Texas, part three for Wildcats

CLOVIS - We'll never know how Clovis High's football team might have fared if last Friday's road game against Lubbock Coronado hadn't been called due to inclement weather.

With plenty of time still remaining, Clovis was down 27-16 with the ball. There was still a chance to rally. But because the 11-point deficit became final when the game was still incomplete, the Wildcats were denied a comeback chance and perhaps their first 4-1 start since 2008.

"I was a little disappointed in that," Clovis senior defensive back Brandon Mason said. "Because once (Coronado) scored, (the officials) decided to make us go inside. ... I think we could've beat 'em."

"We proved that we could play with those guys and our game got called short a little bit," Wildcats head coach Cal Fullerton said. "It is what it is. We're injury-free and move on to the next week."

And that means the last of a three-part stretch against Lubbock teams this Friday at 7 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Part One was an eye-opening 60-27 home victory over Monterey on Sept. 13. Part Two was last week's abbreviated loss to Coronado at Lubbock's Lowrey Field.

Part Three is back in Lubbock against a Cooper team that might just be the best of the trio Clovis has faced this season. The Pirates certainly played that way when the teams met last year at Leon Williams Stadium, putting a 40-2 hurt on the Wildcats. And this year's Pirates don't seem any worse, having started 3-1, that lone defeat occurring in quadruple overtime by a 61-53 count against Frenship.

Cooper's three victories so far having come against Andrews (45-20), Coronado (35-21) and Monterey (21-13). Friday, both the Pirates and Wildcats will be vying for win No. 4, with the 'Cats hoping to start 4-2 for the first time since 2016. In 2017 they had a chance at 4-2, but were denied by Eldorado.

Achieving that record this year likely won't be easy with Cooper standing in the way.

"They're big," Mason said. "They've got a lot of wide receivers and running backs."

"As good as anybody we'll play all year probably," Fullerton said. "They've got three or four running backs that are all-state-type kids, lots of their offensive and defensive lines back, good secondary. Just pretty dang good all over the field. They've got a lot of depth at every position, so it'll be tough. But we're excited for the challenge. They came down here last year and beat us at our Homecoming, so we want to go down there and play hard and try to be in the football game during the fourth quarter."

What Clovis needs to do to have a chance, according to Fullerton, is relatively simple.

"Same as every week," he said. "We've got to limit ourselves and stupid penalties. We had a few of 'em down there against Coronado and it cost us, it flipped the field a few times. We had a chance to go in and take the lead right before half and fumbled the football on the one-yard line. Stuff like that you can't do against good football teams, and from here on out we're going to be playing against good football teams, so we've got to reduce the mental mistakes and the penalties."

Mason agreed with Fullerton as to why their team was still trailing Coronado when last Friday's game was called.

"Minor mistakes," Mason said. "We need to think a little on offense and defense. And pick it up, be a little bit more physical."

The Wildcats would love to carry a winning record (4-2) as opposed to a .500 mark (3-3) into their District 2/5-6A slate, which begins next Friday against Sandia at Leon Williams Stadium. Perhaps even more importantly, they'd rather go in on a one-game winning streak than a two-game losing streak.

Even more important still, the 'Cats would like to be playing well, win or lose this Friday, as they head into district play.

"Yeah, for sure," Fullerton said. "And I think we've gotten better each week. Even with the loss (to Coronado), I don't think we took a step backward this last week. We were in the football game and had a chance to win the football game. I know we were down 11 points, but we were moving the ball good and our defense was playing pretty good as well. So I think if we just keep improving each week, then we can be in any football game."

"I think this is a really important game. A really important game," Mason said. "If we win this game and every game after that, we could be 8-2. ... I want to be 8-2."