Clovis "Bear-ly" defeated

CLOVIS — The Clovis High football team was close, oh so close, to earning one more game at Leon Williams Stadium.

In Friday’s regular-season finale at that very stadium, the Wildcats dominated offensively and defensively throughout the first half, appeared ready to break the game open and get a first-round state playoff home game as their reward.

But the ’Cats didn’t capitalize on most of their first-half opportunities, let the Bears hang around. And La Cueva did just enough to eke out a 10-7 victory, go undefeated in the regular season and capture the district title.

“It’s a goal that we had set for ourselves early in the summer and we reached it, so it’s always good to achieve some of the things we set out to do,” La Cueva head coach Brandon Back said of winning district. “And we finished the season undefeated, that’s a big accomplishment. But we have a whole new season starting in a couple weeks.”

As of Friday, the Wildcats (4-6 overall, 2-2 district) were optimistic of having ‘a whole new season’ starting next week, optimistic of getting a state playoff matchup somewhere. That game will be at a location that was determined Saturday night after press time.

A crushing defeat is no substitute for a win, but if the Wildcats do make states, they can head in on somewhat of a positive note. In their last two games, including their 47-0 home win over Eldorado on Oct. 19, the ’Cats allowed just 10 points combined against two of their district’s best teams. That may bode well for the state tournament.

“Yeah, for sure,” Clovis head coach Cal Fullerton said. “I think La Cueva’s as good as anybody, and we were right there with them. Probably should’ve beat ’em and didn’t.”

Coach Back, for one, was impressed with how hard Clovis played.

“Congratulations to Coach Fullerton and his crew,” Back said. “A terrible place to play; I hate playing down here because I just know it’s going to be a battle. It’s an exciting place to play, but it’s definitely a tough place to play. His team and his staff and his boys are one of the toughest teams we’ve faced all year long, so I’m proud to come out of here with a victory.”

For most of the game, though, Clovis appeared like the team that would escape with a win. The Wildcats struck first on a possession created by a Jailen Gallegos fumble recovery at La Cueva’s 46. The Wildcats then needed just four plays to capitalize, the last two covering 25 yards. There was a 19-yard pass from quarterback Chance Harris to receiver Malik Phillips, including a couple of direction changes by Phillips to pick up good yardage after the catch. And on the following play, Jeston Webskowski easily ran the remaining six yards for a score. Jose Mendoza supplied the extra point and with 8:22 left in the first quarter, Clovis led 7-0.

That seven-point difference held until the third quarter, but Clovis had chances to increase it.

The Wildcats began their next drive at their own 26, and marched all the way to La Cueva’s 9. The ’Cats were caught holding at the 12, pushing them back 10 yards, and a Harris pass to Ethan Culiver only gained back five. After a two-yard rushing loss by Harris and an incomplete pass on the first play of the second quarter, Mendoza attempted a 36-yard field goal that was no good.

Clovis’ next drive also had promise, but was stuffed on fourth-and-a-short-two at La Cueva’s 16.

The Wildcats’ following offensive series brought them to the Bears’ 32, but ended when a fourth-and-four pass was intercepted by La Cueva cornerback Blaine Smith at the 19.

Halftime soon arrived. And the score was still 7-0.

“What we do well at La Cueva has always been defense,” Back said. “And that’ll be what we always do as long as I’m here.”

“A couple times we got it in the red zone and didn’t finish, and that came back and hurt us, obviously,” Fullerton said. “We left two or three touchdowns in the first half off the board, easily.”

And another one early in the second half. Clovis’ initial drive of the third quarter moved along all the way to the La Cueva 27, but came to an abrupt end when Bears middle linebacker Lawrence Bussey recovered a fumble and returned it to La Cueva’s 39.

That seemed to be a shot of adrenaline for the Bears’ offense, which came out and pieced together a nine-play, 61-yard touchdown drive, capped with a five-yard Connor O’Toole scoring run. Dominic Camacho’s extra point tied it at 7 with 6:58 to go in the third.

Late in the third, Clovis’ offense was still able to move the ball, and reached the La Cueva 25 on the quarter’s final play. But the first play of the fourth quarter was a fourth-and-six situation, and on it, Harris was sacked for a nine-yard loss back to the 34.

La Cueva only advanced eight yards from there after taking over, but that was close enough for Camacho to nail the go-ahead field goal with 9:13 left in the fourth.

Clovis’ last decent scoring opportunity was set up when Andrew Jaramillo blocked a punt at the Wildcats’ 45 with 4:03 left in the fourth quarter. La Cueva, though, cancelled it out on the next play with an interception by Jacob Carabajal at the Bears’ 22.

The Wildcats’ last possession of the night found them pinned back at their own 1 after La Cueva’s Prince Robertson downed a punt there. Four straight incompletions later, Clovis’ chances of a home playoff game were gone.

“I thought offensively we moved the ball great, I thought we moved it up and down the field,” Fullerton said. “We’ve just got to finish drives.”