Longhorns advance against Bovina

CANYON — Just when Bovina appeared to be getting back into Thursday night’s Class 2A Division II area playoff game, Vega had the answer.

A 32-yard field goal by junior Angel Lara cut the Mustangs’ deficit to 11 points with 24 seconds to go in the half, but Vega senior Riley Tiemann returned the ensuing kickoff 82 yards for a score and the Longhorns advanced with a 35-10 victory at Kimbrough Stadium.

Bovina coach Coby Emery thought his team would be well-positioned after Lara’ 3-pointer made it 21-10, with the Mustangs slated to receive the second-half kickoff. But all the air went out of their balloon after Tiemann’s return.

“I don’t want to say that was a backbreaker,” Emery said, “but it was pretty close.”

Vega (10-2), which beat the Mustangs 63-13 on Sept. 25 at home, advances to a regional semifinal against Wellington, which defeated Wink 34-28 on Friday night.

The Longhorns had a pair of 100-yard rushers in junior Clay Gilter (12 carries for 149 yards) and Tiemann (eight for 111). Both players scored a pair of touchdowns.

“We’ve had trouble stopping the counter (runs) all year,” Emery said. “It’s frustrating as a coach, for sure. But Vega is a solid team.”

The Mustangs tallied 266 total yards with senior quarterback Cole Emery, the coach’s son, finishing 5-of-16 for 142 yards through the air after a hot start.

The teams combined for 200 yards in penalties, but coach Emery said the Mustangs’ walkoffs proved to be more costly.

“The only thing that stopped us was ourselves,” he said. “We’d start moving the ball and get a holding call, and make it tough on ourselves.”

Tiemann caught a 20-yard scoring pass from quarterback Ryan Grawunder following the opening kickoff. Penalties then helped derail the Mustangs’ opening possession, and Grawunder found Slade Fowler for an 18-yard TD toss and a 14-0 lead.

Bovina cut it in half late in the period when Cole Emery threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Darian DeLaRosa before Grawunder tossed his third touchdown strike, a 4-yarder to Gilter, to re-establish a 14-point advantage.

“I’m proud of how the kids played,” coach Emery said. “We played pretty well. We threw the ball for more yardage last night than we have the previous few weeks.”

Now the Mustangs will go back to the drawing board and get ready for the 2021 campaign.

“We’re going to be really, really young next year,” the coach said. “But the good thing is I think the rest of the district is, too.”