CAT TRACKS: Special teams nearly saved Cats

ALBUQUERQUE — Chad Adcox has only three games to his head coaching resume, but he already knew he didn't want the ball in Kamal Cass' hands late.

"The last punt, I said, 'Punt it out of bounds,'" the longtime Manzano assistant said after the Monarchs' 26-20 win over the Clovis Wildcats on Saturday. "'I don't want to give them a chance to run it back. I don't care if it's a 10-yard punt.'"

The punt was a little longer, and didn't quite get out of bounds. It got to Cass near the left sidelines, and cut to the right sidelines for a 73-yard score.

Between Cass' return — his third punt returned for a score this year — and a 77-yard, juke-heavy kickoff return from junior Shaprei Bryant, special teams put most of the points on board for a Wildcats squad that didn't reach the Manzano 30-yard line until the fourth quarter.

Adcox didn't feel like the Monarchs had a breakdown in coverage, noting: "Cass and Bryant are exceptional athletes." Clovis coach Eric Roanhaus said it was part execution, part luck.

"With the punt, we set up the wall for Kamal," Roanhaus said. "On the kick return, we fell into a muddy puddle and came out with fish in our pockets."

Track number: 10. That's the advantage Manzano had on first downs in the first half, with a 13-3 edge.

The Wildcats had come into the contest without sending out the punt team in their first two games, but punted the first two times they had the ball against Manzano and turned it over on downs on their third possession.

Two of the Cats' first downs came on the final drive of the second quarter, which saw them let the game clock expire from their 40.

CMI photo: Kevin Wilson

Clovis junior Traivon Sopila takes down Manzano receiver Josh Alvarez during Saturday's game at F.M. Wilson Stadium in Albuquerque.

Trick plays pay: Cass and Traivon Sopila won't be taking over at quarterback any time soon, but both had decent auditions on what Roanhaus called "gimmick plays."

Both of Clovis' fourth-quarter drives featured a big pass, with the bait of a run play. Cass at first did an end around, then tossed a 28-yarder to Chase Sambrano. The drive ended with Erik Thomas' 1-yard touchdown run.

CMI photo: Kevin WilsonClovis running back Kamal Cass (20) pushes forward as Manzano's Antonio Gutierrez, left, attempts to tackle him, and Clovis tight end Marshall Winn holds off Eric Tidwell. The Monarchs won 26-20, handing the Wildcats their first loss of the season.

Sopila's involved a little more trickery, with the junior faking the reverse on a handoff from Cass, via quarterback Kordell Tindle. His pass found Thomas for 25 yards. The drive ended at the Manzano 25 on a Bryant fumble.

Scratch that: Cat Tracks needs to rectify an error last week in reporting.

The Wildcats' 67-12 victory over Highland put Clovis at 2-0 on the season, but it did not set a school record for points in a game.

That mark is still owned by the 1991 Wildcats squad, which defeated Santa Fe 75-0 to move to 5-1 on the season. The 1991 team gave Roanhaus his ninth state title, and second in a row. Both came over Eldorado, 28-0 in 1990 and 13-10 in three overtimes the following year.