Cats absorb 26-20 loss to Manzano

ALBUQUERQUE — The Clovis Wildcats' ongoing troubles at F.M. Wilson Stadium got started early Saturday, as their offense got started a little too late.

Host Manzano posted 358 total yards and limited Clovis to just three first downs and 56 first-half yards before holding on to win 26-20 Saturday afternoon to remain undefeated.

Carlos Perez smothered a Wildcats onside kick attempt with 1:55 to play, right after they had snuck to within one score on a Kamal Cass 73-yard punt return. Manzano ran out the clock to give Clovis (2-1) its first defeat of the season, along with its fifth-straight defeat and eighth in nine games at Wilson.

Clovis put up just 201 yards on the day, and got most of its points on returns — Shaprei Bryant scored on a 77-yard kickoff return in the opening minute of the second quarter.

"We didn't play well in the first half, and that happens," Clovis coach Eric Roanhaus said of the Wildcats. "We recovered offensively in the second half, but we never recovered defensively.

"You deserve to get your (tails) kicked when you give up 25 first downs."

The Monarchs (3-0) got a 27-carry, 127-yard rushing performance with two scores from running back Corey Morrow, while junior quarterback Angel Gonzales was 12-of-19 for 168 yards and accounted for two touchdowns — a 41-yard strike to Skyler Walker off a perfect look-away fake to open scoring, and a 4-yard run on Manzano''s opening drive of the second half.

"He played really well today," Manzano coach Chad Adcox said. "Angel, moving forward, he's going to be tough."

Morrow had scoring runs of 8 yards in the second quarter and 4 yards to put the Monarchs up 26-6 late in the third.

Walker, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound finished with 98 yards on five catches, his final catch a 30-yard strike that set up Morrow's 4-yard score.

"I felt like we needed to pick out our times; we didn't want him to be our only target," Adcox said of Walker. "He's a game-changer and he makes big plays, (but) our philosophy is to spread the ball around so you can't just key on one guy."

Clovis, meanwhile, had seven plays from scrimmage of 15 or more yards, with six involving junior Kamal Cass — four runs, one reception and a 29-yard pass on a trick play to Chase Sambrano in the third.

Of those plays, though, three came on Clovis' lone scoring drive — a 1-yard-run by Erik Thomas with 9:34 left in the game — while the other four came on drives that stalled.

A pair of trick plays — Cass' pass and an end-around 25-yard pass from Traivon Sopila to Thomas — got Clovis going late. But Roanhaus thought the Wildcats needed to make those plays earlier.

"We got down 26-6," Roanhaus said. "A couple of our gimmick plays worked to get us rolling. (In the first quarter) we got the receiver behind everybody and threw it over his head. If you want to win games, you've got to make those plays. It's throw and catch from 30 yards."

Clovis is back on the road Friday, as it faces Cleveland — a 19-18 winner over Onate on Saturday. The Monarchs visit Mayfield on Friday.