Area prep football capsules — Sept. 5

Tucumcari (0-1) at Texico (0-1)

• When: 7 p.m. today

• Last week: The Rattlers dropped a 34-28 decision at Escalante. Texico lost at home to Santa Rosa 25-12.

• Last year: Texico edged the Rattlers 21-20 at Tucumcari.

• Of note: The teams were District 4-2A rivals last year, but are now in opposite districts in Class 3A. The Wolverines are playing three of their four former district foes, all in the first four weeks. … Texico outgained Santa Rosa 252-235 and had a whopping 20-6 edge in first downs, but the Wolverines were done in by two big touchdown returns by the Lions’ Isaac Velasquez — 88 yards on the opening kickoff, 30 yards on a game-clinching interception with under two minutes left. …

Fort Sumner (0-1) at NMMI (1-0)

• When: 7 p.m. today at Roswell

• Last week: The Foxes lost to the Clovis junior varsity 45-0 at home on Aug. 29. New Mexico Military was awarded a 2-0 forfeit win over Lubbock Trinity Christian.

• Last year: The teams did not meet.

• Of note: The teams have met several times in Fort Sumner coach Matt Moyer’s tenure, and the Foxes have never lost, but he expects a tough test from the Colts this time. “They’ve got good size and speed everywhere,” Moyer said. “Playing them early in the season is kind of hard because they always get new guys in.” … The Foxes thought they’d play the Clovis sophomores last week; instead, they ended up with an older JV squad. “Hopefully, we can bounce back,” Moyer said. “We’ve got some older guys, but they don’t have a lot of experience and I think that showed up (last week).”

Melrose (1-0) vs. Cloudcroft (1-0)

• When: 7 p.m. today at Tularosa

• Last week: The Buffaloes routed Mescalero at Melrose 50-0 in a game called by the mercy rule at halftime. The Bears also won big, a 46-0 decision over Springer.

• Last year: The teams did not meet.

• Of note: Because of rains which have left the Bears’ field in less-than-ideal shape, tonight’s game was moved to a neutral site,” Melrose coach Dickie Roybal said. … Cloudcroft played 11-man before dropping down this year. “They’ve got a lot of kids,” Roybal said. “It’s going to be totally different (from last week’s romp).” … He said the Bears’ best player is junior RB Justin Gaines. “I would think the key to the game is containing that kid,” Roybal said. “We’ll have to tackle well.” … The Buffs are hoping that, with limited depth, they can just stay relatively healthy. “The kids are playing well together; they have confidence,” Roybal said. “As I’ve said, if we don’t get kids hurt we’ve got a pretty good team.”

Crosbyton (1-0) at Farwell (1-0)

• When: 7:30 p.m. (CDT) today

• Last week: The Chiefs won at Tahoka 24-7, while the Steers defeated Panhandle 24-14 at Amarillo.

• Last year: The teams did not meet.

• Of note: Containing the Chiefs on the ground is Farwell’s mission this week, coach Danny Brittain said. “They kind of try to run over you on offense,” he said. “There’s very little passing.” … The Chiefs’ best player, Brittain said, is probably senior RB Nathan Childers. … Brittain, in his first game at Farwell, said the Steers were solid last week. “We played well at times,” he said. “We probably threw the ball more last Friday than I anticipated, but the way (Panhandle) lined up (on defense), it led us to do that.”

Bovina (1-0) at Smyer (1-0)

• When: 7:30 p.m. (CDT) today

• Last week: Bovina routed Plains 40-0 at home. The Bobcats posted a 35-28 win at Hale Center.

• Last year: The teams did not meet.

• Of note: The teams are meeting for the first time since the 2010 Class 1A playoffs, a bidistrict game the Mustangs won 44-20. … The Bobcats had control at Hale Center before the Owls scored three times in the final quarter to get close. … Bovina coach Hector Guevara said the Bobcats run a Veer style of attack out of the Wishbone. “They’re a five-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust team,” he quipped. … Guevara said the Mustangs were a bit fortunate in dominating last week’s game. “We scored two touchdowns off special teams, and one off a turnover,” he noted. “When you score in all three phases, that’s pretty good.”

Sweetwater (1-0) at Muleshoe (1-0)

• When: 7:30 p.m. (CDT) today

• Last week: The Mustangs scored a 66-35 win over Lubbock High. The Mules erased a 28-7 halftime deficit to edge Levelland 48-46 at home.

• Last year: The teams did not meet.

• Of note: Mules coach David Wood said last week’s comeback was the largest in his 19 seasons at the school. He added, though, that one game like that is enough, thank you very much. “I hope not,” he said of the possibility of another wild finish this week. “But I do expect some points to be scored.” … This is the first time the teams have met in Wood’s time at Muleshoe. “They’re very talented, very fast,” he said of the Mustangs. “They run a spread offense, but they’re definitely capable of running the ball.” … Last week’s scintillating comeback could help the Mules, Wood said. “Our kids never doubted (they could win), but I think I was (doubtful) a little bit,” he said.

— Compiled by Dave Wagner