roybal (21st year, 174-56) State titles: 10 (1994, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016) Last playoff appearance: 2016 (beat Gateway Christian 58-39 in championship game) Returning starters: 6 offense, 6 defense Key offensive players: RB Carson Fraze, Sr.; QB Sterling Sena, Sr.; G Blake DeVaney, Sr.; TE Jordan Jasso, Sr. Key defensive players: DeVaney at LB, Fraze and Jasso DE, Sena, DB, Hunter Sorgen NG Biggest team strength: “Our strength would be our senior leadership, I would think,” Roybal said. “They’ve been running the same stuff since they were seventh-graders, and this is the biggest senior group we’ve had in a while.” Biggest team struggle: Depth. “The numbers are the struggle this year. If we can keep everybody healthy, we’ll have a chance to do some good things.” Key game on schedule: Mountainair, Staff photo: Kevin Wilson Oct. 6. Coach Dickie Roybal watches as Blake DeVaney, left, and Chazz McAllister fight for position. Roybal is entering his 21st season at the helm of the Buffaloes.
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WEDNESDAY, AUG. 23, 2017 ✦ PAGE 9
SAN JON COYOTES
Staff photo: Kevin Wilson
San Jon/Grady Coyotes assistant coach Marc Salad, right front, and head coach Adrian Jones, right back, work with players during a pass drill.
San Jon seeking repeat in six-man Roster
San Jon/Grady breakdown District: District 1 6-man 2016 record: 8-0 (3-0 district) Head coach: Adrian Jones (first year, 0-0) State titles: 1 (2017) Last playoff appearance: 2017 (beat Lake Arthur 47-46 in title game) Returning starters: 4 offense, 4 defense Key offensive players: Jake Thurman, running back, Austin Bayes, receiver, Lucas Whitehead, receiver Key defensive players: Jake Thurman, David Lowery, Austin Bayes, Biggest team strength: Jones said the team supports one another and is like a family. Biggest team struggle: Jones said players will need to step up on defense, to fill in the gaps. He said there are three players who have never played defense before starting this year. Key game on schedule: Jones said even though it is toward the end of the schedule, Lake Arthur is going to be the key game for the season. He said that game will show them know where they stand before entering the post season.
No. 18 20 24 30
Name Chance Shaw Austin Bayes Jay Teachout David Lowery
Yr. Sr. Sr. n/a Jr.
31 37 80 81 85
Jake Thurman Sr. Jockamo Pearson Sr. Michael Shaw Fr. Lucas Whitehead Sr. Chad Becerra Fr.
Schedule August: 25 — at Vaughn, 5 p.m. September: 1 — Hondo, 3 p.m.; 8 — vs. Reserve at Carrizozo, 5 p.m.; 21 — at New Mexico School for the Deaf, 4 p.m.; 29 — at Roy,
6 p.m.-x. October: 6 — Lake Arthur, 3 p.m.-x; 20 — Floyd, 3 p.m.-x. x-Denotes 6-man District 1 games.
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TUCUMCARI RATTLERS
Courtesy photo: Shannon Aragon
Tucumcari Rattlers linebacker Xavier Garcia zeroes in on the Robertson quarterback during Thursday's scrimmage at Las Vegas.
Rattlers to rely on youth ❏ Ferguson credits team for progress it has made since two-a-days began. By Thomas Garcia STAFF WRITER tgarcia@qcsuonline.com
TUCUMCARI — The Tucumcari Rattlers are not making any excuses, knowing their younger players will need to learn on the go as they step up to fill skill positions on both sides of the ball. The offensive and defensive lines showed a lot of promise in the scrimmage Thursday against the Class 4A Robertson Cardinals, said Wayne Ferguson, Rattlers head football coach. Ferguson said the trip to Las Vegas gave the coaches a chance to see what areas they are strong in and what areas still need work. “Robertson was the perfect team to scrimmage against,” Ferguson said. “The team is favored to win the championship in 4A and the Cardinals played aggressive.” Ferguson said the unofficial debut of Casey Carter as the Rattlers quarterback had some high notes. He said Carter has come a long way since last year, where he had limited starts with the varsity team. “Casey has grown a lot as a player, he has gone from filling in as quarterback to taking 95 percent of the snaps with the offense,” Ferguson said. Ferguson said against the Cardinals, Carter displayed the ability to scramble when pressured and good judgment with the football. He said there was one instance where Carter tried to force the pass, but overall he played disciplined. Ferguson said the aggressive play of the Cardinals exposed weakness on defense, including the inexperience in the secondary. “These are areas we need to work
Tucumcari breakdown # 8 10 11 12 17 20 21 22 23 30 32 33 34 40 43 44 45 54 “Casey has grown a lot as a player, he has gone from filling in as 60 63 quarterback to taking 95 percent of the snaps with the offense.” 67 — Tucumcari coach Wayne Ferguson on the progression of junior quarterback Casey Carter 68 69 70 72 August: 25 — Escalante, 7 p.m. September: 2 — at Albuquerque Academy, 2 p.m.; 8 — at Estancia, 7 p.m.; 74 75 15 — Dexter, 7 p.m.; 22 — Fprt Sumner, 7 p.m.; 29 — at Eunice, 7 p.m. October: 6 — Raton, 7 p.m.; 20 — at Clayton, 7 p.m.-x; Oct. 27 — Santa 76 77 Rosa, 7 p.m.-x. 78 November: 3 — at Texico, 7 p.m.-x. 79 x-Denotes District 5-3A games. 80 on and the guys played against a top son is upon them and the Rattlers, 82
Roster
Name Year Casey Carter Jr. Alijah Jimenz Fr. Simon Garcia Fr. Andrew Castell So. Julian Calbert Fr. Jeffery Knox Fr. Saul Ramos Sr. Caleb White Fr. Rod Dunlap Jr. Josh Goode Sr. Seth Martinez Jr. Julian Vargas So. Cisco Martinez So. Jonathan Clark Jr. Robbie Hartmann So. Xavier Garcia Sr. Toriano Lampkin So. Dre Romo So. Will Delgado Sr. Colt Garcia Fr. Ignacia Martinez Jr. Dyson Clark Fr. Isiaha Valverde Sr. Will Norton Fr. Daniel Chavarria Fr. Jeremiah Cordova So. Kaleb Hayes Jr. Devon Apodaca Fr. Miguel Soria Fr. Tim Reid Sr. Jordan Marquez Fr. Tony Lopez Sr. Gerardo Jr. tier team that showed them where both veteran and rookie, need to be Villa-Vargas they need to improve,” Ferguson said. ready to battle when they step out 84 Chris Chavez Sr. Ferguson said ready or not the sea- onto the field.
District: 3-3A 2016 record: 1-9 (1-3 district) Head coach: Wayne Ferguson (seventh season, 19-54) State titles: 2 (1959, 2002) Last playoff appearance: 2015 (lost to Texico 34-7 in Class 3A first round) Returning starters: 5 offense, 6 defense Key offensive players: Ferguson said junior quarterback Casey Carter has speed and can scramble with the football, senior Xavier Garcia at fullback will add to the backfield. Key defensive players: Ferguson said linebackers Garcia and senior Saul Ramos and Kaleb Hayes will lead the defense. Biggest team strength: “Our offensive and defensive lines have shown a lot of growth since the start of practice,” Ferguson said. Biggest team struggle: Ferguson said the team has some inexperienced players in skilled positions on both offense and defense. He said those players are going to have to learn on the go this season. Key game on schedule: “Every game is going to be a key game for us this season,” Ferguson said.
Schedule
Pos. QB/S QB/LB WR/C QB/LB WR/C RB/C TE/LB RB/S WR/S TE/DE RB/CB TE/LB WR/CB RB/C FB/DE FB/LB RB/LB G/DE G/NG G/T G/T C/T G/T C/T T/T T/T T/DE T/T T/T T/T T/T WR/CB WR/S
Ht 5- 11 5-9 5-7 5-6 5-7 5-8 6-0 5-8 5-9 5- 0 5-10 5- 0 5- 7 5-8 5-8 5-11 5-9 5-10 5-9 5-9 5-4 5-10 5-9 5-6 6-0 5-10 6-0 6-2 5-10 6-2 6-0 5-8 5-11
Wt 140 170 125 150 115 130 215 140 150 175 165 150 145 155 180 185 170 190 185 180 220 200 270 245 205 200 220 205 275 185 240 120 135
WR/CB
5-9
145
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WEDNESDAY, AUG. 23, 2017 ✦ PAGE 11
LOGAN LONGHORNS Staff photo: Thomas Garcia
New Logan Longhorns football Coach Scott Dean, left, watches the play develop as junior Kyle Knight, center, pitches the football to running back Austin Earle.
Veteran Logan team lands new coach Logan breakdown
Schedule
District: District 4 8-man 2016 record: 3-7 (1-3 district) Head coach: Scott Dean (first seaason, 0-0) State titles: None. Last playoff appearance: 2016 (lost to Mountainair 56-8 in first round) Returning starters: 6 offense, 5 defense Key offensive players: Kyle Knight, quarterback, Dean said while no positions have been made official the team will need to prove themselves. Key defensive players: Trev Rinestine, defensive lineman Biggest team strength: Dean said it is too early to determine the team’s biggest strength, as the season progresses they will have a better understanding of their abilities. Biggest team struggle: Dean said seven freshman will have to make the transition from JV to varsity level play. “We are also not 100 percent healthy as the season approaches,” he said. Key game on schedule: at Melrose, Oct. 13.
August: 25 — at Tatum, 7 p.m. September: 1 — Gateway Christian, 7 p.m.; 9 — vs. Mesilla Valley at Mountainair, 2 p.m.; 15 — Boise City, Okla., 7 p.m.; 22 — at Foothill, 1 p.m.; 29 — Springer, 7 p.m. October: 13 — at Melrose, 7 p.m.-x; 20 — at Dora, 7 p.m.; 27 — Mountainair, 7 p.m.-x. x-Denotes 8-man District 4 games,
Roster # 6 7 10 11 22 24 30 31 45 72 75 77 80 82 88
Name Year Pos. Kyle Knight Jr. QB/FS Jatzen Paris So. QB/WR/CB Chase Hittson Jr. RB/LB/TE Mason Collins Sr. RB/LB Jordan Evans Fr. WR?DB Wyatt Wright Fr. TE/DB Gary Trujillo So. WR/FS Jason Knight Fr. TE/WR Nick Brown Fr. RB/LB Trev Rinestine Sr. OL/DL Chase Earler Jr. OL/DL Robert Stringfellow So. OL/DL Kaiden Jones Jr. TE/LB Ryan Fair Fr. WR/DB Austin Earle Fr. RB/OL/LB
Ht 5-10 5-10 6-1 6-0 5-9 5-7 5’8, 5-11 5-7 6-1 6-1 6-0 5-5 5-7 5-4
Wt 145 138 180 180 150 130 120 150 145 220 205 245 170 125 135
DORA COYOTES
Experienced nucleus leads squad Dora breakdown
Staff photo: Zach Lucero
Dora senior quarterback Hayden Skinner takes the ball behind senior running back Kaull Burton. The Coyote roster includes six seniors.
Roster
Name Aaron Garcia Aaron Jasso Adrian Baeza Alex Urioste
Year Jr. Sr. Jr. Fr.
Austen Jones Baylee Odor Ethan Tapia Hayden Skinner Hunter Jones
So. So. Jr. Sr. So.
Joseph Urioste Kaull Burton Levi Kline Logan Victor Marcus Pallares
So. Sr. Jr. So. Jr.
Slade Hamann Toby Burke Tyler Newman Wesley Poling Zaccary Dewbre
Sr. Sr. Fr. So. Sr.
District: District 4 8-man 2016 record: 6-5 (2-2 district) Head coach: Mason McBee (7th year, 38-23) State titles: None Last playoff appearance: 2016 (lost to Magdalena 5444 in semifinals) Returning starters: 6 offense, 6 defense Key offensive players: QB Hayden Skinner, Sr.; RB Kaull Burton, Sr. Key defensive players: MLB Kaull Burton, Sr. Biggest team strength: “Our strength would have to be the depth we have as a team,” said McBee. “The returning knowledge we have really helps a lot.” Biggest team struggle: “The struggle we have right now is that we have some guys not familiar with eightman football,” McBee said. “We had a few guys come from Elida, so just some minor things at the moment that can be worked on.” Key game on schedule: “We have a pretty good schedule this year,” said McBee. “There are games we should win, and games that will be a toss up, but most importantly our district games are key, and Mesilla Valley is important if we want a higher seed.”
Schedule August: 25 — Mesilla Valley, 7 p.m. September: 1 — Tsi Yi Gai, 2 p.m.; 8 — at Tatum, 7 p.m.; 15 — at Menaul, 6 p.m.; 22 — Gateway Christian, 7 p.m.; 29 — at Melrose, 7 p.m.-x. October: 6 — Springer, 7 p.m.-x; 13 — at Mountainair, 7 p.m.-x; 20 — Logan, 7 p.m.-x. x-Denotes 8-man District 4 games.
PAGE 12 ✦ WEDNESDAY, AUG. 23, 2017
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FARWELL STEERS Roster
# 2 3 4 10 14 18 20 21 22 23 27 29 32 34 36 37 42 46 50 52 53 55 60 63 64 65 66 68 72 73 75 77 80 88
Name John Mitchell LeeRoy Cervantes Leo Ruiz Jose Rodriguez Leefe Aktinson Ethan Stancell Angel Pena Jeremiah Smith Patrick Pena Miguel Vasquez Guerro Olmos Edgar Fierro Hyland Foster Ricardo Ortega Dustin Ray Fabian Lozano Isaiah Armstrong Sloan Osborne Juan Silva Eduardo Ortega Kurt Bryant Sterling Henderson Luke Mitchell Christian Barrett Spencer Schilling Facio Germain Hector Cecena Chase Lamb Trace Stancell Parker Mahaney Jesus Guerra Chris Herrera Louis Germain Aaron Meza
Yr. Pos. Ht Wt Sr. TE/DL 6-0 185 Sr. RB/LB 5-9 150 So. RB/DB 5-7 140 Fr. WR/OLB 5-11 160 Fr. QB/LB 5-8 140 Sr. QB/OLB 6-4 220 Sr. WR/DB 5-6 135 Sr. RB/LB 5-6 165 Jr. WR/DB 5-5 145 Sr. RB/DG 5-5 145 Fr. RB/DB 5-5 145 Jr. RB/DB 5-5 135 Jr. WR/DB 5-8 130 Jr. RB/LB 5-8 170 So. TE/LB 5-10 160 Fr. WR/DB 5-8 125 Fr. RB/LB 5-6 130 So. TE/OLB 5-9 130 Jr. OL/DL 5-8 200 So. OL/DL 5-6 220 Fr. OL/DL 5-10 200 Jr. OL/LB 6-1 260 Fr. OL/DL 5-11 220 Jr. OL/DL 5-10 200 Fr. OL/LB 5-11 190 Sr. TE/OLB 6-2 190 Fr. OL/DL 5-11 200 Fr. OL/DL 5-10 250 Jr. OL/DL 5-10 235 So. OL/DL 5-10 230 So. OL/DL 5-10 245 Fr. OL/DL 5-11 265 Fr. WR/DB 5-11 118 Jr. OL/OLB 5-11 150
Schedule All times Central September: 1 — Friona, 7:30 p.m.; 8 — at Crosbyton, 7:30 p.m.; 15 — at Olton, 7:30 p.m.; 22 — Sundown, 7:30 p.m. October: 6 — at Post, 7:30 p.m.; 13 — Sudan, 7:30 p.m.-x; 20 — at Smyer, 7:30 p.m.-x; 27 — SpringlakeEarth, 7:30 p.m.-x. November: 3 — at Bovina, 7:30 p.m.-x; 10 — Morton, 7:30 p.m.-x. x - District 3-2A Division II games.
Staff photo: Kevin Wilson
LeeRoy Cervantes stretches for a pass during Steers practice. Farwell opens up Sept. 1 at home against Friona.
Core seeks big finish Far well breakdown District: 3-2A Division II 2016 record: 10-2 (5-0 district) Head coach: Danny Brittain (4th year, 25-10) State titles: none Last playoff appearance: 2016 (lost to Wellington 4312 in area round) Returning starters: 7 offense, 6 defense Key offensive players: RB Miguel Vasquez, Sr.; QB Ethan Stancell, Sr.; RT Sterling Henderson, Jr. Key defensive players: OLB Jeremiah Smith, Sr.; FS LeeRoy Cervantes, Sr.; SS Patrick Pena, Jr. Biggest team strength: Experience in their returners. “We had a lot of kids in a lot of positions, and they got a
lot of playing time,” Brittain said. “We have a great senior group that’s really dedicated to finishing their career out well.” Biggest team struggle: Depth. The Steers have many positions without a No. 2 on the depth chart, and a week into practices there were just six offensive linemen on the varsity. Key games on schedule: “Early on, Sundown will be a big test for us, as well as Post (Sept. 22, Oct. 6),” Brittain said. “Those two in a row taking us into district are huge because they’re going to be good. The big district ballgame is going to be Bovina (Nov. 3).”
BOVINA MUSTANGS
New coach, same Mustangs
Roster
# Name 1 Miguel Rodriguez 2 Moises Perez 3 J.J. Marrufo District: 3-2A Division II 5 Joshua De La Cruz 2016 record: 9-2 (4-1 district) 6 David Lara Head coach: Jonathan 7 Jose Perez Lambright, first season, 0-0 13 Jadon Quintana State titles: none 20 Bryan De La Torre Last playoff appearance: 21 Jacob Quintana 2016 (lost to Seagraves 52-49 in 23 Andres Loera 24 Marco Sanchez bi-district round) Returning starters: 7 offense, 26 Isaias Flores 35 Edgar Olvera 7 defense Key offensive players: WR 50 Osvaldo Snyder 52 Antonio Ortiz Bryan De La Torre, Sr.; WR 53 Artemio Cruz Jadon Quintana, Jr. 54 Gerardo De La Cruz Key defensive players: LB 55 Ernesto Perez Edgar Olvera, Jr.; LB Jacob 56 Orlando Olivas Quintana, Sr. 58 Gerardo Carrillo Biggest team strength: The 62 Armando Ramirez Mustangs seem to focus a lot on 64 Manuel Ramos their mindset and knowing the 65 Noel Vela system on both offense and 77 Miguel Rocha defense. Not much has changed for the Mustangs, so knowing the system is something they are All times Central using as an advantage. September: 1 — at Boys Biggest team struggle: Even Ranch, 7:30 p.m.; 8 — though the players know the sys- Shamrock, 7 p.m.; 15 — at tem, Lambright said, it’s still an Friona, 7:30 p.m.; 22 — adjustment to a new head coach. Olton, 7:30 p.m.; 29 — at Staff photo: Kevin Wilson Key game on schedule: Hale Center, 7:30 p.m. David Lara launches a pass during Thursday’s Mustang practice. Bovina opens October: 13 — Smyer, the season Sept. 1 at Boys Ranch. Farwell, Nov. 3
Breakdown
Pos. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. So. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr.
Yr. n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Ht 5-10 6-2 6-1 5-11 6-2 5-1 5-10 5-6 5-10 6-0 5-5 5-10 5-6 5-10 5-11 5-10 5-10 5-9 5-11 6-5 5-11 5-6 5-11 5-7
Wt 145 160 160 13 140 130 140 145 185 180 195 165 195 170 165 225 190 250 220 300 278 200 293 180
Schedule 7:30 p.m.-x; 20 — at Springlake-Earth, 7:30 p.m.x; 27 — Morton, 7:30 p.m.-x. November: 3 — Farwell, 7:30 p.m.-x; 10 — at Sudan, 7:30 p.m.-x. x-Denotes District 3-2A Division II games.
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WEDNESDAY, AUG. 23, 2017 ✦ PAGE 13
MULESHOE MULLEESS Staff photo: Kevin Wilson
Senior Sergio Solano finds a gap while running the ball during a Mules’ practice.
Roster
Key spots up for grabs Muleshoe breakdown District: 1-3A Division I 2016 record: 8-5 (3-2 district) Head coach: David Wood (22nd year, 179-72) State titles: 1 (2008) Last playoff appearance: 2016 (lost to Brock 48-19 in regional round) Returning starters: 4 offense, 3 defense Key offensive players: QB Luke Del Toro, WR Yoel Reyes, LT Carlos Meza.
Key defensive players: Meza at DE, OLB Isaac Mendoza and CB Romeo Reyes. Wood mentioned Michael Lozano, a running back on offense, will primarily be a safety but can play five different defensive positions and won’t sit out crucial plays. Biggest team strength: “Tradition,” Wood said. “We have no standouts, no superstars, no prima donnas, no blue-chippers. Tradition’s going to have to carry us.”
Biggest team struggle: Youth. “All of the experience, all of the leadership graduated,” Wood said. He believes the current slate of players have leadership qualities, but they still need to find them. Key games on schedule: Littlefield, Nov. 3, and Shallowater, Nov. 10. Wood thinks the Mules are good enough to make the playoffs, and those two games will determine what seed they get.
# 2 3 4 5 7 10 11 12 13 14 20 21 24 30 33 40 44 50 52 53 54 55 59 63 67 73 74 78
Name Brady Martinez Matthew Alarcon Romeo Reyes Arturo Conteras Luke Del Toro Jacob Kettner Yoel Reyes Matthew Deleon Justin Carrion Sergio Solano Isaac Mendoza Kelan Florez Ryan Rodriguez Jesus Montiel Ean Hasley Michael Lozano Corbin Hardwick Rudy Ruiz Carlos Meza Luis Franco Moises Vasquez Zach Atwood Ricardo Torres Leonel Camarena Fidel Mendoza Eddie Vasquez Isaac Carreage Fernando Rivas
Pos. Jr. So. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. So. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr.
Yr. WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB K QB/DB WR/DB WR/DB `WR/DB RB/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/LB RB/DB WR/LB WR/DB WR/DE OL/DL OL/DL OL/LB OL/DE OL/LB OL/DE OL/DL OL/DL OL/DE OL/DL WR/LB
Ht 5-5 5-5 5-9 5-7 5-10 6-0 5-9 5-6 5-6 5-4 5-9 5-8 5-10 5-8 5-8 5-7 5-11 5-10 6-2 5-7 5-10 5-8 5-8 5-11 5-9 6-0 5-10 5-7
Wt 140 150 135 140 155 165 155 140 165 130 140 160 205 140 140 145 165 245 215 215 195 175 185 235 190 230 230 190
Schedule All times Central September: 1 — Levelland, 7:30 p.m.; 8 — at Snyder, 7:30 p.m.-x; 15 — Brownfield, 7:30 p.m.-x; 22 — Childress, 7:30 p.m.-x; 29 — at Idalou, 7:30 p.m. October: 13 — at Slaton, 7:30 p.m.-x; 20 — River Road, 7:30 p.m.-x; 27 — at Friona, 7:30 p.m.-x. November: 3 — at Littlefield, 7:30 p.m.-x; 10 — Shallowater, 7:30 p.m.-x. x-Denotes District 1-3A Division I games.
Gridiron action never far away By Kevin Wilson MANAGING EDITOR kwilson@thenews.email
Are you a local football fan? Is Albuquerque or West Texas a little too much of a road trip for you? Consider this your tour guide for 2017. We know most of you are fans of a particular team. When Portales goes to Hope Christian, Ram faithful head to Albuquerque. When Clovis goes to Santa Fe, the purple and white are heading north. For the rest of you football fans, here are some great road trips you can make. The goal is a Friday night game
that’s an hour or less from Clovis and/or Portales.
Week 1, Friday Leon Williams Stadium is the place to be for intrigue. Hobbs brings its pass-heavy offense into Clovis to begin the Cal Fullerton era for the Wildcats. Expectations are for the Wildcats to throw the ball more, but not nearly as much as Hobbs.
Week 2, Sept. 1 Clovis fans will want to stay home for Carlsbad and Portales fans are primed for Lovington.
The rest of you might want to head down to Benny Douglass Stadium in Muleshoe to see the Mules face Levelland. The Lobos topped Muleshoe 56-31 at home last year and eventually reached the Class 4A Division I quarterfinals. They averaged 53 points last year, with three 70-plus games and one 80plus outing.
Week 3, Sept. 8 Get to Fort Sumner early and check out some of the Billy the Kid legend, then stay for the Texico Wolverines. They’ve met
four times in the last five years, and three of the games were decided by a total of five points.
Week 4, Sept. 15 Back to Clovis for homecoming ceremonies. Goddard also has a new coach in Chris White. Clovis leads the overall series 22-9, but Goddard has won four of the last six.
Week 5, Sept. 22 Portales is at Dexter and Clovis is on a bye, so it’s a nice time to head to Texas again. This time, Farwell is hosting Sundown. Last year’s game was tight, with Farwell winning 14-7.
Week 6, Sept. 29 It’s a tough two-week stretch for the Dora Coyotes. Last week the Coyotes faced Gateway Christian, which won the eight-man title in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and finished runnerup to Melrose in 2015 and 2016. This week, the Coyotes are at
Staff photo: Kevin Wilson
Coach Patrick Crowley and quarterback Brayden Wines hope Texico is an exciting show all year, but the best times to see them are likely Friday at home against Portales and Sept. 8 at Fort Sumner.
Melrose.
Week 7, Oct. 6 Dora hosts Springer, and this game wins by default. Everywhere else is pretty far away, with Portales at Hope Christian, Texico at Clayton, Floyd at Roy, Farwell at Post and Melrose at Mountainair.
Week 8, Oct. 13 Manzano at Clovis should be good, but you could do a double-dip in small-town New Mexico. Floyd hosts Lake Arthur in a 3 p.m. sixman game, and you should have plenty of time to make the 7 p.m. Logan at Melrose eight-man contest.
Week 9, Oct. 20 Clovis is at Santa Fe, which it defeated 55-0 last season. Portales is hosting Ruidoso, and recent history has been similarly tilted toward the Rams. If you don’t go to a likely blowout for Portales, flip a coin between Logan visiting
Dora or River Road visiting Muleshoe.
Week 10, Oct. 27 You could drive a little bit to Texas and check out a key game for Muleshoe at Friona. But if you are saving up money for that killer Halloween costume, save the gas and go to Leon Williams Stadium. The Sandia-Clovis matchup is always intriguing.
Week 11, Nov. 3 Clovis is at La Cueva, and if recent history is any indication, Portales will be resting players late against New Mexico Military Institute. But you’ve got a few great smaller-school picks. You can stop at Texico for its home matchup against Tucumcari, or drive a little more and take a fork in the road — to the left for Bovina against Farwell or to the right to go a little farther for Muleshoe visiting Littlefield. All three should have playoff implications.
PAGE 14 ✦ WEDNESDAY, AUG. 23, 2017
PIGSKIN PREVIEW
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ENMU GREYHOUNDS
Staff photo: Kevin Wilson
Senior running back Kamal Cass has led the Lone Star Conference in rushing for the last two seasons and was named a Division II All-American as a junior.
Running on tradition By Peter Stein STAFF WRITER pstein@thenews.email Staff photo: Kevin Wilson
PORTALES — At a cool, clear Wednesdaymorning practice earlier this month, Eastern New Mexico University’s first-year head coach Kelley Lee spent part of his time whacking skill players with a big blue mat, getting them ready for the 250- to 300-pound defenders who would soon look to whack them a lot harder. Lee was trying to prepare his Greyhounds for anything, and they think they are prepared for when those defenders will be charging at them, for when the weather won’t be so ideal, for the games they hope are steps up a seasonlong ladder with a deep playoff run at the top. The confidence seems to be well-founded. Though Lee is a rookie head coach for ENMU, he spent five years as the team’s offensive coordinator under Josh Lynn, who stepped down in January. And Lee has the benefit of eight returning defensive starters, seven on offense, as he looks to improve upon last year’s 7-5 record that ended with a 45-12 loss to Fort Hays State in the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl. “I think we’ll be a better team this year,” Lee said. “I don’t know what the other teams are going to have; they may be better, they may not, I don’t know. I know that we’ve got a better unit and we feel good about our squad.”
Kelley Lee, who served under Josh Lynn as offensive coordinator, was elevated to the head coaching position after Lynn took a position with NebraskaKearney. This is the first college head coach position for Lee, who previously served as head coach at Valencia High.
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Roster No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Staff photo: Kevin Wilson
Sophomore quarterback Wyatt Strand lofts a screen pass over the outstretched arms of senior defensive lineman Trey Smith. “I think we can be great. ... I feel like we can be way better than last year,” said senior running back Kamal Cass, a 2014 Clovis graduate who led the Lone Star Conference in rushing the past two seasons and was named its Preseason CoOffensive Player of the Year, along with Texas A&M-Commerce quarterback Luis Perez, in July. “There’s a better feeling in the air this year,” said redshirt sophomore quarterback Wyatt Strand, a second-year starter. Lee’s offense, of course, will all run through Strand, now nicely settled into his role after starting 11 of 12 games last year, completing 64-of-115 passes for 1,305 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was also the team’s second-leading rusher, with 702 yards and 10 scores on the ground. “I feel a lot more confident and comfortable,” said Strand, who hails from Logan. “Last year was rough, but now I can actually tell everybody what they’re supposed to do, so it’s a lot easier this year.” Being able to hand off to the conference’s best runner certainly helps. Cass bolted for 1,191 yards and 14 touchdowns last year, following up his 2015 sophomore season in which he rushed for 1,514 yards and 22 scores. Cass has one
ENMU breakdown Conference: Lone Star Conference 2016 record: 7-5 (6-3 LSC) Head coach: Kelley Lee (first season, 0-0) Last postseason appearance: 2015 (lost to Texico 347 in Class 3A first round) Returning starters: 7 offense, 8 defense Key offensive players: Sr. RB Kamal Cass, So. QB Wyatt Strand, Sr. RB D’Maujeric Tucker. Key defensive players: Sr. DB Desmond Blue, Sr. DB Todd Countee, Sr. LB Brad Hardin Key game on schedule: at Texas A&M-Commerce, Sept. 16. Countee said during LSC Media Day that was a game the team had circled, and promised there wouldn’t be a repeat of the Lions’ 49-10 rout.
Schedule August: 31 — Southwest Baptist, 7 p.m. September: 9 — at Western New Mexico, noon-x; 16 — at Texas A&M-Commerce, 5 p.m.-x; 23 — Angelo State, 7 p.m.-x; 30 — at West Texas A&M, 5 p.m.-x. October: 7 — Texas-Permian Basin, 7 p.m.-x; 14 — at Tarleton State, 6 p.m.-x; 28 — Texas A&M-Kingsville, 7 p.m.-x. November: 2 — at West Liberty (W. Va.), 4 p.m.; 11 — Midwestern State, 7 p.m.-x. x-Denotes Lone Star Conference games. more chance to deepen his imprint on Division II college ball. “If I’ve got to lead the LSC again, hopefully I could do that,” he said.
“Whatever I’ve got to do to help the team, that’s really my personal goal.” Strand and Cass will be surrounded by other experienced players. “It definitely
helps having (so many) skill guys coming back,” Strand said. “We have pretty much the whole offensive line coming back. ... Everyone pretty much knows the system. ... Feel good about the defense, too.” That unit has a new coordinator, Ivan Cordova, who will run multiple defensive fronts. “We can get a lot of different looks,” Lee said, “but it’s still pretty simple, so it enables our players to play faster and aggressive.” Redshirt junior middle linebacker Brad Hardin, from Aztec, likes what he’s seen so far. “He’s doing really well,” Hardin, a third-year starter, said of Cordova. “He’s got a lot of good ideas, a lot of good schemes. We’re still trying to get used to it, but we have a whole bunch of people returning ... so it’s going to be good.” The offense shouldn’t look much different, with Lee there to run it for the sixth straight season. “We tweak it every year,” he said. “We add wrinkles, we add things to our package. But our base idea, our fundamental offense, is not going to change.” The pieces seem to be there for a special season. “It’s all up to us,” Hardin said. “We can definitely make the playoffs, but it’s all going to depend on us and how we work.”
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92
93 94 95 96 97 Staff photo: Kevin Wilson Junior defensive back Dion Page is there just in time to break up a long pass intended for senior running back 98 99 D’Maujeric Tucker.
Name Pos. Kamal Cass RB Toby Amadi DB Tayshaun Gary RB D’Maujeric Tucker RB Todd Countee DB Paul Terry RB Brad Hardin LB Clarence Cowart LB Johnny Smith RB Dion Hart DB Sanchez Lofton WR Nic Little QB/P Roope Henry LB Terrence Trujillo QB Wyatt Strand QB Simaj Bilal DB Feao Vunipola LB Hayden Hill DL Leondre Williams QB Dante Urrea DB Charles Countee DB Gary DB Thibeaux-Moore Jeremiah Burke RB Bailey Hale K Desmond Blue DB Josh Miller LB Zach Johnson LB Dion Page DB Ismail Garrett RB Miguel Rubio RB Cambry Gilbert RB DeJohn Burns DB Ka’ena Paikai DL Nate Bradford RB Marquell Ruiz DB Elijah McCoy RB Deandre Shorts LB Ennis Thompson LB Caleb Ortiz TE Neami Tuifua LB Otho Redding DB Orlando Perez DB Holton Hufstedler LB Avery See LB Luke Bussen K Conner Gaskins LB Troy Bethsold LB Dakota Carrasco LB Craig Spratt DL Aseli Finau DL Matthew Cook LB Isaiah Talbert OL Leonal Baltazar DL Sapule Ta’amilo OL Cameron Burkely OL Rapi Sotoa DL Kyle Marcuson OL Justin Slavey OL Donald Truex OL Marcus Bramwell OL Denver Pomale OL Tyrell Clewis DL Josh Bongiovanni OL Jess Savusa OL Devon Traylor OL Lane Cummings OL Christian Strachan OL Raymond Cole OL Mister Birdo OL Rick Ornelas OL Trenton Small OL Isaiah Callahan OL Bailey Adair OL Manase Asi OL Kevin McCracken OL Camilo DeLaRosa OL Carlos Banuelos OL Russell Montoya WR Tyler Lynch TE Clayton Smith WR Robert Dado WR Kody Washington WR Chaunce Hill DL Tyreick Branch DB Elijah Blas WR Avery Rasher WR Tandon Jones WR Elijah Goodwin DL Reggie Moore DL Dakarai DL Monegain-Box Trey Smith DL Rakeem Hatchett DL Keandre Hall DL Troy Teo DL Trey Hall DL Phil Tuiava DL Dakota Montoya DL
Ht. 5-11 6-1 5-9 5-10 5-10 5-10 6-1 6-1 5-9 5-11 66-1 6-4 5-11 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-4 6-0 6-0 5-9 6-1
Wt. 190 207 175 205 190 185 234 235 175 180 170 195 204 190 194 204 230 258 184 185 192 189
Yr. Sr. Sr. R-Jr. R-Sr. R-Jr. So. R-Jr. Sr. R-So. GR Jr. Fr. RS-Fr. RS-Fr. RS-So. Jr. RS-Sr. Sr. RS-So. RS-Fr. RS-So. RS-Jr.
6-0 6-O 6-1 6-1 6-2 5-9 6-1 5-7 5-10 5-11 6-1 5-10 5-11 5-11 5-9 6-2 6-5 6-1 6-3 5-9 6-2 6-2 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-4 6-2 6-4 5-11 6-4 6-1 6-4 6-0 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-0 6-4 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-4 6-3 6-1 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-0 6-4 6-3 6-1 6-2 6-2 5-10 5-11 5-7 6-2 6-2 6-1 6-2 6-7 6-1 5-9 6-0 5-11 6-0 5-10 6-2
200 185 210 220 225 200 202 175 170 182 259 220 185 172 215 210 259 245 214 170 217 242 175 210 210 215 275 255 220 270 265 290 300 280 285 275 250 250 300 255 315 345 255 256 315 285 285 260 275 280 275 300 255 290 305 165 235 190 175 190 249 175 185 170 170 245 240 280
RS-Fr. RS-So. Sr. Jr. RS-Sr. Jr. R-Jr. R-Jr. R-Fr. R-So. RS-Jr. Fr. RS-Jr. RS-So. RS-Fr. Fr. RS-Fr. RS-Sr. Fr. RS-Fr. Fr. Fr. RS-Fr. RS-Jr. RS-So. Fr. RS-Sr. Fr. RS-So. Sr. RS-Jr. Sr. R-Fr. Fr. Fr. R-So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. RS-Sr. Jr. RS-Fr. RS-Sr. So. RS-Fr. RS-Jr. Sr. Fr. RS-So. Fr. Fr. Fr. RS-Fr. Fr. RS-Jr. RS-So. GR RS-So. Jr. Grad. Fr. Sr. RS-Fr. RS-Fr. Fr. RS-Jr. RS-Fr.
6-1 6-0 6-2 6-3 6-4 6-3 6-4
260 Sr. 285 RS-Fr. 284 Jr. 270 Fr. 265 Sr. 310 Fr. 320 Sr.
PIGSKIN PREVIEW
PAGE 16 ✦ WEDNESDAY, AUG. 23, 2017
CLOVIS MEDIA INC.
Previous State Champs (Classification, Champ, Runnerup, Score) 2016 AAAAAA AAAAA AAAA AA Eight Man Six Man
Rio Rancho (13-0) St. Piux X (12-1) Portales (12-1) Capitan (12-1) Melrose (11-1) San Jon (8-0)
1998 Las Cruces (11-2) Artesia (10-3) Robertson (12-1) Eunice (8-5) Gateway Christian (11-1) Lake Arthur (6-4)
39-17 34-24 43-14 27-26 58-39 47-46
AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
Mayfield (14-1) Artesia (13-0) Santa Rosa (13-0) Fort Sumner (10-3) Roy (10-0)
AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
Goddard (13-1) Artesia (12-1) Dexter (12-1) Fort Sumner (10-3) Roy (10-0)
AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
Mayfield (13-1) Artesia (11-2) Santa Rosa (12-1) Texico (10-3) Melrose (9-2)
AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
Mayfield (13-1) Lovington (14-0) Eunice (10-3) Fort Sumner (13-0) Ramah (9-0)
Goddard (11-2) Ruidoso (11-3) Clayton (9-3) Texico (8-4) Melrose (7-4)
13-7 35-22 18-7 22-16 49-12
Clovis (8-5) Silver (10-3) Santa Rosa (8-5) Texico (10-3) Mountainair (9-1)
3-0 34-31 27-25 21-0 63-42
Manzano (10-3) Raton (10-4) Eunice (8-5) Jal (9-3) Lake Arthur (9-1)
14-0 35-20 27-0 17-6 72-60
Clovis (11-2) Silver (12-3) Santa Rosa (9-4) Animas (10-2) Melrose (7-3)
13-12 24-7 19-0 28-27 41-30
1997 2015 AAAAAA AAAAA AAAA AAA AA Eight Man Six Man
Cleveland (13-0) Artesia (12-1) Hatch Valley (13-0) Estancia (13-0) Escalante (11-1) Melrose (13-0) Hondo Valley (6-3)
Eldorado (10-3) Centennial (12-1) Robertson (10-3) Eunice (8-4) Fort Sumner (8-4) Gateway Christian (10-2) Floyd (5-4)
48-35 42-34 17-7 50-14 28-20 30-28 40-20
2014 AAAAAA AAAAA AAAA AAA AA Eight Man Six Man
Rio Rancho (13-0) Artesia (12-1) Ruidoso (12-1) Estancia (11-3) Escalante (12-0) Melrose (11-1) Hondo Valley (10-0)
Mayfield (11-2) Belen (11-2) Cobre (10-4) Clayton (11-1) Hagerman (10-2) Logan (12-1) Lake Arthur (9-3)
33-31 49-21 35-28 14-6 34-30 76-37 72-33
AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A Eight Man Six Man
2013 Las Cruces (12-1) Farmington (12-1) Robertson (9-5) Clayton (12-1) Hagerman (13-0) Gateway Christian (11-0) Lake Arthur (11-0)
Mayfield (11-2) Goddard (9-3) Silver (9-4) Hatch Valley (10-3) Capitan (9-6) Foothill (8-3) Hondo (9-2)
27-26 7-0 34-7 28-6 35-6 72-55 66-50
1996
Las Cruces (11-1) Goddard (12-0) St. Michael’s (13-0) Santa Rosa (13-0) Escalante (12-1) Gateway Christian (11-0) Lake Arthur (9-1)
35-28 17-14 10-7 28-0 48-30 32-26 65-46
2011 AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A Eight Man Six Man
Cleveland (13-0) Aztec (13-0) Lovington (9-3) Santa Rosa (11-2) Mesilla Valley (9-3) Gateway Christian (9-2) Lake Arthur (8-2)
Mayfield (9-3) Goddard (11-1) St. Michael’s (12-1) Eunice (11-1) Fort Sumner (8-3) Melrose (10-1) Clovis Christian (9-1)
48-28 28-27 14-10 21-14 41-6 40-32 54-26
2010 AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A Eight Man Six Man
Mayfield (10-4) Artesia (8-4) Lovington (9-2) Santa Rosa (9-4) Fort Sumner (10-1) Melrose (7-3) Clovis Christian (10-0)
AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A Eight Man Six Man
La Cueva (12-1) Goddard (11-2) Lovington (11-2) Tularosa (10-2) Hagerman (11-1) Melrose (11-0) Lake Arthur (9-2)
Manzano (11-2) Aztec (12-1) Albuquerque Academy (10-1) Tularosa (10-1) Hagerman (10-2) Mountainair (9-1) Lake Arthur (7-4)
69-42 45-34 60-43 13-6 17-12 22-20 60-13
Mayfield (11-2) Belen (12-1) Socorro (9-4) Lordsburg (11-2) Clayton (8-2) Tatum (10-2) Hondo (9-2)
31-14 28-21 28-21 35-0 13-12 64-14 72-70
AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
Clovis (11-2) Artesia (12-1) Eunice (9-4) Jal (10-2) Melrose (8-1)
Goddard (11-3) Lovington (11-4) Tularosa (11-2) Capitan (11-2) Ramah (7-2)
14-10 35-21 13-0 34-0 54-31
AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
Goddard (12-1) Artesia (9-4) Santa Rosa (9-3) Loving (7-4) Lake Arthur (8-3)
AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
La Cueva (12-1) Artesia (10-3) Jal (12-1) Loving (9-3) Mountainair (9-0)
AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
Clovis (12-2) Goddard (12-2) Menaul (11-0) Hagerman (9-3) Mountainair (11-0)
AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
Clovis (13-1) Lovington (12-0) Animas (11-1) Texico (11-1) Mountainair (10-0)
AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
Highland (12-1) Goddard (12-3) Animas (12-0) Loving (10-1) Mountainair (8-2)
AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
Roswell (13-1) Portales (12-2) Animas (12-0) Tatum (8-4) Lake Arthur (10-1)
AAAA AAA** AA A Six Man
Roswell (11-1) Artesia (11-2-1) Animas (13-0) Tatum (8-4) Lake Arthur (9-1)
AAAA AAA AA A
Highland (11-2) Lovington (13-0) Animas (13-0) Tatum (9-3)
AAAA AAA AA A
Clovis (11-3) Ruidoso (12-1) Animas (12-0) Reserve (8-1-1)
Clovis (9-5) Aztec (12-1) Jal (10-2) Cloudcroft (6-6) Roy (6-4)
24-21 28-9 21-3 29-12 70-40
Roswell (12-2) Raton (10-3) Hot Springs (10-1) Tatum (5-6) Ramah (8-2)
35-0 24-0 33-20 27-13 42-30
Eldorado (11-2) Artesia (8-5) Gus Brock Jal (8-2) Loving (7-4) Ramah (8-2)
13-10 28-14 19-13 36-8 56-84
Eldorado (9-4) Bloomfield (11-2) Lordsburg (11-2) Hagerman (8-4) Lake Arthur (6-4)
28-0 13-7 36-0 28-0 47-46
Clovis (10-4) Lovington (12-1) Santa Rosa (9-4) Tatum (8-4) Magdalena (8-2)
6-0 6-0 51-6 11-7 74-28
Clovis (11-3) Ruidoso (8-6) Clayton (12-1) Springer (8-3) Mountainair (8-2)
14-3 31-15 23-8 10-7 60-22
Mayfield (10-1) Lovington (9-3-1) Clayton (9-4) Cloudcroft (8-3) Corona (8-3)
29-7 0-0 14-0 27-14 44-20
Roswell (10-3) Ruidoso (12-2) Lordsburg (12-2) Melrose (10-1)
14-7 20-7 31-7 21-0
1992
1991
1990
2009
AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A Eight Man Six Man
Las Cruces (13-0) Goddard (12-1) Portales (10-3) Texico (12-0) Fort Sumner (11-1) Melrose (11-0) Hondo (9-2)
Eldorado (12-1) Aztec (12-1) Lovington (9-4) Dexter (11-1) Clayton (10-2) Tatum (7-5) San Jon (4-6)
26-21 49-45 48-10 28-26 48-0 52-8 56-26
AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A Eight Man Six Man
Mayfield (12-1) Artesia (13-2) St. Michael’s (12-2) Santa Rosa (12-1) Fort Sumner (11-1) Mountainair (12-0) Lake Arthur (9-1)
Clovis (9-4) Goddard (9-4) Robertson (9-6) Texico (9-3) Carrizozo (10-2) Animas (10-1) NMSD (6-3)
49-48 58-31 27-6 46-7 39-14 38-26 60-37
AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A Eight Man Six Man
2006 Mayfield (13-0) Artesia (13-0) Roberston (12-1) Lordsburg (12-0) Fort Sumner (9-4) Gateway Christian (12-0) N.M.S.D (10-1)
Alamogordo (10-3) Goddard (10-4) Portales (7-6) Santa Rosa (12-1) Clayton (8-4) Mountainair (9-3) San Jon (4-2)
31-7 30-23 28-6 20-10 14-3 54-20 66-59
AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
2005 Mayfield (14-0) Silver (12-2) Robertson (13-1) Hatch Valley (10-2) Fort Sumner (11-2) Gateway Christian (10-1)
Clovis (12-2) Aztec (11-3) Lovington (9-5) Tucumcari (10-2) Texico (7-5) Melrose (10-1)
17-7 27-20 28-27 54-7 14-7 78-47
2007
La Cueva (13-0) Artesia (10-2) Lovington (8-5) Hatch Valley (13-0) Texico (12-0) Melrose (11-1)
Clovis (9-4) Silver (13-1) St. Michael’s (7-6) Santa Rosa (10-2) Cloudcroft (10-2) Floyd (9-1)
40-0 42-0 40-14 46-7 35-7 74-60
1987
1986
1985 Alamogordo (12-1) Silver (12-2) Jal (10-3) Tatum (7-5)
36-12 21-19 33-14 14-0
Roswell (7-5-1) Aztec (10-4) Tularosa (9-2-1) Carrizozo (9-2)
17-0 33-12 7-7 21-7
Roswell (11-1-1) Portales (8-4) Tularosa (8-4) Tatum (9-1)
50-18 22-8 19-7 23-0
Alamogordo (9-4-1) Silver (12-2) Santa Rosa (9-3) Reserve (7-3)
20-7 31-28 23-6 14-12
Hobbs (11-2) Silver (10-3) Estancia (7-6) Texico (9-1)
27-7 20-16 45-8 14-8
Clovis (11-2) Bloomfield (11-2) Moriarty (12-1) Capitan (5-4)
14-11 50-30 28-6 26-20
1984 AAAA AAA AA** A
Clovis (10-2-1) Artesia (11-1-2) Animas (8-3-1) Reserve (10-0) 1983
AAAA AAA AA A
Clovis (10-1-2) Artesia (8-5) Jal (9-4) Texico (10-1) 1982
AAAA AAA AA A
Clovis (11-2) Artesia (9-4) Moriarty (11-1) Capitan (7-2-1)
2003 AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
La Cueva (13-0) Artesia (12-1) St. Michael’s (13-1) Hatch Valley (11-2) Texico (12-0) Tatum (12-0)
1981 Mayfield (11-2) Aztec (9-4) Lovington (9-5) Lordsburg (9-4) Loving (9-4) Melrose (9-3)
24-21 35-14 41-26 41-12 21-6 57-40
2002 AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
Las Cruces (9-4) Onate (11-2) Ruidoso (8-5) Tucumcari (11-2) Fort Sumner (12-1) Gateway Christian (11-0)
AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
Clovis (13-0) Artesia (11-2) Lovington (13-0) Tularosa (11-2) Fort Sumner (13-0) Ramah (10-1)
Mayfield (12-1) Goddard(8-5) Portales (8-5) Santa Rosa (11-1) Texico (11-1) Lake Arthur (8-3)
17-14 17-14 26-22 10-9 15-6 58-12
Mayfield (13-1) St. Pius (12-1) Robertson (5-8) Estancia (9-4) Texico (8-4) Lake Arthur (9-2)
17-10 28-20 59-3 51-28 26-0 101-76
2001
AAAA AAA AA A
Clovis (9-3) Portales (10-3) Moriarty (13-0) Reserve (10-0) 1980
AAAA AAA AA A
Eldorado (13-0) Artesia (13-1) Jal (9-3) Reserve (10-0) 1979
AAAA AAA AA A
Santa Fe (13-1) Portales (11-2) Estancia (10-1-1) Hagerman (11-0-1)
Las Cruces (13-1) Roswell (10-3) Lovington (11-3) Eunice (11-2) Hagerman (13-0) Floyd (10-0)
Las Cruces (14-0) St. Pius (12-1) Eunice (10-3) Jal (11-2) Melrose (9-1)
19-15 15-14 33-7 9-7
AAAA AAA AA A
Clovis (10-4) Artesia (10-3-1) Eunice (11-2) Hagerman (7-3-1)
Eldorado (12-1) Bloomfield (11-2) Clayton (7-6) Texico (10-2)
7-3 13-0 8-0 35-19
1977 Carlsbad (11-3) Piedra Vista (11-2) Cobre (7-6) Tucumcari (11-1) Fort Sumner (11-1) Ramah (9-1)
45-21 35-31 42-7 9-7 17-7 81-70
1999 AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
Eldorado (11-2) Silver (10-4) Hatch Valley (6-5) Texico (11-1) 1978
2000 AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
Goddard (10-3) Artesia (9-4) Menaul (10-3) Loving (11-1) Roy (9-1)
24-12 22-12 18-0 26-0 42-36
AAAA AAA AA A**
Clovis (14-0) St. Pius (12-0) Kirtland (10-0-2) Cloudcroft (9-0-1)
AAAA AAA AA A
Hobbs (10-2) St. Michael’s (9-3) Ruidoso (10-1-1) Carrizozo (10-0)
AAAA AAA AA A
Mayfield (10-1) Cobre (11-0-1) Jal (6-5) Carrizozo (11-0)
AAAA AAA AA A
Hobbs (12-1) Lovington (9-3-1) Jal (7-4-1) Carrizozo (9-1-1)
AAAA AAA AA A
Artesia (12-1) Lovington (9-3) Kirtland (10-1) Carrizozo (9-2)
AA A B C
Artesia (12-0) Lovington (9-2-1) Hot Springs (12-0) Navajo Mission (6-3-1)
AA A B C
Artesia (9-2-1) Goddard(9-2-1) Jal (10-1) Roy (8-1)
AA A B C
Artesia (12-0) Los Alamos (10-2) Bloomfield (11-0) Roy (8-1)
AA A B C
Highland (11-0) NMMI (9-2-1) Eunice(10-1) Roy (8-1-1)
AA A B C
Artesia (11-1) St. Michael’s (8-3) Kirtland (10-1) Carrizozo (9-1)
AA A B C
Highland (11-0) NMMI (10-0-2) Kirtland (9-0-1) Carrizozo (9-1)
AA A B C
Carlsbad (11-0) Gadsden (6-1) Eunice (6-5) McCurdy (7-0)
AA A B C
Carlsbad (10-0-1) Gadsden (7-0-1) Eunice (9-2) Carrizozo (9-1)
AA A B C
Clovis (6-4-1) Lovington (7-2) Jal (8-1) Carrizozo (9-0)
AA A B C
Las Cruces (11-0) Tucumcari (9-2) Jal (7-3) Menaul (10-0)
AA A B C
Carlsbad (9-1-1) Lovington (5-4) Eunice (10-0) Kirtland (8-2)
AA A B C
Artesia (12-0) Lovington (6-3) Eunice (10-0) Ruidoso (9-0-1)
AA A B C
Carlsbad (9-3) Raton (7-2) Cathedral (9-1) Tatum (8-1-1)
AA A B C
Roswell (11-1) Gadsden (10-0) Santa Rosa (8-1) Ruidoso (10-0)
AA A B CT
Highland (9-2) Gadsden (10-0) Cathedral (9-0-1) ularosa (8-0-1)
AA A B C
Roswell (10-1) Gadsden (10-0) Aztec (10-1) Capitan (11-0)
A B**
Farmington (10-0) Lovington (8-1)
A B C**
Carlsbad (10-0) Lovington (4-3-1) Melrose (5-0 Conf.)
Carlsbad (10-0) Alamogordo (8-2) Ruidoso (9-0)
22-17 22-6 55-0
Hobbs (8-5) Deming (11-2) Clayton (10-2) Carrizozo (3-7)
14-6 23-0 24-21 48-6
Hobbs (10-4) St. Michael’s (9-3) Jal (7-5) Vaughn (7-3-1)
16-0 27-16 34-0 8-8
Mayfield (10-2) Lovington (9-4) Jal (6-5) Melrose (6-2-1)
31-15 28-6 12-6 19-14
West Mesa (9-2) Portales (8-4) Ruidoso (9-3) Hagerman (8-2)
24-20 16-14 21-6 20-7
Highland (9-2) St. Michael’s (8-4) Kirtland (8-3-1) Navajo Mission (6-5)
20-0 29-7 40-13 12-8
Hobbs (9-4) West Las Vegas (10-1) Eunice (9-3) Cloudcroft (5-4)
21-8 46-14 12-3 28-66
Sandia (9-2) Aztec (10-2) Jal (6-5) Roy (6-4)
40-0 13-12 23-0 30-6
Albuquerque (7-2-2) Cobre (10-1) Bloomfield (10-1) Cloudcroft (2-7)
40-14 14-6 40-0 33-7
Highland (10-1) Gadsden (5-5-1) Jal (9-2) Dexter (7-2)
40-14 21-0 34-23 37-25
Hobbs (11-1) Deming (7-3-2) Tularosa (8-4) Capitan (8-2)
13-10 33-0 20-0 30-7
Highland (9-1) St. Mary’s (9-3) Eunice (5-5-1) Roy (6-3-1)
20-6 12-6 14-0 26-7
1974
1973
1972
1971
1969
1968
1967
1966
1965
AAAA AAA AA A
Clovis (12-2) Socorro (10-2-1) Eunice (6-6) Hagerman (11-1)
1964
1963
2004 AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A Six Man
Del Norte (13-0) Artesia (13-0) Jal (9-3) Hagerman (9-1)
1989
1988 2008
AAAA AAA AA A
St. Pius (10-2) Dexter (12-1) Reserve (8-1)
1970 1994
1993 Sandia (9-3) Los Lunas (13-2) Silver (10-4) Tularosa (11-1) Capitan (8-5) Tatum (9-2) Hondo (5-5)
Artesia (11-1) Eunice (9-4) Hagerman (10-1)
1995
2012 AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A Eight Man Six Man
AAA AA A
Sandia (11-2) Albq. Academy (10-1) Jal (6-6) Corona (5-6)
3-0 12-7 20-19 48-14
Las Cruces (8-2-1) Belen (10-1) Eunice (4-7) McCurdy (6-2) 1962 Farmington (9-2) Raton (8-1) Bloomfield (9-1) Melrose (5-3-1)
Sandia (10-2-1) Artesia (11-1-1) McCurdy (11-1) Carrizozo (9-3)
AAAA
Las Cruces (13-0)
Albuquerque (7-2-2) Portales (7-2) Cathedral (7-4) Estancia (5-5-1)
27-0 40-15 52-0 57-0
Farmington (9-1) Aztec (9-1) Cathedral (6-4) Chama (7-1-1)
20-14 26-7 33-18 34-0
1960
1959 Artesia (8-3-1) Aztec (5-1-2) Navajo Mission (5-1-2) Carrizozo (8-1)
31-7 13-7 76-0 13-7
1958 Las Cruces (8-3) St. Michael’s (7-2) Aztec (9-1-1) Tatum (4-4-1)
20-14 28-6 21-20 18-14
Highland (6-2-2) Raton (8-1) Aztec (8-1) McCurdy (7-1)
27-7 20-6 37-20 12-7
1957
1956 Highland (8-3) Deming (6-2) Eunice (5-4) Kirtland (7-3)
26-7 21-0 12-0 7-0
1955 Las Cruces (9-1) St. Michael’s (7-3) Cathedral (7-3) Kirtland (8-2)
19-14 19-0 12-7 28-7
Artesia (9-2) St. Michael’s (8-2) Fort Sumner (7-3) Kirtland (6-5)
20-0 38-13 13-7 38-7
Albuquerque (7-4) Raton (7-4) Fort Sumner (7-3) Navajo Mission (7-3)
21-19 27-0 21-14 19-12
1954
1953
1952* Capitan (9-0) 1951*
El Rito (5-0 Conf.) 1950*
Mayfield (10-3) Socorro (11-2) Clayton (9-3) Capitan (10-2)
23-6 46-6 22-16 8-0
A B C
Eldorado (11-1-1)
29-15
* Based on NMAA points system ** Co-championship awarded
1975
34-0 42-0 6-0 19-0
1961
1976 AAAA AAA AA A
20-0 3-0 32-14 42-0