Steers, Mustangs set to renew area rivalry

link Staff photo: Tony Bullocks

Farwell senior quarterback J.J. Herrera hands off to junior running back Adrian Aleman during the first half of a game at Texico earlier this season. The Steers have compiled a 5-1 record this season heading into tonight’s District 3-2A Division II home matchup against Bovina.

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First-year Farwell football coach Danny Brittain says it didn’t take long in his time at the school to be introduced to the most important games on the Steers’ schedule.

“I was jokingly told when I took the job that you have to beat two teams — Texico and Bovina,” he said. “Well, we’re halfway there.”

The Steers won earlier this season at Texico 31-0, and will try to complete to perceived “sweep” tonight when they entertain Bovina in a 6:30 p.m. (CDT) District 3-2A Division II game at Farwell.

Farwell (5-1, 1-0 district) comes in playing relatively well after opening district play with a 30-19 win at Sudan last week. Meantime, the Mustangs (5-2, 0-1) were playing well before getting blanked 31-0 at home last week by Vega.

Brittain said he doesn’t think Vega did the Steers any favors with their relatively easy win last week.

“They’re probably going to be refocused this week,” he said of the Mustangs. “They’ll probably have the attitude that they have something to prove.”

Bovina coach Hector Guevara says his team is in for a tough time, but is hopeful they’ll bounce back.

“I think our kids are up to the challenge,” he said. “It’ll be a tough game, an extremely big challenge.”

Bovina won five in a row in the rivalry from 2005-09, but the Steers have now won three of the past four games, including a 33-6 verdict at Bovina last season.

Brittain said he thinks much of Bovina’s trouble last week stemmed from six turnovers.

“That’s pretty hard to overcome,” he said.

The teams have had two common opponents so far, with both losing to Crosbyton and beating Hale Center.

“They have some pretty big linemen, but we do, too, so I think we’ll match up there,” Brittain said. “We just have to continue to do what we do.”

Guevara said the Steers are capable of either running or throwing the ball.

“You’ve got to pick your poison,” he said. “They’re good. We just have to take what they give us and not get too greedy. Hopefully, we can get some breaks.”

AREA PREP CAPSULES

Loving at Fort Sumner

• When: 7 p.m. today

• Records: Loving 1-4, Fort Sumner 4-3

• Last week: The Falcons lost at Capitan 30-26, while Fort Sumner dropped a 34-20 decision at home to Escalante.

• Last year: The teams were scheduled to play, but Loving canceled out due to lack of numbers.

• Of note: It’s been quite a week for the Foxes and coach Matt Moyer. Team member Jesse Marshall, a sophomore DE, was injured late Thursday in a car accident. “That hit the team pretty hard,” Moyer said. In Friday’s game, junior RB/DBs Kyle Idtensohn (broken collarbone), who had nearly 1,200 yards rushing for the season, and Emilio Sursa (hip) were injured and probably lost for the season. Then, on Tuesday night, Moyer’s wife gave birth to the couple’s fifth child. “With all that, I was proud of (the team’s) effort (against Escalante),” Moyer said. “Hopefully, this week we can put it all back together.” … Despite its record, Moyer said Loving presents some challenges. “They’ve got some good speed,” he said. “The quarterback (junior Joel Hernandez) has good speed and a good arm, and they’ve got a couple of good receivers. We’re looking forward to getting back on our feet and bouncing back.”

Melrose at Gateway Christian

• When: 7 p.m. today in Roswell

• Records: Melrose 5-1 (0-0, 8-man district 4), Gateway Christian 4-2 (0-0)

• Last week: The Warriors routed Ramah 60-8 on the road. The Buffaloes won by forfeit over Shiprock Northwest after outscoring their previous two opponents 126-12.

• Last year: Gateway Christian beat the Buffaloes 52-6 at Melrose, then won at home 40-12 in the 8-man state semifinals en route to its third consecutive state title.

• Of note: These teams have combined for he last six 8-man titles, with Melrose winning three in a row from 2008-10. … Gateway Christian extended its winning streak to 27 games — dating to a 36-34 loss at Melrose in Oct. 2011 — before losing to Logan 55-30 in Week 2. Their other loss came the following week, also at home, to Magdalena 40-30. … Melrose coach Dickie Roybal said the Buffs are looking forward to a challenging game, something they haven’t had since a 47-38 loss at top-ranked Logan on Sept. 19. “They’re physical,” Roybal said of the Warriors. “They don’t have the speed they had last year, but they still have decent speed.” … This has turned into a rivalry game in recent years, with the teams having met a couple of times in state finals. … Roybal is most concerned about the Warriors’ speed. “We’ve got to contain them,” he said. “If they get outside of us, we could be in trouble.”

Calvary West Christian at CCS

• When: 5:30 p.m. today at Jim Hill Field

• Records: Calvary West Christian 0-2, Clovis Christian 3-3

• Last week: Calvary West Christian, based in Anthony, N.M., has not played since a 71-12 loss at Lake Arthur on Sept. 25, according to the NMAA website. The Eagles are coming off a 38-8 win on Friday at Wilson, Texas.

• Last year: The teams did not meet.

• Of note: Both teams list eight players on their rosters. Chad Patton was named interim coach this week to replace Josh Johnson, who took a small-college basketball coaching position at a Christian college in Bemidji, Minn. … Patton said this is the first year of football for Calvary West Christian, adding that he knows little about the opponent. … Patton, who will be helped by assistant Cory Pickett, said he doesn’t anticipate much change from when Johnson was running things. “I think we’re going to run our regular offense and defense, although there might be a few adjustments,” he said.

Friona at Muleshoe

• When: 6:30 p.m. (CDT) today

• Records: Friona 2-4 (1-0 District 1-3A Division I), Muleshoe 3-3 (1-0)

• Last week: The Chieftains opened district play with a win, blanking Dimmitt 53-0 at Friona, while the Mules won their district opener at Amarillo River Road 21-7.

• Last year: The Mules routed Friona 60-7 at Muleshoe.

• Of note: Last week’s win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Chieftains, dating to the season opener at Olton (23-13). … Despite the fact his team has dominated the series in recent years, Mules coach David Wood is cautious. “You never know in this kind of game,” he said. “It’s our oldest rival, so it’s pretty unpredictable.” … Wood said the Chieftains have size and try to pound the ball, adding that their best player may be junior RB/MLB Gabriel Chico. “He’s dominated their rushing game of late,” Wood said.

— Compiled by Dave Wagner