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Articles written by Eric Murray


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  • Rams pull sweep over East Mountain

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 29, 2018

    PORTALES — Ram soccer successfully pulled off a girls/boys doubleheader sweep on Saturday afternoon over East Mountain. The Portales girls took the early game, 2-0, before the boys took the late game, 2-1. For the Rams (3-9) boys team, it was Lesther Oliva Andrade who really stepped it up on Saturday afternoon. Andrade scored both goals, including the game winner. “He’s one of those guys that are really thirsty for goals,” Rams coach Juan Mendez said. “That’s what...

  • Portales focuses on strong finish at season's halfway point

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 28, 2018

    PORTALES — The Rams find themselves at a crossroads, during this week’s bye week — and beyond. Portales football sits at 2-3, as the young Rams have had some missed opportunities through the first-half of their 2018 campaign. However, for coach Jaime Ramirez and company, there are still plenty of opportunities that lie ahead, if the Rams are up to the challenge. “We can’t change the past, but from right now, we can start and change our future,” Ramirez said. “Tha...

  • Elida wins district opener

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 27, 2018

    FLOYD — The Floyd Broncos woke up a group of sleeping tigers on Thursday night — specifically, the Elida Tigers. The two teams clashed in their District 4-1A volleyball opener, with the Tigers overcoming a slow start to win in three sets, 26-24, 25-16, 25-19. “I didn’t say a whole lot to them,” Elida coach Darrell Chenault said. “I just told them we got to weather the storm. We weren’t playing very good, we were hitting balls out of the bounds, and (Floyd) got...

  • Rams refocus for Chavez tourmanent

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 26, 2018

    PORTALES — Tuesday night was just a different vibe for Portales volleyball, despite the outcome. While the Rams may have lost in five sets to Hobbs, coach Charity Gomez could sense something different in her team. “They played with more competitive spirit, and you could tell that they (wanted it bad),” Gomez explained. “(Tuesday) night, we talked about being confident in those skills. I thought they did a really good job. We talk about having a competition within the...

  • Clovis tops Portales 6-1, moves to 13-0

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 25, 2018

    PORTALES — Even with an undefeated record, Clovis boys soccer coach Greg Trujillo knows that his squad is far from invincible. The Wildcats showed a slight bit of vulnerability at times in the first half, but also showed what makes them so tough in the second half, scoring four goals en route to a 6-1 victory over Portales on Tuesday. “When we played (Portales) at home, we had 21 shots and scored three goals. This time, our strength to our play is working our wings, and...

  • Elida routs Floyd, improves to 4-1

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 24, 2018

    FLOYD — After a return to the gridiron, eight years later, some weren’t sure what to expect out of Elida’s reformed football team. However, as it turns out, the Tigers are making up for lost time thus far. On Saturday afternoon, Elida went in to Floyd and took down the Broncos, 47-8, to improve to 4-1 on the season. “It’s a great feeling,” Tigers coach Jarred Hestand said. “These boys are doing good and they play good for me. We have good rapport. If everybody...

  • Rams look to move back above .500 mark

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 21, 2018

    PORTALES — Last week’s frustrating 28-0 loss at Goddard created a lot of competition for Portales football this week. In particular, the Rams (2-2) were looking to get a lot tougher, after getting pushed around by a more physical Rockets team. “We did a lot of hitting this week, and got a little bit more physical. Monday and Tuesday were good with our inside run,” Rams coach Jaime Ramirez said. “We hit a lot harder and made sure the kids were doing what they needed...

  • College Daze tough competition, but fun way to start

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 21, 2018

    PORTALES — ENMU’s College Daze Rodeo has been a bit hit or miss for the home Greyhounds, with mixed results across the board through two days. In one sense, there’s three Greyhounds that sit in the top 10 in goat tying, after Friday’s performance round. In another, however, several Eastern athletes find themselves on the outside looking in of the top 10. “It’s been a little rough for me. But, for some of my teammates, I think it’s been going good,” sophomore...

  • Portales sweeps past Ruidoso

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 20, 2018

    PORTALES — It’s been tough sledding for Portales volleyball in 2018, as the team goes through a rebuild. However, the Rams got some relief on Thursday night, disposing off the winless Ruidoso Warriors in three sets, 25-14, 25-13 and 25-17. “I thought we served well and passed the ball good,” Rams senior Taylee Rippee said. “We’ve gotten better, but we just have to keep practicing hard and getting better to keep going.” It didn’t take much for the Rams (2-6) to...

  • College Daze tradition resumes tonight

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 19, 2018

    PORTALES — For 53 years strong, the ENMU College Daze Rodeo has attracted some of the best college athletes from across the region to the eastern plains of New Mexico. The “Largest college rodeo in the Southwest” is a source of pride for those in the Portales area, and according to at least one man, it shows no signs of stopping, anytime soon. “It’s a tradition that’s been going strong for 53 years, and is probably the longest running college rodeo in the country,...

  • ENMU outlasts WT to move to 3-3 in LSC

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 18, 2018

    PORTALES — Eastern New Mexico’s senior volleyball class made history on Tuesday night, becoming the first group of Greyhound seniors to beat West Texas A&M three times. An intense back and forth battle went the full five sets, with ENMU winning, 25-19, 17-25, 25-13, 13-25 and 15-9. “We told ourselves that we have to start strong. We do good when we start strong, and when we let a few points slide in the beginning, some of that dull energy carries,” Greyhound senior Jen...

  • An opportunity lost for Hounds

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 18, 2018

    PORTALES — Greyhounds football coach Kelley Lee said it best about Saturday night's 21-11 loss to No. 1 Texas A&M-Commerce at Greyhound Stadium. "Three first-half drives inside the red zone, resulting in just three points." For Eastern New Mexico, there was certainly a somber feeling after the game, and it wasn't necessarily because the Greyhounds now fall to 0-3 on the season, 0-1 in Lone Star Conference play. Instead, it was the disappointed feeling of knowing that they... Full story

  • TexAnns sweep Hounds

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 15, 2018

    PORTALES — Friday’s home opener for Greyhound volleyball was a confidence booster, as Eastern took Angelo State down to the wire in a loss. A key injury forced coach Sia Poyer and company to switch up their lineup, but yet, the Greyhounds managed to hang tough again on Saturday afternoon against 20th-ranked Tarleton State. ENMU (4-8, 2-3) took some of the momentum it had gained from the previous night and applied that to Saturday’s match with Tarleton State (11-2, 5-0)....

  • Greyhound rally falls short

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 14, 2018

    PORTALES - With their backs against the wall, Eastern New Mexico volleyball was in a tough spot. A rough opening set and a second set that got away from the Hounds, made it appear as if ENMU was on its way to being swept in its home-opener against Angelo State on Friday night. However, looks can be deceiving. Even after losing their team co-captain and one of their top players, Sarah Tuioti-Mariner, in the second set, the Greyhounds found a way to step up and keep hope alive....

  • Rams hope to ground Rockets

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 13, 2018

    PORTALES — While it can certainly be said for any given opponent, being a disciplined football team is key. For Portales, tonight is certainly no exception. The Rams (2-1) travel to Roswell to take on Goddard (2-0-1) at 7, where they’ll face a run-heavy team that plays tight formations. “They’re a high percentage of run versus pass,” Rams coach Jaime Ramirez explained. “You know what you’re getting when you’re playing Goddard. They’re in double tight, double... Full story

  • Regional football preview: Buffs look to survive injury bug

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 13, 2018

  • Lady Rams cruise again

    Eric Murray, Staff Writer|Updated Sep 11, 2018

    PORTALES - Rams girls soccer coach Ruben Tellez was able to put an exclamation point on his 46th birthday celebration on Tuesday, after his squad beat Ruidoso, 4-0. Portales scored late in the first half, after several missed opportunities, and from there, the rout was on. "The past few days, their passing was better, their touches, their teamwork. Overall, just being in the right place at the right time - and not trying too hard to do something," Tellez explained. "Like I...

  • More of the same

    Eric Murray, Staff Writer|Updated Sep 10, 2018

    PORTALES - Eastern New Mexico's 2018 home football opener proved to be a mirror image of the previous week, as untimely penalties and a lack of execution cost the Greyhounds on Saturday night. The Hounds got themselves into a 31-0 hole by halftime, as a strong second half could not save them in a 34-21 defeat at the hands of 25th-ranked Colorado Mesa. "We just can't get out of our own way," ENMU coach Kelley Lee explained. "Penalties - we had two big plays called back. It...

  • Elida tops Fort Sumner, moves to 3-1

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 8, 2018

    ELIDA — After losing some key seniors, following a heartbreaking loss in last year’s 1A title game, Elida volleyball came into the 2018 season hungrier than ever. On Saturday, it showed, as the Tigers disposed of the Fort Sumner Vixens in three sets, 25-14, 25-12, 25-20. “They’re volleyball-minded,” Tigers coach Darrell Chenault said. “They really see the floor well, play the floor well, they hit a lot of spots that were open and they see ‘em, and then they...

  • Home opener no easy task for Hounds

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 7, 2018

    PORTALES — “Do your job.” That famous Bill Belichick quote is something that Eastern New Mexico football is living by this week, as the Greyhounds try to bounce back from last week. The Hounds opened the season at Missouri S&T last Thursday, where they surrendered 512 total yards of offense in a 31-14 defeat. Tonight, however, won’t be much easier for ENMU (0-1), despite it being the team’s home opener. Eastern faces No. 25 Colorado Mesa (1-0), another team with... Full story

  • Rams handle Dons to move to 2-1

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 7, 2018

    LAS VEGAS, N.M. — Sophomore Baylor Diaz ran wild in a 36-0 Rams shutout of West Las Vegas Friday night. Diaz had a pair of long first-quarter rushing touchdowns to set the tone for a Portales offense that rushed for 206 yards on the night. "Baylor's a stud, but we knew that all along," Rams coach Jaime Ramirez said. "We've been waiting for him to a have a big breakout game, and I thought he did a great job on both sides of the ball tonight. Overall, we had a lot of guys...

  • Rams' pass defense to be put to test

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 7, 2018

    PORTALES — Last week’s contest against St. Mike’s was a good test for the Portales pass rush and pass defense. The Horsemen put it in the air 27 times, and yet, the Rams passed the test with flying colors in a 21-6 victory. That Portales pass rush and pass defense will once again be put to the test tonight, as the Rams (1-1) travel to West Las Vegas for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Dons (1-1) should put it in the air plenty, as they average 27.5 pass attempts per game. “Our...

  • Prep soccer: Clovis girls top Portales, move to 6-0

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 6, 2018

    PORTALES — Portales and Clovis each had one mission in Thursday’s girls soccer matchup at Greyhound Stadium. For the young Lady Rams, it was a measuring stick for how close — or how far away — they are as contenders. As for the Lady Wildcats, it was about reinforcing the strong start to their 2018 campaign with yet another exceptional outing. Ultimately, the latter proved to be true in an 8-0 Wildcat victory. Clovis’ Danielle Griego was responsible for four of the...

  • Regional football preview: Dora seeks first win on field

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 5, 2018

    Four local squads look to notch victories in this week's regional preview, including Melrose, Dora, Elida and Farwell. Melrose first-year coach Caleb King earned his first win last week in a blowout of Ramah. Elida and Farwell, on the other hand, suffered tough losses last week, and will do their best to get back into the win column. Dora, meanwhile, won via forfeit, as last week proved to be a glorified bye week. Tonight's games District 3/8-Man: Ramah vs. Dora, 7 p.m. (at...

  • Portales sweeps Clovis for first victory

    Eric Murray|Updated Sep 4, 2018

    PORTALES — Sometimes, you have to see what you’re doing wrong, rather than just being told. That’s exactly what Portales volleyball coach Charity Gomez did this past week, and thus far, it’s been a success. Gomez’ Rams, coming off of a season-opening loss to Roswell last Thursday, earned their first win on Tuesday night against Clovis. Portales swept the match in three sets, 25-22, 25-10 and 25-16. “After we lost to Roswell, we just watched film on Friday — we di... Full story

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