Prep football capsules

Fort Sumner at Escalante

When: 1 p.m. Saturday in the Class 2A state championship game

Records: Fort Sumner 8-3, Escalante 10-1

Last week: The Foxes beat Hagerman 19-12 at home while the defending 2A champion Lobos routed Questa 46-20 at Tierra Amarilla in semifinal play.

Last meeting: Oct. 9, the Lobos won at home over Fort Sumner 42-25.

Of note: Escalante’s only loss came at Class 5A Albuquerque Academy 41-20 on Sept. 26. The Lobos have won six in a row since, four by shutout, and outscored their opponents 345-45 over that stretch. For the season, they have a 508-98 scoring advantage. … Fort Sumner has won its last four games since losing to the Lobos. … Foxes senior RB Kyle Idtensohn was held to his second-lowest rushing total of the season in the semifinals (107 yards), but still went over 2,000 yards for the year (2,011, on 312 carries). He has 31 touchdowns, including two in last week’s win. … Escalante senior QB Dominic Montano is also over 2,000 yards, and gained 398 in the earlier meeting with the Foxes. The Lobos’ other main threat is junior RB Waylon Hinds. … First-year Foxes coach Brad Holland is making his first trip to a state title game as a head coach since his 2007 Carrizozo squad lost to Fort Sumner in the then-Class 1A finals. That was part of a stretch of five championships in six seasons for Fort Sumner.

link File photo: Kevin Wilson

Melrose senior Wyatt Williams tries to break the tackle of Cloudcroft’s Alix Miller during the Buffaloes’ 60-6 win in September. Defending eight-man champ Melrose will try to reach the title game again when it visits Logan in a Saturday night semifinal.

Melrose at Logan

When: 7 p.m. Saturday in an 8-man semifinal game

Records: Melrose 11-0, Logan 7-2

Last week: The Buffaloes beat Jemez Valley 60-6 and the Longhorns downed Dora 56-6, both at home, in quarterfinal games.

Last meeting: Melrose beat the Longhorns 52-0 on Sept. 18 at Melrose.

Of note: The game was moved from Friday night because of the possibility of the schools’ volleyball teams, seeded 1-2, meeting for the Class 2A state championship on Saturday at Rio Rancho’s Santa Ana Star Center. That match would be at 9 a.m. … Saturday’s football clash is a rematch of the 2014 championship game, won by the Buffs 76-37 at Melrose. Logan is the last team to beat Melrose, winning 47-38 at home in September 2014. … The winner faces either No. 2 Gateway Christian or No. 3 Magdalena, who play tonight at Roswell, in next week’s final. If the Buffs win, they would host Gateway or travel to Magdalena. … Buffs coach Dickie Roybal said the Longhorns will be a tougher out this time than in the previous meeting. “They’ve improved a lot (since then),” he said. “It’s always tough to play up there. It’ll be a good battle.” That said, the Buffs’ closest game this season was a 40-point win over Boise City, Oklahoma, and all but two of their games have ended early on the 50-point lead rule. … Top players for Logan are senior QB/DB Michael Estrada, senior RB/LB Brinton Roach and senior WR/S Jared Lubera. “Our game plan hasn’t changed,” Roybal said. “We’re going to try to stop the run and make them beat us through the air.”

Tucumcari at Texico

When: 7 p.m. today in a Class 3A first-round game

Records: Texico 3-7, Tucumcari 3-6

Last week: The Wolverines lost at Eunice 48-20 while the Rattlers beat Ramah 36-26 at Tucumcari.

Last meeting: Sept. 4, Tucumcari posted a 35-26 win at home over the Wolverines.

Of note: The Rattlers’ only other win was a 28-27 decision at Fort Sumner on Sept. 25. … Top players for Tucumcari include senior QB/CB Tyler Ferguson, senior RB/CB Daniel Lopez and junior WR/FS Zedric Henderson-Greene. … Wolverines coach Ryan Autrey said both teams come into the game pretty beat up. “They’re big and physical,” he said of the Rattlers. “If we stop the run, we’ll have a good chance. We’ve had to change our game plan throughout the season (due to injuries). It should be a pretty competitive matchup.” … The winner faces top-seeded Estancia in next week’s quarterfinal round.

Farwell vs. Shamrock

When: 1 p.m. (CST) Saturday in a Class 2A Division II bi-district game at Amarillo’s Dick Bivins Stadium.

Records: Farwell 5-4, Shamrock 5-5

Last week: Farwell thumped once-beaten Springlake-Earth 40-7 on the road, while the Irish won easily at Gruver 52-14.

Last meeting: Nov. 21, 2013, the Steers posted a 31-12 win over Shamrock at Amarillo River Road H.S. in a then-Class 1A second-round playoff game.

Of note: For what it’s worth, the Irish are hot. They’ve won their last three games by a combined score of 135-41. … Shamrock’s top players are senior QB/SS Darryl Calloway and senior RB Deniable Williams. Steers coach Danny Britain said both have some speed, notably Williams. … The teams have faced two common opponents, losing to Vega and Hale Center. The Steers and Irish were home against both foes. … Britain said the Irish play an Air Force-style Veer offense. “(Calloway and Williams) run the option, and they’re pretty good,” Britain said. “If we can contain them, we’re going to have a pretty good chance of winning.” … The winner faces either Quanah (6-4) or Plains (1-9), who meet tonight at Amarillo Highland Park H.S, in next week’s area round.

Muleshoe vs. Slaton

When: 7 p.m. (CST) today at Frenship H.S. in Wolfforth in a Class 3A Division I bi-district game

Records: Muleshoe 9-1, Slaton 3-7

Last week: The Mules beat Littlefield 42-25 at home. The Tigers dropped a 37-26 decision to visiting Denver City.

Last meeting: Oct. 7, 2011, Muleshoe won a then-District 1-2A matchup from the Tigers 41-12 at Slaton.

Of note: On paper, it’s a game the Mules should win. “We’ve got to be ready,” Muleshoe coach David Wood said. “If not, they (Tigers) can make a game of it.” … Muleshoe has played well most of the season, winning eight in a row since a Week 2 loss at Sweetwater. “We played good (against rival Littlefield),” Wood said. “You never know what to expect in that kind of game, but the kids handled it well.” … The winner gets either Breckenridge (7-3) or Brady (7-3), who meet Friday night at Brownwood, in next week’s area round. “Breckenridge and Brady are kind of ranked about where we are,” Wood said. “After this week, the competition gets a lot stiffer.”

— Compiled by Dave Wagner