Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
State playoffs are what football teams strive for, the only place they want to be in mid-to-late autumn.
Four local teams are there this weekend, ready to begin their run at state championships. While some other area teams — Clovis, Portales and Farwell — will still be playing regular-season games, Texico, Melrose, Dora and Elida are beginning their postseason. Here’s a glance:
Six-Man semifinals
No. 3 Carrizozo (8-2, 3-1 district) at No. 2 Elida (8-1, 4-0 district)
Saturday, 1 p.m.
The season series edge belongs to Elida for now, as the Tigers won the regular-season matchup against Carrizozo 42-35 way back on Sept. 15. It was the second leg of their current seven-game winning streak.
But what happened a month and a half ago stays a month and a half ago, except for on the film Elida is absorbing this week. Saturday, same place — Elida High School — the teams collide in the state quarterfinals.
Both teams could claim an edge here. Elida has the advantage of playing its first postseason game in eight years, being at home for this one, and coming off a first-round bye. Carrizozo has momentum from its 62-12 first-round blowout of sixth-seeded Hondo Valley.
Elida head coach Jared Hestand likes the bye week advantage.
“It was good,” he said of having two preparation weeks. “We got to get some good practices where we worked on a lot of fundamentals, stuff like that. We got some bangs and bruises healed up and we’re ready to roll.”
Hestand says sharp defense will be a big key for his team.
“We need to tackle well; our main thing is, we don’t tackle really well,” Hestand said. “If we can tackle and get into their backfield and make them rush plays, I think that’s what we need to focus on.”
Eight-Man first round
No. 12 Pine Hill (1-5, 1-1) at No. 5 Melrose (4-5, 3-2)
Friday 6 p.m.
Not too long ago, the Buffaloes were an injury-plagued team reeling from a five-game losing streak.
Now, they’re a healthy team carrying a three-game win streak into the state playoffs.
And still a four-time defending state champion to boot. The Buffs will begin their quest for five straight at home Friday night.
“It’s a good place to be,” said Caleb King, approaching his first playoff game as Melrose head coach. “We like the seeding we got, we like where we’re at in the bracket. We’re excited to get the playoffs started for sure.”
The postseason comes at a good time for Melrose. “Once we got our kids who had been hurt back, we’ve been improving,” King said. “We feel like we’ve got a shot at anybody. It’s really close, any team can win it. We’ve just got to make sure we play well every single game.”
King and the Buffaloes may indeed be able to beat anybody in their path because the weekend before last they defeated Gateway Christian, now the bracket’s No. 1 seed. First, though, comes Pine Hill.
“They’ve kind of struggled this year,” King said. “They’ve got a couple of pretty good skill players. They’re going to run a 3-4 defense. We’re just going to have to play well against them.”
No. 9 Dora (5-5, 1-4) at No. 8 Mesilla Valley Christian School (2-7, 1-4)
Saturday, 1 p.m.
Injuries have lately been the bane of Dora’s existence, a big reason for the Tigers’ current three-game losing streak.
But things are different as playoffs begin. Dora will head into Saturday’s road game a healthy team. As of Monday night, starting running back Alex Urioste was still on concussion protocol and considered day-to-day. But head coach Mason McBee thought it was likely that Urioste would be available for Saturday’s game, and if so, the Coyotes will be at full strength.
“I think it’s going to make a big difference having kids back this week,” McBee said. “Not that my other kids played very bad, but I think we’re going to do a lot better job. Plus seeing (Mesilla Valley Christian) two weeks ago, we’re going to have that familiarity.”
Though the Coyotes lost that Oct. 19 matchup against Mesilla Valley Christian at Onate High School by a 55-38 count, they were able to move the ball. They just didn’t take care of it, losing two fumbles, throwing two interceptions and allowing the SonBlazers to recover two onside kicks.
“And we lost by 17,” McBee said, “so I’m sure we could play a lot better than that.”
State 2A
No. 9 Hagerman (4-5, 1-2) at No. 8 Texico (3-7, 1-2)
Saturday, 2 p.m.
Texico did what had to be done last Saturday. The Wolverines needed a home victory over Clayton to assure themselves more meaningful football, and they got it by a decisive 38-3 score.
As a result, the Wolves get to play another home game, this time a state playoff first-rounder. And they’re plenty pumped about that.
“Most definitely,” Texico head coach Pat Crowley said. “That was the goal; we pretty much viewed last week as win-and-in and wanted to be one of the top eight to have that home playoff game.”
Mission accomplished. Now the Wolverines have to win that home playoff game.
“Hagerman, they’re a pretty solid football team,” Crowley said. “They can throw it on you, and defensively, they’re very aggressive. I think we’re going to have to play well up front again. Corral the quarterback, force him into some early throws. The line play is going to have to be stellar.
“Our receivers versus their secondary, that might be a slight advantage for us,” Crowley continued, “but I think that’s offset by their offensive backfield. They’ve got two little backs that run hard, run smart.”
Regular season
Texas 2A Region I District 2
Bovina (5-3, 2-1) at Farwell (7-1, 3-0)
Friday, 6 p.m. MDT
With playoff excitement buzzing throughout the region, Farwell will quietly be playing a pretty big regular-season game just across the state line.
A solid Bovina team is up next for the Steers, who are trying to push their current win streak to eight. There are also district implications to the game. And it’s Farwell’s last regular-season home contest.
Plus, there’s the proximity thing.
“Eight miles difference between us,” Farwell head coach Danny Brittain said. “Our kids know their kids. It’s going to be a dogfight.”
“It’s always a good fight with Bovina,” Steers quarterback Leefe Actkinson said. “If we keep our heads and stay focused, then we have a good chance.”