Area football wrapup: Big wins, big comebacks

Another weekend, another slate of area football games.

There was joy and heartbreak in Farwell - depending upon whose side you were on. Elida kept rolling and kept Floyd still searching for its first victory.

On the subject of first victories, Dora's Coyotes got theirs.

And oh by the way, Melrose improved to 4-0.

Farwell 29, Texico 28

Friday's local game of the night, drama-wise, was this one between the neighbors from across the tracks.

In the first half it was looking like the neighbors from New Mexico were going to take it. When the game was said and done, though, it was the team from Texas notching a comeback victory.

"Really excited," said Farwell head coach Jhett Norman, whose team emerged with a 2-2 record. "I think we're starting to believe in the process and the different things that I'm trying to do, which isn't a whole lot different, but every coach has their own things."

"Our kids played really well, just came up a little short," Texico head coach Bob Gilbreath said. "I'm very proud of our kids. They played extremely hard. Hopefully this game will make us better."

Texico led 14-0 after one quarter, 28-13 by halftime. But then came the second half.

"They did a good job of making some adjustments defensively against us," Gilbreath acknowledged. "We had a tough time sustaining some drives on offense and the momentum of the game kind of swung on some calls. I'm not blaming the officials, but I'm just saying. It was really just a well-played game between two teams and somebody had to win."

"We made a couple of adjustments," Norman said. "They were coming out in a jumbo package and we changed gap responsibilities."

Norman also noted that the Steers had way too many miscues in the first half, among them, fumbling the ball back over to Texico after coming up with an interception.

"We were just constantly shooting ourselves in the foot," Norman said. "(We needed) just to eliminate mistakes and take care of the football. And the defense finally got some stops."

While the Farwell offense took advantage of its depth. Farwell has the luxury of not having to play its linemen both ways, a luxury Texico does not share.

Facing fourth-and-16 from Texico's 22 in the third quarter, Steers junior quarterback Leefe Actkinson rolled out left and connected with freshman receiver Adrian Nunez on a touchdown pass. Sophomore Carlos Castillo ran in the two-point conversion to make it a 28-21 game.

That score held until late in the fourth, when Farwell was really utilizing its depth advantage by pounding, pounding, pounding the ball, then pounding some more.

"We were able to run the football in the fourth quarter and not panick because of our offensive line," Norman said. "And Texico was starting to get pretty gassed."

With 16 seconds left, Actkinson rushed into the end zone from a yard out, bringing the Steers within a point. They went for the win, provided by another Castillo two-point conversion run. "He's kind of our goal-line running back," Norman said.

And Castillo's two-pointer lifted Farwell into a 29-28 advantage, the Steers' first lead of the night. Seconds later, their comeback victory was official.

"I think that (the players) believe that we're not ever out of a game," Norman said. "So they came out ready to go."

Texico (2-3), meanwhile, despite a big game from Gabe Bailey - two interceptions and a touchdown catch - had fallen just shy.

"Farwell's a great program," Gilbreath said. "They do a great job there and we went toe-to-toe with them. I think our kids should gain confidence from that."

Elida 52, Floyd 0

Floyd's football team was up for the challenge of playing one of the state's best six-man teams in Friday's district opener for both squads.

But what a daunting challenge it was.

Elida came into Friday night's home game against the Broncos with a 4-0 record, having outscored those four opponents by a 246-37 count. By the end of Friday's contest, the Tigers had outscored their five opponents by a combined 298-37.

Floyd was 0-3 (0-1 district) as a result, but had endured its third loss against a powerhouse.

"Floyd is kind of in the middle of rebuilding the program over there. I think Todd (Horton), their head coach, is doing a really good job," Elida head coach Jereme Woodruff said. "It's just we have a tremendous amount of talent and are in a different place as a program. He's trying to instill a new culture and is doing a good job of it. One thing that stood out to me, they tackled really well. ... They were really effective at closing the gaps and running us down sideline to sideline."

And practically neutralizing the Tigers' normally-dominant ground game as a result. Friday, Elida rushed for less than 50 yards. "Normally we get north of 200," Woodruff said. "They're a well-coached team. A lot of people see a 52-0 score and think it wasn't even a game. But they forced us to use one aspect of our game (passing) and shut us down on the other one. In a couple of years they're going to be a real tough team."

Elida senior Wesley Poling had a big night, with four touchdown receptions and one rushing touchdown.

"Just an absolutely outstanding game," Woodruff said.

Melrose 64, Mountainair 14

It's becoming routine for the Buffaloes, even though they take nothing for granted.

But the scores are what they are. And yes, it was another weekend, another rout for Melrose.

With Friday's 50-point road win over Mountainair (2-2), the Buffs have outscored their four opponents 224-32. And they scored 64 points for the second consecutive week.

Perhaps next Friday's road game will be a bit more competitive when Melrose hosts Logan (2-2).

Dora 66, Pine Hill 0

What's a good prescription for salving a 54-14 season-opening loss at Menaul?

How about a 66-0 home victory over Pine Hill.

The Coyotes did indeed recover from the former with the latter by routing the Warriors (0-3) on Friday night.

Another item of note - it was the first Dora coaching victory for Christopher Lozano, who took over for Mason McBee in the offseason.