Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Staff photo: Tony Bullocks Texico junior Jadyn Sanchez closes in on Portales quarterback Junior Ramirez during first-quarter action Friday at Texico. The Rams beat the Wolverines 36-0.
TEXICO — The Portales Rams continue to ride their defense as they spoiled the Texico Wolverines’ homecoming on Friday night. This time the Rams (3-0) beat the Wolverines (1-2) 36-0.
All the usual players for Portales scored, but did so in atypical ways. Running back Bronte Staugaard returned a punt for a touchdown and quarterback Junior Ramirez showed off his secondary skills with a pick-six to bookend the scoring for the Rams (3-0).
link Staff photo: Tony Bullocks
Texico junior Jadyn Sanchez closes in on Portales quarterback Junior Ramirez during first-quarter action Friday at Texico. The Rams beat the Wolverines 36-0.
In the opening quarter both teams had trouble moving the ball. Staugaard broke the tie in the final minute of the first quarter as he took Texico’s third punt of the game 54 yards to the house.
Staugaard scored again for Portales in the second quarter to put the Rams up 14-0 at the half.
The game was all but over at the start of the third quarter. After a failed onside kick attempt by Texico (1-2) to start off the half, Staugaard scored on a 50-yard run on just the third play in the quarter. After the Wolverines were called for offsides on the extra point attempt, quarterback Junior Ramirez ran in the 2-point conversion to put the Rams up 22-0.
Portales scored a final offensive touchdown on the first play in the fourth quarter when Staugaard ran the ball in from the 1-yard line. That would not be Portales’ final score, though.
With about eight minutes remaining, Junior Ramirez jumped in front of a pass and returned it 85 yards to give the Rams a 36-point lead, which started the continuous clock running to end the game. Portales didn’t touch the ball for the rest of the game.
“Our defense is the heart and soul of the team,” coach Jaime Ramirez said after the game. “They set everything up for our offense. But this was a total team effort. I think we won in all phases of the game.”
The stats certainly back up what he said. The Rams finished with 289 of offense in just over three quarters while limiting Texico to 147 yards and picking off two passes. Throw in the punt return for a touchdown and it’s hard to argue the Rams’ dominatiion of all aspects of the game.
