Cat tracks: Loss leaves Clovis frustrated

There was plenty of laundry on display Saturday at Community Stadium, even with only one game on the slate.

The Clovis Wildcats and Atrisco Heritage Jaguars drew plenty of flags — 22 in all — and Atrisco Heritage won 19-14 despite 15 penalties for 121 yards.

Clovis felt the Jaguars may have been a few flags short.

link Staff photo: Kevin Wilson

Clovis senior Juan San Juan leaps in celebration after finishing off Clovis’ opening drive with a 5-yard run. San Juan had 170 yards on 30 carries.

“We had six gets kid their helmet ripped off, and there never was a personal foul,” Clovis coach Eric Roanhaus said. “They need to look at that.”

Roanhaus, who was flagged for standing too close to the field during a live play, conceded that Clovis did plenty to lose the game on its own. But the frustration was evident from the coaching staff every time a purple helmet rolled on the turf.

QUICK CHANGE: Just 15 minutes before kickoff, Luke Bussen jogged onto the field still in street clothes.

Normally, showing up that close to a ballgame would be a “don’t bother suiting up” offense, but the Wildcat kicker certainly had a reason. It was his second game of the day in Albuquerque, following the Clovis soccer team’s 5-0 loss against La Cueva in an 11 a.m. match.

Bussen was not sent out for any field goal attempts, but had little problem with two extra points.

His presence also meant a cheering section. Both CHS soccer teams made the trip together on Friday and stuck around for the 2 p.m. kickoff.

THE NUMBERS DON'T LIE, DO THEY? With the exception of anything to show for it on the scoreboard, the Wildcats flat-out dominated the Jaguars early on.

With 3:46 left in the second quarter — after a 10-minute Clovis drive was squelched by Dante Hernandez-LaCour’s end zone pick and another Clovis drive stalled — the Wildcats had run 32 plays for 165 yards. The Jaguars, meanwhile, had managed 12 yards and 15 yards in illegal procedure calls on a pair of three-and-outs.

But Clovis couldn’t convert the advantage into points, and the Jaguars converted two touchdowns on their next seven offensive plays — a 49-yard run for Aaron Bean and a 65-yarder for Jesus Alvidrez.

link Staff photo: Kevin Wilson

Clovis co-defensive coordinator Darrell Davis talks about the previous series with Estevan Romero Saturday at Community Stadium in Albuquerque. Atrisco Heritage defeated Clovis 19-14 for its first win, and knocked Clovis to 2-1 on the season.

AROUND THE DISTRICT: A quick look at how the rest of District 4-6A fared over the weekend:

• Alamogordo: The district’s only undefeated team stayed that way, as the Tigers blasted winless Highland 48-8 in an early homecoming contest at Tiger Stadium.

The homecoming win, the Tigers’ first in 12 seasons, came easily with sophomore Kyle Hooper completing 14-of-21 passes for 344 yards and six touchdowns.

Peter Dindinger of the Alamogordo Daily News notes the Tigers have outscored their opponents 133-15, and are just 14 points from eclipsing their point total from the entire 2013 season.

• Carlsbad: It wasn’t much of a contest against Mayfield, as the second-ranked Trojans scored on five of their first six possessions and rolled the Cavemen 45-8 at the Field of Dreams.

The Cavemen managed just 213 yards and had three interceptions.

• Hobbs: The Eagles moved to 2-1 on the season, cruising past Roswell 48-0.

Hobbs led 28-0 after one, and the rest of the game wasn’t much better. The Eagles held the punchless Coyotes to 43 total yards and no first downs until Roswell’s eighth offensive possession.

TWO WEEKS NOTICE: Here’s the next two weeks for the Wildcats.

Clovis travels back west, and then a few mile further north, to Cleveland High School to face the Storm 7 p.m. Friday. The Storm (2-1) defeated Onate 35-24 at the Field of Dreams.

Then, it’s homecoming on Sept. 26 as Rio Rancho comes to Clovis. The Rams are 3-0, with wins over Valley, El Paso Americas and La Cueva, all by at least 21 points.

The recent history isn’t good for Clovis against Rio Rancho squads. The Rams have beaten Clovis four of the last five years, and the Storm have won all four matchups in the still-young series.