Cats, Rams set to play for district titles this week

SANTA FE – Things are playing out similarly to how they did last season for Clovis High’s football team.

The Wildcats battled their way through a challenging pre-district slate last year, then won their first three contests in District 5-6A play to set up a duel for the district title in the regular-season finale at Los Lunas.

That didn’t turn out so well – the Cats were beaten 54-0 by the Tigers. But after Friday’s 34-21 victory over Santa Fe Capital, Clovis (4-5, 3-0) now hosts fifth-ranked Los Lunas (7-2, 3-0) on Friday at Leon Williams Stadium seeking a spot in the Class 6A postseason.

Seniors Jett Stone and Kash Roberts combined for all five TDs for CHS, with Roberts’ 4-yard run capping a long drive and finally putting the tilt away with about 4 ½ minutes left.

“It’s a chance for a district title, and that’s what our goal was,” CHS coach Andrew McCraw said. “We’ve got to get back to work tomorrow and make it happen.”

The setback was the eighth in a row for the Jaguars (1-8, 0-3), but only the second by more than eight points. Clovis led 21-0 late in the second quarter but watched Capital cut the lead to seven points twice in the second half.

Junior quarterback Deaven Montano threw for two touchdowns for the Jaguars, and senior running back Fabian Ryan’s 2-yard run early in the fourth made it 28-21. The Cats then milked the clock with a seven-minute scoring drive.

It wasn’t the prettiest win, but it got the job done.

“We’ve just got to make plays when they’re there,” McCraw said.

Roberts scored on runs of 4 and 30 yards in the opening stanza, and a 9-yard run by Stone made it 21-0 early in the second frame. Montano’s second TD pass cut it to 21-14 early in the third before Stone restored a two-score lead with a 3-yard run late in the period.

Portales 38, Bernalillo 0 – The Class 4A top-ranked Rams used a 17-point second quarter to create separation and improved to 9-0 (4-0 District 4-4A), earning their sixth shutout of the campaign.

Junior quarterback Paxton Culpepper threw scoring passes of 10 and 60 yards to senior Braden Beck in the first half, then hit junior running back Kaidyn Cordova on a 15-yard TD toss in the third period. Cordova and Paxton also scored on short runs, while senior Toby Standifer went 5-for-5 on PATs and booted a 22-yard field goal just before halftime to make it 24-0.

“I thought we played outstanding,” Rams coach Jaime Ramirez said. “It was a good all-around game by our team.”

The Spartans (6-3, 1-2) lost their third game in a row. Meantime, Portales has won all its games this season by a minimum of 25 points, outscoring its opponents by a whopping 414-34.

“We’ve been blessed,” Ramirez said. “We’ve been playing good football all the way around.”

Now comes a major test on Friday at third-ranked Lovington (6-3, 3-0), which whipped Albuquerque Academy 43-26 on Friday night. The Wildcats beat PHS at Greyhound Stadium to win the district title last year, then eliminated the Rams in the second round of the 4A playoffs.

“They’re always a good football team,” Ramirez said. “Coach (Anthony) Gonzales and his staff do a good job.”