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Clovis High football team begins state playoffs

CLOVIS — On Thursday, Clovis High's football team was in familiar territory, practicing in the comfy confines of Leon Williams Stadium, on the turf field where they began practices July 31.

Tonight, the Wildcats will be far afield, beginning the state 6A playoffs on the road against Atrisco Heritage Academy of Albuquerque.

Yet the 'Cats will hardly be out of their element. Hundreds of miles away, yes, but they'll be playing football, postseason football at that, which they've been working toward since that rainy Monday in July.

Though way upstate, there's no position Clovis would rather be in right now.

"We're happy we're in the playoffs," Wildcats head coach Cal Fullerton said after Thursday's practice. "Getting fourth in our district and still getting in the playoffs, we can't complain. Once we get in, anything can happen."

"It's just facing adversity," Clovis senior lineman Hunter St. John said Thursday of tonight's far-away playoff game. "You've got to face adversity and push through it. They give us a road game; who cares? You've got to go and play to the best of your ability. ... We'll strap it on and go against anybody. We're not scared of any team."

"Oh, I'm super-excited," Wildcats senior lineman Stevin Lindsey said Thursday. "It's beyond words. ... I'm beyond excited. I've been waiting for this, working hard for this. Hopefully, we can go get a win on the road."

The Wildcats' loss at La Cueva last week dropped them to 5-5 overall, 1-3 in district play. As a result, they were given the ninth seed, meaning they would visit eighth-seeded Atrisco Heritage (7-3, 5-0 district) in the opening round.

Unlike most 21st-century teams that tend to employ the spread, Atrisco Heritage runs the triple option, trying to beat opponents the old-fashioned way — by veering them into submission.

The Jaguars are led by senior running back Angel Ramirez, who has rushed for 1,878 yards and nine touchdowns so far this season, going over 100 yards in all 10 games, over 200 in three of them, and past 300 once.

There's also senior quarterback Michael Alvidrez, who has rushed for 660 yards and four touchdowns, passed for 469 yards and six scores. Junior running back Antonio Gonzalez is a bull (5-foot-5, 200 pounds) who has plowed for 652 yards and six touchdowns. And then there's junior running back Jordan Marquez, who has rushed for 576 yards and a score.

That's a lot of options in the triple option.

"You don't see the triple option, so it's hard to prepare for," Fullerton said. "We're going to have to be disciplined defensively."

The Wildcats have worked hard at learning to contain the offense this week in practice. "We'd go through 12, 13 plays really fast. ... Just line up and show kids a card real quick, and here we go again," Fullerton said. "If it's right, we go to the next one, and if it's wrong, we run it again. Over and over and over."

"They run the triple option and the veer very well," Lindsey said. "It's something we've had to get ready for. We have specific rules to handle that; certain people are assigned to handle different parts of the triple option. I think we're going to shut it down early in the game. I think they're going to freak out and have to revert to something else."

"The veer, it's definitely different compared to what you see now," St. John said. "Usually teams try to spread you out. But the coaches have prepared us, stayed out here longer. (We've) watched more film than we have any other week. Our intensity has been phenomenal. I think we're ready. I know we're ready."

The Wildcats' offense will have its own challenges, facing an Atrisco Heritage defense that's posted three consecutive shutouts and won those three games against Highland, Rio Grande and Albuquerque by a combined score of 157-0.

To combat that defense, Clovis has its deep running game led by seniors Demerious Milton and Seth Lopez, and consistency under center, as senior Darian Goins will get his sixth consecutive start.

"He makes some really good reads on our run plays and makes decent reads on our pass plays," Fullerton said. "He just has to get it to open guys. We've really focused on that this week — getting it to our open people."

"The biggest thing, hands down," Lindsey said, "is having our plays develop the way they're supposed to develop."

The Wildcats have been cramming this week to stop an old-style offense. They've worked on executing, trying to make their own offense run smoothly. Senior Kabel Brooks has been working on booting field goals. They seem ready for the challenge facing them.

"It's what I've been dreaming of since I was a little kid, when I was a waterboy for the Wildcats," St. John said. "That's what dreams are made of. ... Now, it's time to go hit people in the mouth."

 
 
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