I'll start with 5A and start with Eldorado. They shut out an average Sandia team, but they real test we be next week when they face Las Cruces High. Running back Logan Lippert has been doing a great job rushing the football. The weird thing is Eldorado lost to Clovis and last night La Cueva beat Cloivs, but last week Eldorado beat La Cueva. Mayfield got a two touchdown over Manzano and I still feel they are the team to beat in 5A. Hobbs could be a very dangerous team once they get to district. They put on a show Thursday night against Onate and Reese Franklin is straight tearing it up as he pulled in three more touchdowns catches. Rio Rancho had an early scare by 3A Robertson, but it was really no scare if you saw the game, hats off to Robertson as they did the best they could do. Where has Cibola gone? They are still on the map just been playing some non-hyped games, but their offense seems to be coming around. Carlsbad proved that a tough schedule was all that was standing between them and their first victory. A one point win over (3-1) Alamo gave the Cavemen a nice boost.

Artesia is obviously still the front- runner and other than that it looks like Goddard and Aztec are playing some good football. Goddard smashed Ruidoso this past week, while Aztec put on a show against Bloomfield. Everyone is going to question Los Alamos during the beginning of the season, but the Hilltoppers rolled this past weekend against Albuquerque High 49-17. Piedra Vista got a convincing win this past week over Durango and even though it seems like they have lost steam, they are still the district champs until otherwise notified. Silver's passing attack was seven points better than (3-1) Gallup and Kirtland Central got the best of Capital in Santa Fe.

Lovington is 20 points better than Hatch and it looks like the Bears are not a top five team this year after allowing 89 points to both 3A opponents they have faced. Lovington seems to be hot then cold, but looks to be hard to beat at home. Robertson looked a lot better than last week when I saw them and those young players are going to get better and better as the season moves along. St. Mikes was off and faces a vast improved Santa Fe High team in week 5, should be a good test. Socorro had another huge win, but their schedule is softer than anyone's in the state. I want to see how they stack up against Belen here in a few weeks. Hot Springs and Cobre had big wins, but against Thoreau and NMMI, so what does that tell us? The game I was interested in was the Raton/Portales game. It looks like the Tigers are going be in the mix as we initially thought. Still waiting on the stats from that game.

Santa Rosa finally got their first non-JV game against (3-1) Ft. Sumner. The score was closer than I thought, but the Lions are the team to beat without question is 2A. Dexter allowed their first point against Tularosa, but it was only a touchdown in a 28-7 route. Clayton is now up to (4-1) and looks like a contender in 1A, but a loss last week to Escalante has me thinking Coach Giles and Lobos could be the real contender. Mountainair was a few points better than a very good Melrose team, but where should we rank these Mustangs? 8-Man Hondo smashed San Jon and proved that they deserve the 6-Man number one spot.

Tigers roar past Bobcats

By Darren Vaughan The Daily Times

BLOOMFIELD — It only took a matter of minutes for the Aztec Tigers to establish why they are one of the best teams in the Four Corners on Friday night at Bobcat Stadium. Two minutes and nine seconds, to be exact. Running back Mike Hathcock's 15-yard touchdown was the first of four unanswered scores for the Tigers (3-1), who racked up 510 yards of total offense in a convincing 56-14 drubbing of Bloomfield (1-2). Hathcock collected 118 yards on 16 carries, but the Tigers were just as potent through the air. Quarterback Ken Bohannon was 19-for-26 for 369 yards passing and four scoring tosses, including three to junior receiver Trev Hammagren. "We've been working all summer," Hammagren said of the connection between Bohannon and his receivers. "We still go out every day after practice and work on timing." The Tigers scored on each of their first four possessions, while the Bobcats managed just two first downs on their first few chances with the ball. Aztec's Nick Fierro scored on a 4-yard run with 4:40 left in the first quarter, and Bohannon found Hammagren on a 61-yard strike as the final seconds ticked off in the opening period.

"These past three weeks, our offense has just been able to get it done," Hathcock said, alluding to his team's massive offensive outputs against Belen and Durango. "Our team is finally starting to completely come together. Whenever you're multidimensional and you can run the ball and pass, if you can be successful with both you're going to be pretty much unstoppable." Bohannon connected with Derrick Williamson for his second touchdown toss of the night with 9:04 left in the first half, giving Aztec an insurmountable 26-0 lead. Even with the game appearing out of reach, Bloomfield wasn't going to give up easily on its home field. After Lalo Chavez's impressive kick return gave the Bobcats the ball on the Tigers' 43-yard line, Bloomfield put together a strong drive built around Chavez and teammate Marcus Morin. One of the two running backs touched the ball on each of the seven plays, while two personal fouls against the Tigers helped the 'Cats' cause. Chavez finished off the drive with a 2-yard plunge into the end zone, giving the home team some life. "We did play hard," Bloomfield coach Bruce Hatch said. "We're getting better every week, but Aztec's a good team. We battled back in the first half, and I'm proud of the way my kids played." Unfortunately for Hatch's squad, Aztec had an immediate answer. Hathcock's running was the key element in a 12-play, 63-yard drive that ran 3:16 off the clock. Hathcock had three carries for 30 yards, helping to set up Bohannon's 2-yard toss to Hammagren.

"I've been injured the last three games," Hathcock said. "I've been doing a lot of physical therapy and I was feeling better tonight, so I ran the ball a lot better." Though the Tigers had a 32-6 lead, the Bobcats had one last gasp before halftime. Chavez and Morin pounded the ball down to Aztec's 9-yard line with two seconds left before the break, setting up Cody Cummins for one shot at the end zone. Cummins dropped back to pass and was immediately pressured by a slew of Tiger defenders. The senior quarterback alertly started scrambling, finding himself nearly 25 yards behind the line of scrimmage before finding Chavez open for a short screen pass. Chavez did the rest of the work, fighting through would-be tacklers and finding his way into the end zone as the clock ran out. "We never gave up and we kept coming," Hatch said. "Our offensive line did a tremendous job of blocking, and Cody made good decisions at quarterback and really led the team."

Bloomfield's offense was unable to muster any scoring the rest of the way, and Aztec's aerial assault continued. Bohannon had a 42-yard strike to Dustin Davis for a score in the third quarter, and added two more to Brian Lee and Hammagren in the fourth before calling it a night. For Hammagren, the three-TD night was something he never could have imagined. The junior had six catches for 166 yards and also connected with Jermaine Geter for a two-point conversion. "I scored one touchdown last year as a sophomore," Hammagren said. "I just had my biggest game ever. I've just got to keep producing — whenever the ball comes my way, I've got to make a play." The Tigers had added incentive, given that Aztec and Bloomfield are separated by an eight-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 550. "Bloomfield's a good rival," Hammagren said. "It's fun to play them because they bring a lot of emotion to the game, and there's a lot of motivation to get a win."

The Bobcats must regroup from two difficult losses in a row to District 1-4A competition. It doesn't get any easier next week, as BHS travels to Socorro for a tough matchup. "We play a tough non-district schedule for a reason," Hatch said. "Sometimes you take your lumps, but it's going to make you better when the playoffs roll around." Aztec heads to Bernalillo to face Robertson on a neutral field next Saturday. "When you win three games in a row, it's going to build your confidence," Hathcock concluded. "We just want to keep rolling on the wave that we're on right now and keep playing tough."

Coronado's four TD's lift Rockets over Ruidoso

By: Aaron Schoonmaker

Ruben Coronado did not even get on the stat sheet last week. No scores, no yards and o touches. Perhaps the rest helped. On Friday night in Ruidoso, Coronado found the end zone four times, three rushing and a punt return, as Goddard (3-1) rolled over the Warriors (1-3) 39-7. Coronado ended the game with 244 all-purpose yards - 115 rushing on 15 attempts, 11 receiving on one catch and 118 punt return yards on three returns including the score. But Friday on night seemingly everything went right for the Rockets offense. They amassed 347 total yards, 223 on the ground and 124 through the air. Another solid performance by sophomore quarterback David Vega produced 124 yards passing on seven completion's and a touchdown pass to Greg Ramirez and 27 yards rushing on six attempts. But Friday on night seemingly everything went right for the Rockets offense. They amassed 347 total yards, 223 on the ground and 124 through the air. Another solid performance by sophomore quarterback David Vega produced 124 yards passing on seven completion's and a touchdown pass to Greg Ramirez and 27 yards rushing on six attempts.

The Rockets jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and went to half with a 27-7 advantage. a 12-point third quarter concluded the game's scoring and clinching the 39-7 win for Goddard. The shut-down defense of the Rockets has allowed just the seven points in the team's three wins. Idrirese Lytle-Harris recorded a sack and an interception on Friday night, part of three takeaways and three sacks for the team. Chase Kyser also intercepted a Randy Manning pass, broke-up three more recorded four tackles and accounted for 115 all-purpose yards acting as a two-way threat. Kyser has a 40-yard punt return, caught two balls for 60 yards and totaled 15 yards on two carries. Leading the defense in holding the Warriors to just 52 rushing yards, and 154 for the game, was Desmond Anaya who was in on 18 tackles - 10 of them solo. Chris Hatch followed with 10 tackles (seven solo) and two sacks.

The Rockets averaged better than 7.5 yards per play, added 165 yards in the return game and did not punt once - numbers that they will hope to sustain as their looming schedule features games at Clovis, at Carlsbad and against Hobbs before beginning district play. First though for the Rockets is their Homecoming game against Portales (0-3) on Friday night at the Wool Bowl. Goddard was 3-1 heading into their match up with Prtales a season ago, a game the Rockets won 21-13 in Portales.

Coyotes match touchdowns, fall to Belen

By: Aaron Schoonmaker

The offenses were moving the ball, the touchdowns were there, the difference in the game was essentially an extra point as the Belen Eagles (2-2) edged out Roswell (1-3) at the Wool Bowl Friday night 28-25. Both teams scored four touchdowns. Each team scored once in every quarter. But a missed extra point in the second quarter put Roswell on the odd end of the matching touchdowns and were forced to attempt two-point conversions - both of which failed - to try and rectify the score. After trading touchdowns in the first quarter on a 22-yard pass from Beau Estrada to Jayson Gurule for Belen and a three-yard run by Andrew Aho for Roswell, it was clear the game would be tight as Roswell head coach Barey Chambers forecasted earlier in the week.

Chambers said that in watching film he thought the teams were very similar. The stats actually show mirrored equivalencies. Each team had 19 first downs - for Roswell 14 came through the air while just four came on the ground, for Belen 14 came on the ground while only four came on a pass. Staying consistent, Roswell had 282 yards in the air as the Eagles gained 282 on the ground. The difference on the scoreboard came from PAT's - Points After Touchdowns. Belen's double duty kicker Estrada, converted all four extra points, Roswell was 1-for-2 on kicks and 0-for-2 on conversion attempts trying to play catch-up. With a little over three minutes to play in the first half, quarterback Andrew Jolliff found Danny Castro on a 22-yard strike to give the Coyotes the lead 13-7. The extra point attempt by Calvin Barreras sailed wide and the difference remained at six.

Eagles running back Justin Barba found the end zone from 32-yards out, his longest gain on a 189-yard, three touchdown night, to tie the game and an Estrada kick gave Belen a 1-point half time lead. Belen then came out in the second half with the initial score as Barba found the end zone again, this time from two yards out and with an extra point, the Eagles lead was eight. But the lead did not last. Castro took a screen pass 59 yards for a touchdown later in the third quarter to cut the lead to 21-19. Having to convert a two-point conversion for the tie, Jolliff sought Aho on a pass that sailed high and the deficit remained. Castro ended the game with 227 yards receiving on 14 catches and two touchdowns. Aho caught seven balls for 52 yards, but found the end zone twice on seven carries, including a second three-yard score mid-way through the fourth quarter to give Roswell a four-point lead. Once again attempting a two-point play, Jolliff's pass for Fabian Acosta was broken up (25-21).

Needing a touchdown, Barba provided it again for the Eagles on a 17-yard score and with an extra point the lead was three with less than four minutes to play. A final effort for Roswell saw hope as the drive began at the 44-yard line. A pass late in the drive to Aho set the Coyotes up with at first down at the 13-yard line. Back-to-back sacks by Belen forced Roswell into a fourth-and-12. Jolliff's pass for Acosta in the corner of the end zone was broken up and the Eagles held on for the win. Roswell's road gets no easier as their next contest will be at Alamogordo. Alamogordo (3-1) entered the week 3-0 an No. 3 in the Max Preps rankings but were upset by Carlsbad on Friday night.

Trojans improve to 3-1 on the season

Sun News Report

ALBUQUERQUE —Jacob Ceniceros ran for 274 yards and three touchdowns to lead Mayfield past Manzano 32-20 on Saturday afternoon at Wilson Stadium in high school football action. Ceniceros scored on runs of 3, 51 and 92 in helping the 3-1 Trojans to their second straight win. Manzano lost for the first time this season and falls to 3-1.

Mayfield has was won 30 of its last 31 games, the only blemish being a 28-18 loss to El Paso Montwood in week 2. Overall, the Trojans managed 390 yards of total offense, 340 of which came on the ground. Fullback Yanni Suter added a pair of touchdowns for Mayfield, which played its second straight game without senior quarterback Matt Sandoval, who is nursing a sprained left ankle.

The Trojans and Monarchs were 7-7 at halftime before the Trojans scored 19 unanswered points in the second half."Jacob had a great game, he continues to get better and he's running with more confidence," Mayfield head coach Michael Bradley said. "This was a good win for us. We needed to get over the hump with this win. The offensive line did a great job and our defense did a good job for the most part." The Trojans are back in action next Friday against La Cueva at home.

Valley victory over St. Pius X goes to the wire

By James Staley

Sure, some teams are bigger and faster. Some are deeper. Some more well-rounded. But when it comes to pure hat-wringing, fingernail-munching, can't-watch/must-watch excitement, no metro area football team delivers like the Valley Vikings. Valley tugged its fans through raves and swoons - again - Thursday night before allowing them to strut out of Wilson Stadium, smiling at the Vikings' 27-23 comeback win over St. Pius X. Three of the Vikings' four games have been decided in the final 30 seconds or later. Valley won two of those games. "It's just . . . I can't even tell you why," Valley coach Vince Collins said. "The past couple of years things have been going against us. Now, they're falling our way. Who the heck knows?"

Maybe he's on to something. St. Pius X diced and plowed through Valley's defense and its injury-thinned linebacking corps most of the night. Sartans running back Colin McEntee dashed all over the rain-slicked turf, finishing with 185 yards and a touchdown. The box score was all St. Pius X. The Sartans had nearly three times as many first downs (19) as the Vikings (seven). They outgained Valley by 125 yards. Three of St. Pius X's four second-half drives lasted at least 10 plays - the other was shorter because the Sartans began on the Vikings' 34.

But the Sartans didn't get the points on Wilson Stadium's makeshift scoreboard because two passes into the end zone didn't land where they hoped. Valley defensive back Marcos Griego plucked St. Pius X quarterback Hayden Collins' attempt at a touchdown pass to end the first half. With 14 seconds to play, the Sartans faced a fourth-and-5 at the Vikings 11. Collins fired to the usually reliable Ryan Macias, but he couldn't corral the ball.

Game over. "The thing that helps this team is that we never give up," said Valley junior quarterback Josh Garcia. "We may give up some points, but we never give up." Having a quick-strike offense helps. Three of Valley's four touchdowns went for at least 48 yards. After the game, Vince Collins couldn't immediately recall which team his Vikings face next week (it's Farmington). But he has a hunch how it will unfold. "As a high school coach, what do you want every week? A competitive team," Collins said. "Every single game has been like this."

Carlsbad hangs on for the win

By Gidal Kaiser - Sports Editor

A shot at redemption was there for the taking.

Alamogordo senior kicker Scottie Gallardo missed a game-tying extra point with 31 seconds left in the game, but wide receiver/safety Eric Dorton gave the Tigers another chance at the victory when he recovered Gallardo's onside kick. Paul Stewart, who was 9-for-13 for 198 yards, hit Joel Bond for a quick 11-yard gain, then Carlsbad was called for pass interference on the next play to set up another first down. Fullback Sammy Luna bulled ahead for two yards, then Alamogordo iced the clock with 18 seconds to play and the ball at the 20-yard line. Gallardo lined the kick up before the whistle blew, and the snap to holder David Dorton was good. Gallardo's kick, however, was pushed just to the right of the uprights, stunning the home crowd and sending the Cavemen sideline into a frenzy.

One kneel-down later, Carlsbad (1-3) had escaped a wild and crazy contest at Tiger Stadium by the score of 28-27.

"Oh, man, the Lordwas just with us," Carlsbad rookie head coach Ron Arrington said. "We had several chances to put it away and we didn't and they had a chance to get us and it was just wide. That game edifies how important special teams are."

Alamogordo head coach Tommy Standefer pointed not to the end of the game, but the second quarter as his breaking point. Carlsbad scored 28 points in the 12-minute period before halftime, with 14 Carlsbad points coming from blocked punts by linebacker Steven Gadbury. "We gave up 18 special teams points tonight," Standefer said. "It's totally unacceptable, it's totally my fault, and we're going to start doing some things right. You give up 18 points on special teams and you can't win."

With the game tied 7-7 and 6:50 to play until halftime, Gallardo lined up to punt from the Tiger 45 yard line. The punt was clean and sailed 47 yards, but a holding penalty nullified the play. On the next punt, Gadbury raced in unblocked and smacked the ball just as Gallardo was kicking it. The ball hopped, skipped and rolled backward. Gadbury picked it up at the Tiger 7-yard line and he raced into the end zone to give Carlsbad a 14-7 lead. Four plays later, Gadbury ran in untouched again and blocked Gallardo's punt, recovering it at the 2-yard line. Carlsbad's Nathan Clark hit a wide-open Brandon Melendrez on a quick slant in the end zone for a 21-7 Caveman lead with 5:15 to play. "I was like clapping for the ball," Melendrez said. "Yelling 'Clark, Clark, throw me the ball.' But yelling quietly so the defense couldn't hear me."

The Cavemen added seven more points on a Jacob Galindo run with 1:19 in the half to go up 28-7. "We knew they had a good football team and a solid defense," Standefer said. "We came out flat in the first half ... we just weren't ready to play in the first half. It was the most miserable thing I've ever seen, personally. And I've seen some miserable football." Alamgordo began its comeback early in the third quarter, as an interception by Greg Montgomery at midfield on Carlsbad's second play set up the Tiger offense. Bobby Wride, who ran for 109 yards, broke through the line and sprinted 49 yards untouched to the end zone for a 28-14 deficit 33 seconds into the quarter. From there, the teams traded failed drives until the Tigers got the ball back with two minutes to go in the third quarter at their 21. Stewart hit Dorton for two long pass plays on the 79-yard drive, and Alamogordo drove down to the 3-yard line.

Stewart took the ball in, but fumbled before he crossed the goal line. An alert Luna fell on the ball, and Gallardo's extra point put Alamogordo within 28-21 with 12 minutes and 11 seconds to play in the game. The teams played stalemate football until 2:32 to play, when Alamogordo executed its last-gasp, two-minute drill to perfection. A holding penalty and an incomplete pass put the Tigers in a hole, but Stewart hit Dorton for a 46-yard gain, then hit Torey Pinson with a 9-yard strike and Jeremiah Williams with a 15-yard strike. Stewart ran for two yards, Montgomery picked up three and Stewart connected with Blake Thomsen on a play-action rollout pass to bring Alamogordo within 28-27 and the Tiger crowd to its feet. The joy, unfortunately for Alamogordo's fans and its team, did not last long. Dorton finished with five catches for 124 yards. Montgomery ran for 47 yards, and Luna ran for 40. Clark was 14-for-24 for 183 yards, two touchdowns and two picks.

Hot Springs 48, NMMI 0

Belen 28, Roswell 25

Goddard 39, Ruidoso 7

Cobre 56, Thoreau 0

Tucumcari 14, Chaparrel 0

Artesia 35, Deming 6

Dexter 28, Tularosa 7

Santa Rosa 19, St. Sumner 0

Aztec 56, Bloomfield 14

Cibola 41, Rio Grande 9

P-Vista 52, Durango 21

Eldorado 19, Sandia 0

Socorro 42, Estancia 0

Texico 55, McCurdy 0

Clayton 52, WLV (JV) 0

Moriarty 47, WMesa 25

Lovington 41, Hatch 21

Cloudcroft 48, Artesia JV 12

Hobbs 38, Onate 14

Valley 27, St. Pius 23

Capitan 42, Mescalero 16

Las Cruces 35, Los Lunas 7

Kermit, TX 54, Eunice 0

Del Norte 17, Farmington 10

Academy 31, Hagerman 7

Rio Rancho 56, Robertson 21

Belen 28, Roswell 25

Anthony,TX 33, Lordsburg 0

Kirtland Central 14, Capital High 3

Carlsbad 28, Alamo 27

Silver 27 Gallup 20

Hondo Valley 45, San Jon 0

Menaul 30, Reserve 23

Maxwell-Springer 20, Clovis Christian 16

Espanola 38, Grants 13

Los Alamos 49, Albuquerque 17

Artesia 49, Deming 6

Escalante 29, Questa 13

Mountainair 47, Melrose 36

Newcomb 11, Tohatchi 6

Magdalena 44, Tatum 0

Wingate 6, Santa Fe Indian 2

Navajo Prep 37, Shiprock JV 0

Lake Arthur 54, EP Jesus Chapel, TX 8

La Cueva 26, Clovis 21

Mayfield 32, Manzano 20