Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
STAFF WRITER
DORA —If there were any doubts as to whether or not the defending state champions Melrose Buffaloes are still a contender for a title run, they answered it with a 60-6 win over the Dora Coyotes Friday to kick off 8-man district 4.
Coming into the game, both Dora and Melrose lost to current No. 1 New Mexico 8-man program Gateway Christian, with the Buffaloes losing by 10 and the Coyotes losing by four. It looked like it would be a defensive battle as Dora (2-3) forced a fumble on Melrose’s first possession and then had to punt when the Buffalo defense stood tall.
Everything changed in the second offensive series for Melrose (5-1, 1-0). Quarterback Sterling Sena threw a pass to Jordan Jasso that was perfectly tipped away by Dora’s Hayden Skinner. The problem for Dora was the ball wasn’t batted down as Skinner’s tip knocked the ball up in the air, allowing Jasso to make the correction, grab the ball and run into the end zone for a 72-yard touchdown.
“That was a lucky catch,” Sena said of the play. “It wasn’t a great throw but Jordan made a great adjustment for the score. We knew Dora could play and we got 60 (points) on them so I’m very proud of my team.”
Sena was responsible for six of Melrose’s touchdowns — with three coming in the air and three on the ground. He also recorded an interception in the first quarter for good measure.
From that point on, Dora (2-3, 0-1) didn’t have an answer for the Buffaloes as Melrose continued to get quick scores coming off long passes of 58, 50 and 25 yards, and big runs of 30 and 25 yards.
“I’ll be honest, this is the best game we’ve played all year,” said Melrose coach Dickie Roybal. “Dora’s a good team. We knew we had to play an error-free game. For the most part we did. We executed well and were able to take (Dora) out of their game plan and flow early on. We needed to stop (Skinner) because he’s so quick.”
The Coyotes were able to march down the field early in the second quarter, ending the drive when Skinner found Dylan Roberts in the end zone to cut the lead to 30-6 with 10:55 left in the half. Unfortunately for the Coyotes, Melrose scored the next 30 points unopposed, all in the second quarter, forcing the game to be called at the half.
“We got out-coached,” Dora coach Mason McBee simply said. “Melrose has some great athletes. We’ve got to put in the work, but we will get better.”
Dora will hit the road next Friday when they travel to Springer, while Melrose returns home to host Mountainair. Both games start at 7 p.m.
