'Cats turn corner

CLOVIS — After a Week 1 game was shortened by a nasty storm, it was Clovis High’s football team bringing the thunder and lightning in Friday’s Week 2 matchup against Los Lunas at Leon Williams Stadium.

Clovis’ defense first had to stave off some storm clouds, while the Wildcats’ offense was off to a slow start. Then a late-second-quarter offensive surge carried over into the second half, and the defense remained stout, leading the ’Cats to a 30-15 victory that allowed them to start a fifth-straight season 2-0.

“It feels real good,” Clovis head coach Cal Fullerton said, “especially beating a team like that. They’re ranked No. 1 in the coaches poll in 5A. A lot of people in Albuquerque are talking about those guys, and rightfully so. That’s a great football team. We’ll take it, for sure.”

“It feels awesome, really,” junior running back Jeston Webskowski said after rushing for 123 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. “We knew coming in this was a huge game for us. ... And we did what we had to do and came out with the victory.”

“Oh man, the feeling is unbelievable,” said senior linebacker A.J. Silva, whose two sacks were part of that strong defensive effort. “All the work we’re putting in is starting to come together. Week 1 we were struggling defensively. We’re improving, we’re starting to get our stuff together.”

Fortunately for Clovis, the defense’s stuff was together for most of the first half, because Los Lunas probably would’ve pulled away otherwise. Though the Tigers’ opening offensive series ended when Bryce Cabeldue batted down a fourth-and-three pass by Kade Benavidez from the Wildcats 34, Clovis’ first possession ended much more quickly. As in, Webskowski run for no gain, Webskowski run for one yard, dropped snap by Harris, punt.

After that boot resulted in a touchback, Los Lunas began at its own 20 and marched the necessary 80 yards on 15 plays. It looked as though Clovis might stop the Tigers on a fourth-and-inches situation at the Wildcats 3, but Los Lunas’ Bryce Santana — all six feet, three inches and 250 pounds of him — took the snap and bulled ahead two yards for the first down.

On first-and-goal from the 1, Derek Chavez ran in for a score. When Joel Hernandez kicked the extra point, Los Lunas was up 7-0 with 2:23 left in the first quarter.

The Wildcats appeared to get going on the ensuing kickoff, returned 30 yards by Brandon Mason to Los Lunas’ 47. And on the drive’s first play from scrimmage, Webskowski — who had rushed for 171 yards a week earlier against Hobbs — appeared he too was heating up when he broke loose for a 37-yard run to the Tigers 10.

But the series moved no farther than that and ended when Harris’ fourth-and-goal pass attempt in the end zone was incomplete, nearly intercepted by Los Lunas’ Joseph Klaus.

Clovis’ defense kept holding, though, forcing a punt on the Tigers’ next possession and ending the one after that with a turnover on downs at the Wildcat 37. The Los Lunas series after that ended when Hernandez’s 45-yard field goal attempt fell short with 2:27 left in the second quarter.

All that time and it was still 7-0 Tigers.

“We take pride in the Wildcat defense, for sure,” Silva said. “That’s our job. So if anything happens, we’re on it.”

Then, the sleeping Wildcats offense awoke.

Clovis began at its own 20 after the missed field goal, with Harris tossing to Malik Phillips, whose yards-after-the-catch turned it into an 18-yard reception, only Clovis’ second first down of the night. Two plays later, another 18-yard connection — this time Harris-to-Blake Muscato — carried the Wildcats into Los Lunas territory.

They moved swiftly, driving to the Tigers 18. Webskowski ran 17 yards to the 1, then after Clovis set up quickly, Webskowski rushed in for the score. Clovis set up quickly again for the two-point conversion, and again Webskowski found his way into the end zone, giving the Wildcats an 8-7 lead with 36.1 seconds to go in the half.

“That drive got our motors running,” Fullerton said. “Our defense, it broke a little bit early, but held them the rest of that half. And we got a little momentum on offense going and punched it in right there at the half, and got the two-point conversion.”

“We got our line adjusted,” Webskowski said, “and drove up the field.”

Clovis received the second half’s opening kickoff and began at its own 27. The Wildcats, now looking crisp, needed just seven plays to reach Los Lunas’ 34 — helped a little by a Tigers defensive holding penalty. Then on a second-and-five play from the 34, Harris dropped back to pass, looked left sideline and threw to Phillips for a touchdown.

Devin Gillespie ran in the two-point conversion, and with just 1:45 gone by in the third quarter, Clovis was up 16-7.

The Wildcats were sizzling and didn’t stop. Their next possession also ended with a Harris touchdown pass, this time on a fourth-and-three play from just outside Los Lunas’ 25. Harris swung a pass out to his right, finding Phillips, who picked up most of the yardage after the catch and found the end zone.

Yet another two-point conversion attempt succeeded when Harris zipped a spot-on pass to Ernesto Acuna in the back of the end zone, giving Clovis a 24-7 lead with 6:51 left in the third quarter.

The Wildcats had put their stamp on the game, the remainder of which saw the teams exchange touchdowns. Los Lunas’ score came on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Benavidez to Andrue Garcia followed by a Santana two-point conversion run with 7:01 to go in the fourth. Clovis turned right around on its ensuing possession and marched 82 yards on 13 plays, the last of which was a 34-yard, fourth-and-eight Harris touchdown pass to Acuna with 2:20 remaining.

It was soon over. Clovis was again 2-0.

“Really great,” Webskowski said. “This win should set the tone. I’m just excited to see what we can continue to do.”