Bovina has work cut out against Vega squad

BOVINA — Suffice it to say, the competition ramps up considerably this week for the Bovina football team.

Coming off a 19-7 win over Plains in last week’s Class 2A Division II bidistrict round, the Mustangs take on a hot Vega squad at 7 p.m. (CST) on Thursday in an area round matchup at Kimbrough Stadium in Canyon.

The teams met on Sept. 25 at Vega, and the Longhorns (9-2) dominated from the middle of the first quarter on en route to a 63-13 victory.

Bovina (4-6) was just regaining the services of senior quarterback Cole Emery in that game after he missed the previous three contests due to a hamstring injury. His presence has helped since then as the Mustangs have won three of their last five.

Still, coach Coby Emery knows his team’s work is cut out against a Longhorns squad which, starting with the first meeting, has rattled off seven wins in a row, including a 54-22 verdict over Shamrock in last week’s opening round.

“I think we’re a lot different offensively than we were then,” said Mustangs coach Coby Emery, who is also Cole’s father. “Defensively, we just didn’t play well that night, for whatever reason.

“We moved the ball well the first time, but we just plain couldn’t stop them.”

After Bovina broke on top early on an Andrew Guevara touchdown run, Vega dominated the rest of the half and took a 49-13 cushion into the intermission.

Junior quarterback Ryan Gruwander had just nine completions in the game, but five of them went for first-half touchdowns. Junior Clay Gilter scored three times for Vega — one on a pass from Gruwander, another on a run and a third on an 80-yard kickoff return.

In terms of style, coach Emery said the teams are a lot alike.

“They’re a two-back, shotgun, run-heavy football team,” he said. “Defensively, they play a 50 front. They don’t give up a lot of big plays.”

The game was more competitive than the score, coach Emery said. It’s a matter of the Mustangs playing better.

“If you talk to any of the kids, they’ll tell you the same thing — we just laid an egg defensively,” he said. “I know they beat us bad, but it wasn’t like it was a physical beatdown.”

Thursday’s winner advances to face either Wellington or Wink in next week’s regional round.