Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Clovis, Portales both get second seeds, first-round byes
Wromiah Gbassagee leaves Lovington defenders behind on a touchdown run in Friday's District 3/4-4A game at Greyhound Stadium. both Portales and Lovington are off this week with top-four seeds in the Class 4A football bracket.
It was a Saturday of celebration, because Clovis and Portales got a week of relaxation for the first week of the state football playoffs.
Both the Wildcats and Rams received No. 2 seeds in their respective brackets. The top four teams in Classes 3A through 6A receive first-round byes this week, and a home game in next week’s quarterfinal round.
The Wildcats (7-3) will have a district rematch against either No. 7 La Cueva or No. 10 Eldorado. Portales (9-1) faces either No. 7 seed and defending champion Taos or 10th-seeded Silver.
Clovis won its first district title since 2015 and is on a four-game winning streak. Coach Cal Fullerton said he had guarded optimism the Wildcats would be seeded behind only Volcano Vista in Class 6A.
“I talked to Heath (Ridenour, Cleveland coach). We went through things, and we had more of the criteria points than they did. Our criteria was better than Cruces and Cleveland. But to tell you the truth, I was surprised.”
The New Mexico Activities Association notes brackets are determined by overall record, head-to-head matchups, district championships, wins over district champions regardless of classification and MaxPreps.com rankings.
Fourth-seeded Rio Rancho did have a head-to-head win over Clovis, but the Wildcats had a district title and Week 2 opponent Los Lunas did Clovis the courtesy of winning District 5-5A. Also, Fullerton noted, “it would have been hard to put Cleveland, Rio, Las Cruces and Centennial all in front of us after we won a district.”
Down in Portales, coach Jaime Ramirez admitted there was nothing to be surprised about in the 4A bracket and expected to be seeded below 10-0 Bloomfield.
“I think it’s pretty accurate,” Ramirez said. “The NMAA has their criteria, and as a coaching staff we went down the line on the bracket (and got the same thing).”
Both coaches think their second-round opponent could be either team in the 7-10 matchup.
Fullerton noted when the Eagles and Bears played in the district season, it was 21-13 with five minutes to go before La Cueva pulled about for a 38-13 win.
“You’re going to have to play them anyway,” Fullerton said, “but you hope you get to play somebody you haven’t seen before. But at the same time, our kids are prepared for both of them, as they’re the last teams we played. It’s not going to be an easy football game. I think we’re going to prepare a little for both this week. Friday, we’ll find out for sure.”
Ramirez was looking forward to the Taos-Silver game, noting whoever survives will be a dangerous matchup for the Rams.
“Everybody who’s in the playoffs has a chance,” Ramirez said. “We’ve got to make sure we’re prepared.”
The other top-four seeds in 6A are:
• No. 1 Volcano Vista, which will host either No. 8 Mayfield or No. 9 Carlsbad
• No. 3 Cleveland, which will host either No. 6 Centennial or No. 11 Cibola
• No. 4 Rio Rancho, which will host either No. 5 Las Cruces or No. 12 Sandia
The other top-four seeds in Class 4A are:
• No. 1 Bloomfield, which will host either No. 8 Ruidoso or No. 9 St. Pius X
• No. 3 Lovington, which will host either No. 6 Aztec or No. 11 Bernalillo
• No. 4 Grants, which will host either No. 5 Kirtland Central or No. 12 Moriarty
In semifinal and championship rounds, the home site is determined through the schools’ playoff histories. The NMAA defines playoff history as the last time the teams faced off in a semifinal or championship; games in earlier rounds are not considered.
If the teams have a playoff history, the previous game’s host is this year’s visitor. If the teams do not have a playoff history, the higher seed is the host.
Clovis would host every potential matchup except for a state championship against Volcano Vista, which would receive the home designation due to its No. 1 seed. In the semifinals, Clovis would host Cibola (1985 4A semifinals), Centennial or Cleveland (higher seed). In the finals, Clovis would host Las Cruces (2007 5A semifinals), Mayfield (2009 5A semifinals), Sandia (2001 5A semifinals), Carlsbad or Rio Rancho (higher seed).
Portales is more likely to travel should it reach its fifth consecutive semifinal game. The Rams would visit Lovington (2008 3A championship) and host Aztec (1961 A semifinals) or Bernalillo (higher seed). Should Portales advance to the finals, it would visit Bloomfield (2008 3A semifinals) or Ruidoso (2004 3A championship) and host Kirtland Central (1981 3A semifinals), Grants, Moriarty and St. Pius X (higher seed).
