Regional football preview: District play in full swing

CLOVIS — District play is now in full swing in regional football, with some teams starting it and others in the thick of it.

Logan at Melrose, 7 p.m.

The defending state champs look to maintain their undefeated season as they host Logan in tonight’s match-up.

Melrose (6-0, 2-0) is coming off of a 58-8 blowout win over Mountainair last week, which happened to be one of its better opponents this season.

“The win against Mountainair was a big one for us,” Melrose coach Dickie Roybal said. “The only downside is that after this game against Logan, we’ll have to wait almost a month to play.”

Logan (1-3) hasn’t had much luck this season as it's been shut out in two of its four games, and started off its season with a blow out loss to Tatum 44-6.

“I don’t know if they just have a lot of young guys, or if they’re hurt,” Roybal said. “They’ve been a pretty good team in the past, but they have had a down season this year.”

Dora/Elida at Mountainair, 7 p.m.

Injuries have been a struggle for the Coyotes since their games against Gateway Christian and Melrose, but this week Dora coach Mason McBee looks to gain some players back.

Kaull Burton and Joseph Urioste look to return this week against Mountainair after missing a few weeks since Gateway.

“Kaull and Joseph looked pretty good in this week’s practice,” McBee said. “They’re getting the feel back in on offense and on defense which should help us match up with Mountainair.”

Last week Dora (4-2, 1-1) had junior quarterback Bradley Ramirez control their offense, leading the Coyotes in their huge 50-6 win over Springer. McBee is looking to see if he can get the job done against Mountainair whose only loss is to Melrose this season.

“Last week Bradley did very well and we are going to keep him in until Hayden Skinner returns for playoffs,” McBee said. “He is getting a lot better offensively which will help our backfield a lot. Also Mountainair runs a fast and clean offense which we’ve installed a lot of defense for that reason.”

Sudan at Farwell, 6:30 MDT

The Steers are currently on a two-game skid, with the most recent loss 50-24 against Post.

Farwell (2-3) hosts a Sudan team that hasn’t had much luck this season when it comes to finishing the last few minutes of a game.

The Hornets (1-4) have been faced with multiple close losses this season alongside their recent 17-16 loss to Plains two weeks ago, but Farwell head coach Danny Brittain knows it will still be an intense match.

“Sudan is a rival and every time we play them it’s a dogfight,” Brittain said. “These past couple of weeks we’ve prepared especially for this game and with this being the first district game, we have to be ready.”

Farwell looks to limit the Hornet running game, and Brittain said the focus is Austin Conley.

“He is by far their best running back,” said Brittain. “We need to force their passing game, because it’s something they’ve struggled with all year. We know they won’t go to the air a lot, so our defense has been working hard to make sure they can stop the run game and force a few passes.”

Smyer at Bovina, 6:30 MDT

Prior to Bovina’s bye week this last week, the Mustangs’ previous game ended in a close 29-21 loss to Hale Center on Sept. 29. This week the Mustangs (3-2) host Smyer (1-4), who are coming off of a 46-13 loss to Crosbyton that same week.

“Smyer runs an aggressive defense,” Bovina coach Jonathan Lambright said. “They’re good on defense and know how to make stops, so we’ll have to execute on offense by running the ball hard and converting long yard situations.”

With Smyer’s excessive running game, Lambright looks to make that a priority to stop on defense.

“We have to really focus on their quarterback who happens to be their best runner,” said Lambright. “We’ll also have to limit mistakes on offense, control the ball and make sure we make our plays.”

Muleshoe at Slaton, 6:30 p.m. MDT

The Mules are back in action and start their first district game on the road after a 33-3 win over Idalou in regular season play. The win against Idalou marked Muleshoe’s first win of the season.

Slaton (2-3) happens to be on a three-game losing streak and Muleshoe (1-4) looks to carry its momentum and not overlook what Slaton is capable of.

“Slaton is a very athletic and fast team,” said Muleshoe head coach David Wood. “We can’t look at losses that they have; we just have to play a defense that we can use to stop their offense and make sure we get one first down at a time.”

Slaton’s last win was a 60-6 blowout over Roosevelt on Sept. 8.

Texico at Santa Rosa, 7 p.m.

After Texico’s tough 7-6 loss against Clayton last week, the Wolverines are plugging in some healthy kids while losing others to injury heading into Santa Rosa..

“We lost a few more players, but gained two guys back,” said Texico’s head coach Pat Crowley. “We’ll be gaining back Chris Harrison who will be at linebacker this game, and Isaac Ortiz who will be at center.”

The Wolverines (1-6, 0-1), have struggled a lot this season due to injuries alone, but they’ve been preparing to move players around. “We have gotten the opportunity to switch up our defense that will fit Santa Rosa’s offense,” Crowley said. “Also since they run a solid defense across the board, we have been able to switch up some offense.”

Santa Rosa (3-3) is coming off a 17-8 win over Class 4A Hope Christian.

Lake Arthur at Floyd, 3 p.m.

Floyd (1-4, 0-1) who is coming off of a 37-20 point loss to Mosquero will host Lake Arthur this afternoon. Lake Arthur (3-3, 2-1) is coming off a 34-27 win over defending state champ San Jon.