Regional wrap-up: Trio get Friday wins

The area football season marched on this weekend, with every local team in action except idle Farwell. And as usual, the results were mixed:

Tucumcari 39, Texico 22

TUCUMCARI — The Wolverines switched quarterbacks at halftime, but still weren’t able to rally against Tucumcari up at Rattler Field.

Ben Loewen started for Texico in the first half and went 4-for-9 passing for 54 yards, including an interception late in the second quarter that led to a Tucumcari touchdown and a 19-0 Rattlers lead. Loewen was also sacked six times.

Gabe Dickerman was the Wolverines’ starter to begin the second half and went 10-for-12 passing for 196 yards and three touchdowns, with all three TD passes coming in the fourth quarter.

Though Dickerman couldn’t rally the Wolves, his numbers were encouraging.

“We’d been looking at Gabe Dickerman as QB and thought now would be the time to see what we could do,” Texico head coach Patrick Crowley said. “Up front, we made some adjustments, and we had a come-to-Jesus meeting at halftime with the whole bunch. I was pleased with the way we responded in the second half.”

Tucumcari got it done mostly on the ground, banging out 261 rushing yards.

Seth Martinez paced Tucumcari’s rushing attack with 129 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns. He scored a third touchdown on a 72-yard kickoff return, and his 35-yard scoring run with 2:34 left in the fourth quarter iced the game.

Texico managed 68 yards rushing on 20 carries.

The Wolverines are back home next Friday for their District 6/7-2A opener against Fort Sumner. Tucumcari is also home next Friday and also beginning its district (4-3A) slate when hosting Tularosa. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. kickoffs.

Elida 71, Springer/Maxwell 19

SPRINGER — The Tigers didn’t just win their second Six Man District 1 game, they went steamrolling to a 2-0 district record.

Yes, putting 71 on a team — especially on the road — can be considered steamrolling.

“Man, we just came out and played,” Elida head coach Jared Hestand said. “That the best we’ve ever played. My defense was on top of their game; they didn’t let (Springer/Maxwell) a get a pass off. My defensive ends, they hammered their QB. They played exceptionally well.

“I’m very, very, very proud of my kids for stepping up and playing after the long trip that it was.”

Indeed it was, three and a half hours’ worth. Coaches often express concern about how their team will get off the bus after such a long trek. But, no worries for the Tigers, according to Hestand.

“We had a junior high game before that, so my kids had a little bit of time to get acclimated to it,” Hestand said. “The referees were kind of on Springer’s side and it kinda made our kids mad, and they just stepped up and played.”

Elida will visit San Jon/Grady next Saturday, with kickoff slated for 4 p.m.

Dora 28, Logan 26

DORA — Dora earned its first Eight Man District 3 victory in impressive fashion.

Up by 10 in the middle of the fourth quarter, the Coyotes were clinging to a two-point advantage in the waning minutes but held on to post the victory.

According to Dora head coach Mason McBee, it was about more than improving to 1-1 in district play and 5-2 overall. It was about pride, too.

“Their coach (Chase Disney) basically thought that he was going to walk in and beat us,” McBee said. “He thought they were going to be running the clock on us. ... I thought it came off pretty arrogant. We always respect our opponents and the other team’s coaches ... but that makes the win a little bit sweeter. It was a good win for us, a statement win.”

Against a solid Logan team.

“They’ve got a lot of athletes there,” McBee said. “All of them are big kids.”

Dora was trying to keep its lead at 10 in the fourth, but Logan’s offense was persistent and converted a fourth-and-five situation with a reverse that brought the Longhorns to Dora’s 15.

Next up came a busted play that was nearly a turnover but resulted in a Logan touchdown.

“Not that we blew a coverage or anything,” McBee said. “We were a fingertip away from an interception. It finger-tipped off (the Dora defensive back’s) hand and the (Logan) kid caught it and he ran it in from there.”

With a two-point conversion it was 28-26.

Logan did get the ball back very late in the fourth, but Dora’s defense held tough, forcing a turnover on downs.

“They were out of timeouts; we just knew we needed a stop,” McBee said. “It was a good deal that we stopped them. Our defense stepped up and made a big stop there.”

Offensively, Coyotes junior quarterback Trenton Paxton threw for over 100 yards and rushed for over 60. Junior Joseph Urioste and sophomore Alex Urioste gave Dora a consistent 1-2 punch on the ground.

The Coyotes move on to host Melrose next Friday, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.

Floyd over Roy/Mosquero by forfeit

The Broncos would’ve liked to have earned their first district victory on the field. But if a forfeit is what came down, they don’t have a problem with that.

“We like it,” Floyd head coach Steve Foust said. “We had a couple of guys banged up. It gives us a chance to get healthy.”

Floyd continues its district slate next Friday, with a 7 p.m. road game against Springer/Maxwell.

Tatum 36, Melrose 34

TATUM — Things both got better and worse for the Buffaloes.

In the ‘better’ category, Melrose was healthier for Friday night’s game and as a result, was in a close, competitive showdown against rival Tatum on Friday night, a game that was decided by just two points.

On the ‘worse’ side, however, the Buffaloes lost their fifth straight overall while dropping to 0-2 in Eight Man District 3 play.

Down 18-6 after one quarter and 24-12 at halftime, the Buffs climbed back to make it a much closer game. By the third quarter’s end, Melrose had narrowed its deficit to 30-20.

And the Buffaloes did put up 14 in the fourth, while holding Tatum to just six. It wasn’t quite enough, though, as the Buffs fell to 1-5 overall.

They will try to end their losing streak next weekend with the last of three straight road games, playing at Dora on Friday (7 p.m.). A week later, Melrose returns home to play state powerhouse Gateway Christian.

Ron Warnick contributed to this report.