Cat Tracks: Trick play aids Tigers

WOLFFORTH, Texas — Friday night, the crowd at Peoples Bank Stadium in Wolfforth saw a 29-21 Frenship win and a hook-and-ladder worthy of the former “Friday Night Lights” TV show.

And to think, it could have been run better.

Frenship coach Brad Davis wanted to find ways to open up the offense, with the expectation Clovis would aim to stop the rushing attack of senior Ronald Awatt.

link Staff photo: Kevin Wilson

Clovis junior Fernando Acosta knocks the ball loose from Frenship quarterback Tresten Kennan in the third quarter Friday night. The fumble was recovered by Joe Rush and returned for a touchdown.

The Tigers found it when Tresten Kennan fired a pass to Jordan Mannon, who caught the ball at the Clovis 31 and shoveled it to a streaking Awatt at the 31 before his foot hit the ground. Awatt did the rest.

“We’d been working on that for the last two weeks,” Davis said. “Unfortunately, our back was a few steps ahead of where he needed to be when the pass was caught. Jordan Mannon just made a great play catching and pitching it all in one motion.”

Clovis coach Eric Roanhaus, who chalked up the loss to numerous Wildcats errors on offense and allowing big plays on defense, had to tip his hat to Frenship on the call.

“We had the momentum,” Roanhaus said. “We were ahead (7-3), they run that hook-and-ladder and they’re back in the lead. They caught us flat-footed.”

Gray update: No play from Friday would be remembered more than the fourth-down rush that ended with a helmet-to-helmet hit and sent junior running back Micah Gray to University Medical Center.

Mitch Gray, Micah’s father, said his son aggravated a pair of discs in his neck. Tests showed no spinal cord damage or fracturing, but Micah will wear a neck brace and have weekly checkups.

The timing is fortunate for Clovis, given that Clovis has a bye following Grants — an opponent Clovis should be favored to beat no matter who fills in for Gray at running back.

link Staff photo: Kevin Wilson

Clovis sophomore Seth Lopez gets by Frenship safety Mason Weathers in Friday’s game at Peopels Bank Stadium in Wolfforth.

The last time: Clovis ended the game 12 yards short of a potential game-tying touchdown, which would have forced Clovis’ first overtime game since 2008, when Eldorado claimed a 22-21 win at Wilson Stadium. The Eagles also defeated Clovis in the state semifinals that year, by a 10-3 margin. Those were the only defeats for that Wildcat squad.

Clovis — which scored on a pair of Roland Chavez receptions and a scoop-and-score 37-yard fumble recovery by Joe Rush — went without a rushing touchdown for the first time since 2011, when an injury-depleted Clovis squad took a 14-0 loss against La Cueva.

Elsewhere in 4-6A: A look at the rest of the teams in District 4A, with Clovis’ game against each in parentheses.

• The Alamogordo Tigers (Oct. 23, road) had no problem with Deming in a 56-12 homecoming win. Alamogordo, which has outscored its opponents 324-66, has its final non-district contest Friday at Artesia. Cleveland remained 6A’s only other undefeated team with a 34-31 win over Eldorado.

• The Hobbs Eagles (Oct. 30, road), who also visited Lubbock, met a similar fate. The 58-35 loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Hobbs (3-2), hosts Lovington Friday.

• The Carlsbad Cavemen (Nov. 6, home) dropped to 0-6 with a 10-7 loss against Sandia Saturday at Wilson Stadium. Carlsbad hosts Goddard on Friday.

Coming up: The Wildcats host Grants for homecoming. The only other meeting between the schools came last year when Clovis overpowered the Pirates 50-0 and ended the game early in the third quarter. Grants comes into the game 4-2, but is coming off a 53-14 loss to Farmington.