Area roundup: Farwell stumbles at Friona

It was an inspiring if not victorious Week 2 for Texico. For Farwell, it was a Week 1 the Steers will probably want to forget.

The Wolverines played their home opener against an elite Dexter program Friday night and were dealt a heartbreaking 21-15 loss after leading well into the fourth quarter. Over the state line in Friona, the Steers were suffering a 61-6 season-opening defeat.

Dexter 21, Texico 15

Texico’s first-year head coach Bob Gilbreath knew what his Wolverines were facing when looking ahead to Dexter’s visit — a defending state champion that was coming in on a seven-game winning streak dating back to last year.

So considering that, any loss, as long as the Wolverines were competitive, wouldn’t be all that bad a showing for a Texico team looking to build back toward respectability.

Instead, the green and white gave their fans so much more.

The Wolverines actually went up on Dexter 15-14 with a Gabe Dickerman touchdown and Brayden Bender two-point conversion run in the fourth quarter.

“We played valiantly,” Gilbreath said. “We had our chances. We could’ve won the game.”

A game Texico once trailed 14-0. Senior running back Chris Harrison rushed for a 35-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and fellow senior Manuel Loera booted the extra point, slicing Dexter’s lead in half.

During the fourth quarter, Texico pieced together an 80-yard scoring drive, capped by Dickerman’s four-yard quarterback power run for a touchdown, making it a 14-13 contest with 5:45 remaining.

The Wolverines initially looked like they were going for the tie, lining up in their field-goal formation, apparently ready to kick the extra point. But then they shifted to a single wing and snapped the ball directly to Bender, who ran in for two and gave his team a 15-14 advantage.

The Demons, though, quickly showed why they are a reigning state champ. After the ensuing kickoff, Dexter marched 65 yards and scored a go-ahead touchdown with roughly a minute to go. The Wolverines weren’t able to answer in what little time they had left, and the upset opportunity eluded them.

Still, it was somewhat of a statement. Texico, a 4-8 team last year, played some impressive, courageous football against one of the state’s best, highlighted by Harrison’s 180 yards rushing.

“I was really excited for the kids,” Gilbreath said. “We battled through some adversity and came back and gave ourselves a chance to win. In that last (Dexter) drive we gave up a couple of big plays that hurt us and weren’t able to stop them.”

Texico (1-1) will visit New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell next Friday, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.

Friona 61, Farwell 6

There’s always next week.

That’s usually the mantra for any football team that suffers a defeat. In Farwell’s case, it’s something to look forward to eagerly.

The Steers won’t want to look back after beginning their 2019 season Friday night with a 55-point road loss to Friona. The Chieftans were overwhelming, scoring 27 points in the first quarter while allowing none, then adding 21 in the second quarter while surrendering six.

Friona tacked on six more in the third, seven in the fourth, to complete its night of dominance.

In that always-next-week department, the Steers will get another crack at it next Friday when they play their first home game of the season against Crosbyton (0-1). Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. Central Daylight Time.

Elida vs. Animas, late

The Elida-Animas rematch of last year’s state championship game, played Saturday afternoon at Cloudcroft Junior High, finished too late for this edition.