Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Junior Kaidyn Cordova looks for running room during Portales High's game against Valencia on Friday night at Greyhound Stadium. The Rams, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, improved to 4-0 for the season with a 51-0 victory over the Jaguars.
Junior quarterback Paxton Culpepper threw for four touchdowns – all in the first half – as Class 4A No. 1 Portales High continued its dominating early-season performance on Friday night with a 51-0 thumping of Valencia at Greyhound Stadium.
Culpepper completed 9-of-14 passes for 238 yards, hitting senior Braden Beck for tallies of 55 and 45 yards in the first quarter and seniors Zane Mayberry for 65 yards and Andru Ontiveros for 16 in the second canto as the Rams (4-0) opened a 41-0 halftime lead.
Junior running back Zach Radloff scored on runs of five yards in the opening stanza and 14 yards in the third period, while senior linebacker Manny Chavez was in on a team-high nine tackles and recovered a pair of Valencia fumbles, including one he returned 76 yards to the end zone late in the half.
Senior Toby Standifer, who was 6-for-7 on PAT kicks, ended it early in the fourth period on the 50-point lead rule with a 24-yard field goal.
Portales finished with a 400-184 margin in total yards in posting its third shutout. Nobody had more than 10 carries or three pass receptions for the Rams.
PHS has scored at least 45 points in all four of its games while allowing only a pair of second-quarter tallies in a come-from-behind 48-14 win over West Las Vegas on Sept. 2.
"The defense played great," Rams coach Jaime Ramirez said. "The kids have really bought in. We're playing good in all three phases of the game."
The Jaguars (2-1) beat Portales at Greyhound Stadium two years ago, then saw a one-point lead evaporate when Culpepper led a 99-yard drive and scored the go-ahead touchdown in the closing seconds of a 34-27 win at Valencia last season.
Everything is looking up for Portales, which played its first two games on the road, is in the midst of a seven-week stretch in which it has five home games and a bye. The one road game in that stretch is at Class 2A No. 3 Eunice on Sept. 22.
"Honestly, we just want to stay focused and locked in," Ramirez said. "We like going into a game thinking that (opponent) is good and that we have to play our best."
Portales hosts St. Pius (1-2) on Friday night.
