Friday area prep football capsules — Oct. 14

Questa (1-2, 0-0) at Fort Sumner (7-0, 0-0)

When: 7 p.m. in the District 1-2A opener for both teams.

Last week: Fort Sumner won at Jal 50-0 while the Wildcats had an open date. Questa last played on Sept. 30, losing to Raton 41-0.

Last meeting: 2015, the Foxes took a 48-14 win at Questa.

Of note: Fort Sumner is ranked No. 1 in Class 2A and appears headed for a showdown at home against No. 2 Escalante (7-0) in the district and regular-season finale on Oct. 28. … Sophomore QB Jude Segura threw for 323 yards and six TDs last week, four to sophomore WR Noah Maxwell and two to junior WR Brant West. Junior Kreston Butterfield was also 6-for-6 on PAT kicks.

Melrose (6-1, 2-0) at Logan (3-3, 1-0)

When: 7 p.m. in an 8-man District 4 game.

Last week: Melrose won at Mountainair 74-20. The Longhorns lost to Springer 14-12 in their district opener, but were later awarded the game by forfeit due to an ineligible player used by the Red Hawks.

Last meetings: 2015, the two-time defending 8-man champion Buffaloes beat Logan 52-0 in district play at Melrose and then won at Logan 68-13 in the state semifinals.

Of note: Buffs coach Dickie Roybal said that, as with Mountainair last week, his team has played Logan every year in his 20 seasons at the school. Most of those were as district rivals before this season. “They’ve got a good program,” he said of the Longhorns. “They’re a decent football team. They always have big kids and they do a good job of blocking.” … The Buffs beat the Longhorns 76-37 in the 8-man state final at Melrose in 2014. Logan won the regular-season tilt 47-38, the only loss for the two-time defending 8-man champion Buffs over the previous two campaigns. … A win would essentially lock up the district title for Melrose, which has only a home game against Springer on Oct. 28 remaining in the regular season.

Smyer (1-5, 0-1) at Farwell (5-1, 1-0)

When: 7:30 p.m. (CDT) in a District 3-2A Division II game.

Last week: The Bobcats lost at home to Bovina 48-0 while the Steers eked out a 6-0 victory at Sudan.

Last meeting: 2011, the Steers edged Smyer 21-15 in a Class 2A Division II bi-district playoff game.

Of note: Farwell’s normally high-powered offense was held in check by the Hornets last week, but the Steers rode an early touchdown by RB Miguel Vasquez and stout defense to victory in their district opener. “We didn’t play very good last week,” Farwell coach Danny Brittain said. “We moved the football; we just did things to set ourselves back. But we played really good defense.” … The Bobcats and Steers have similarities, Brittain said, but what hurts Smyer is a relative lack of depth. “They actually line up a lot like we do,” he said. “A lot of the stuff we run, they run.” … Smyer is one of two newcomers to the district, along with Morton. The Bobcats’ best player may be junior QB/SS Aries Cisneros. … Brittain said senior QB Heath Hadley is out for the season with an ACL injury suffered two weeks ago against Post. Junior Ethan Stancell has taken over under center. “He had been playing tight end,” Brittain said. “We’re kind of trying to refigure our dynamics.”

Springlake-Earth (3-3, 1-0) at Bovina (5-0, 1-0)

When: 7:30 p.m. (CDT) in a District 3-2A Division II game.

Last week: The Wolverines won at Morton 38-13. Bovina blanked host Smyer 48-0.

Last meeting: 2015, Springlake-Earth beat the Mustangs 41-18 at home.

Of note: After a relatively easy win in their district opener, the Mustangs expect to face a stiffer test this week. “They’re balanced between run and pass,” Bovina coach Hector Guevara said. “They’re a good team. We can’t take them lightly.” … Keys to the attack for the Wolverines are RB James Sandoval and WRs Derrick Gover and Isaiah Solis. … Guevara said that while the Mustangs are playing well, there’s room for improvement. “The kids are working hard,” he said. “We’re not full-tilt yet, which is good. The good thing is we’re getting better every game.”

Muleshoe (4-2, 1-0) at River Road (3-3, 1-0)

When: 7:30 p.m. (CDT) in a District 1-3A Division I clash at Amarillo.

Last week: The Mules pounded host Slaton 63-20. The Wildcats notched a 21-14 victory at Friona.

Last meeting: 2015, Muleshoe blanked River Road 59-0 at home.

Of note: Muleshoe has dominated the Wildcats in recent years, but Mules coach David Wood doesn’t think it’ll be that easy this time. “We’ve had their number, but I don’t expect that this year,” Wood said. “They have 27 seniors on their roster. … River Road players to watch include RB/CB Deonte Woodard, WR/MLB Chris Duran and FB/OLB Keevin Conner, all seniors. River Road likes to use the Wildcat attack at times, Wood noted. “They’ll run right at you, on offense and defense,” he said. “That’s kind of their mentality.” … While they’ve struggled in recent years, the Wildcats did eliminate the then-defending Class 2A champion Mules from the playoffs in 2009 with a 25-21 victory.

— Compiled by Dave Wagner