Buffs top Gateway for 8-man three-peat

ROSWELL — The Melrose Buffaloes believed in each other, no matter what they lost.

Believed when they lost a loaded 2016 senior class. Believed when they lost their star quarterback. Believed when they lost their No. 1 fan. Believed when they lost their season opener to Gateway Christian, believed after losing the ball two plays into the state title rematch and believed with a 7-0 deficit three minutes in.

Belief became proof after that, with junior Sterling Sena answering with his own touchdown give Melrose a lead it would never relinquish en route to a 58-39 win at Gateway Christian for its third-straight 8-man championship Saturday afternoon.

Sena accounted for four touchdowns on a 502-yard day for the Buffaloes, who built a steady lead behind a monster first half from junior receiver Jared Lee and created five turnovers to hold off Justin Reynolds and a juggernaut Warrior offense in a contest that was tight until the final four minutes.

Despite a regular season full of blowouts, it was always an uphill climb for Melrose (11-1). The Buffaloes were expected to have a tough road even before junior standout quarterback Cade Barnard transferred to Seminole, Texas.

But there was plenty of confidence to go around in the Melrose locker room for the last four-plus months that the Buffaloes could win their 11th title in school history and sixth as an 8-man squad.

"I can still remember on July 5 when I came into the locker room," said Melrose coach Dickie Roybal, coach for the last eight of those championships, "and told them, 'Cade Barnard's leaving and there are a lot of coaches thinking they can beat Melrose.' The kids bought in, and we never looked back after that."

The opening three drives told that story:

• Just after Melrose coaches told Sena on the sidelines there's no quarterback they'd rather have, the junior booted away the snap with only Warriors around him to recover.

• In just four plays, Reynolds found room on the left side and glided into the end zone on a 23-yard run with a finger extended to the sky.

• Undaunted, Sena led the offense back out and called his own number for 48 yards the other way. Carson Fraze's 2-point conversion was the first — and last — lead change on the day.

"We told ourselves not to worry, just get back up," Sena said. "We picked things up, scored a touchdown and never lost the lead again."

The Buffaloes extended the lead with a pair of long scoring catches for Lee — a 37-yarder with 1:21 to go in the first from Sterling Sena and a 72-yarder from Tristan Sena with 5:25 left in the second.

"Usually I get caught from behind," Lee said. "We ran our bubble slant on them. They covered the bubble, but they missed the slant. They did a better job shutting it down in the second half, but we burned them pretty good with it in the first."

Lee, who posted his five catches for 119 yards all in the first half, had a little extra push. His grandmother, Carole Lightle, died hours before the Buffaloes' semifinal win over Magdalena. The family held off on funeral services until Monday, when Lee's junior class will act as pallbearers. The team also wore stickers with her name, date of birth and date of death.

"She was our biggest fan," Lee said. "She went to every single game. She loved the Melrose Buffaloes ever since my big sister came to the school. I found out pretty much when I got on the bus (to Magdalena). They got me through it, they agreed to be pallbearers and the stickers helped a lot."

Fraze and Sterling Sena picked up the offensive load in the second half with four combined touchdowns — Sena on runs of 30 in the third and 48 in the fourth, and Fraze from 34 and 30 yards in the fourth.

That, and an opportunistic defense, helped offset Reynolds, who rushed for 105 yards and had scoring tosses of 35, 13, 58 30 and 24 yards to four different receivers. But Reynolds had a lost fumble and four picks, including one returned 24 yards to the house by Jordan Jasso to give Melrose a 28-14 halftime edge.

"We dug ourselves a big hole early, and we were always attempting to come back from it," Warrior coach Shaun Wigley said. "We were chasing points the whole way. We never got into a groove.

"They line up, they go to battle. They're going to make you accountable. They're not going to give you plays. You have to make plays."

Sophomore Kris Lopez had two of the Buffaloes' other interceptions, the second coming when he grabbed a Reynolds overthrow in the final seconds — setting up the victory formation as Melrose's student section yelled, "Three-peat," and last year's Buffalo seniors chanted, "Same as last year."

That was music to the ears of Sterling Sena, but nothing the Buffaloes hadn't told themselves as motivation all year.

"I wanted to prove everybody was wrong about Melrose," Sena said. "I wanted to tell them, 'Melrose is here to stay.'"