Bronchos notch 40-26 victory over Tigers

ELIDA – Senior Zane Rush scored touchdowns in three different ways and also tossed a scoring pass as Grady subdued Elida 40-26 in 6-man District 2 action on Friday night.

Rush caught a 38-yard pass from senior Xavier Romero for the game's first score, then returned a punt 48 yards later in the period, threw a 13-yard TD pass to freshman Madden Flood in the second stanza and went in on an 18-yard run to put the game out of reach in the final segment.

Also for the Bronchos (2-1, 1-1 district), junior Deakin Ragland ran a kickoff back for a 68-yard score and tallied on a 10-yard run, both in the third quarter. Grady converted two single-point conversions and got its other two points on a second-quarter safety, helping the Bronchos build a 27-12 halftime margin.

Junior Dylan Dobbins' 50-yard run got the Tigers (1-1, 0-1) on the board late in the first period. Senior Klayton Nixon had a 15-yard TD run and connected with junior Hayden Rubio on a 40-yard touchdown pass, then caught a 30-yard scoring pass from.

Grady hosts Gateway Christian while Elida entertains Roy/Mosquero in 7 p.m. contests on Friday.

Melrose 54, Magdalena 0 – Senior Michael Cardonita scored three touchdowns, two on pick-6s, and Melrose mercy-ruled the host Steers (1-2) at halftime.

Cardonita returned interceptions 51 yards in the first quarter and 34 yards in the second stanza for scores, and also tallied on a 37-yard pass from junior Josiah Roybal in the initial canto.

Melrose (2-1) built a 40-0 lead at the quarter. The Buffaloes notched 2-point conversions on each of their first six scores, including two runs by Cardonita.

Senior Gray Brandon opened the scoring with a 58-yard TD reception from junior Josh Roybal, who then grabbed a 40-yard touchdown pass from his twin brother. Junior Brayden Eldridge ran 64 yards for a TD in the first quarter, while Josiah Roybal collected an 18-yard TD run in the second frame.

The competition level ratchets up markedly this week when the Buffs face defending Colorado 8-man state champion Dove Creek (2-0) in a 6 p.m. start on Friday at Menaul H.S. in Albuquerque. The Bulldogs, who claimed a 64-34 win over Melrose last season, bring a 15-game winning streak into the tilt.

Dora 38, Floyd 12 – At Dora, Floyd got out to a quick start before the Coyotes came back to win in the 6-man District 2 opener for both sides and the season opener for the Broncos.

Floyd sophomore Colton Cain sustained a concussion during the first quarter, and was airlifted to Lubbock. He has since returned home, but will not be able to continue in football due to the injury.

Junior Aaron Combs scored on runs of 30 and 14 yards, on a 40-yard interception return and on a recovery of a teammate's fumble in the end zone for Dora (2-1). Junior Mason Christensen added a 2-yard scoring run and was in on two safeties, sacking the quarterback in the end zone one time and teaming with senior Cole Kircher to drag down a Floyd ballcarrier on the other.

Senior Benton Cain, Colton's brother, scored on a 28-yard pass from senior Daegan East for the Broncos to open the scoring. Their other tally came on a 32-yard run by senior Isaias Nieto early in the third period.

Both teams play outside the district this weekend, with Floyd visiting Hondo at 7 p.m. on Friday and Dora playing at Carrizozo at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Texico 30, New Mexico Military 8 – At Roswell, junior Alex Fuentes ran for 289 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries on Friday, and the Wolverines blanked the Colts until the final period.

Fuentes' TD runs covered 16 and 3 yards in the third quarter and 38 yards in the fourth. He added a 2PAT run after the first one.

Texico (3-0) took the lead in the opening stanza on a 28-yard pass from senior Cade Figg to sophomore Luke Thompson. Thompson added a 2-point conversion run.

Senior Leonardo Lopez ran for the lone touchdown for NMMI (2-1), and he added a 2-point conversion.

Texico returns home for a 7 p.m. clash on Friday against Olton.