Buffs outlast Foxes in 8-man shootout

MELROSE — The Melrose Buffaloes won a key battle against rival Fort Sumner in 8-man District 2 on Friday night. It’s entirely possible the teams will meet again down the line.

Sophomore quarterback Michael Cardonita threw for four touchdowns and ran for three more, and the Buffs outlasted the Foxes 58-50 in a battle of unbeatens.

Melrose (4-0, 1-0 district) scored three unanswered touchdowns in the second half to get a handle on the game, then held on late as the teams combined for more than 1,000 yards of offense.

Cardonita rushed 17 times for 185 yards, scoring on runs of 20, 10 and 7 yards. He went 10-of-20 passing for 203 yards, with two TD tosses to senior Brandon Garcia and one each to juniors Dathan Yeary and Dylan Draper.

Leading 52-42, Melrose got a clinching 59-yard touchdown run from eighth-grader Jaxon Odom with less than two minutes to go.

Meantime, sophomore QB Joaquin Segura ran for three scores and threw for three for the Foxes (4-1, 0-1). He rushed 18 times for 189 yards and completed 20-of-48 passes for 282.

Fort Sumner finished with a 537-472 edge in total offense and a 19-17 margin in first downs. Still, there were eight punts in the contest and both teams turned the ball over three times.

Clovis Christian 69, Elida 19 — At Elida, the Eagles bolted to a 30-0 first-quarter lead and ended their 6-man District 2 matchup with the Tigers on the 50-point lead rule with about 5 1/2 minutes to go.

Sophomore quarterback Jaden Martinez ran for the first score of the game for CCS (2-1, 2-0 district) and threw six touchdown passes — two each to juniors Noah Gershon and Easton Adair and one apiece to juniors Carter Teune and Caleb Vanbeek.

Adair also caught a 36-yard TD pass from Teune, and ended the game on a 10-yard run. Freshman Manu Garbarino added five 2-point conversion kicks and a 4-point field goal from 35 yards out.

For the Tigers (2-4, 1-2), juniors Levi Victor and Dalyn Taylor each rushed for a second-quarter TD, and Victor added a score on Elida’s first possession of the second half.

Seminole 51, Muleshoe 35 — The host Indians (2-3) outscored Muleshoe 23-7 over the final two cantos after a wild first half ended in a 28-28 deadlock.

Sophomore Daniel Sianez returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a Muleshoe touchdown, while senior QB Zach Hasley tossed scoring passes of 22 yards to senior Jeremiah Barron, 52 yards to sophomore Sebastian Kirven and 35 yards to junior Irvin Torres.

Meantime, junior cornerback Judas Reyes returned an interception for a touchdown late in the half to pull the Mules (2-3) even at the break.

Statistically, Seminole posted a 30-12 edge in first downs and compiled 530 yards of offense. Hasley finished 16-of-27 through the air for 235 yards, with Kirven catching five for 117 and Torres hauling in four for 69.

Eunice 43, Texico 33 — At Eunice, the Wolverines generally controlled play into the second half, building leads of 21-7 in the second period and 27-15 early in the third, only to see the Cardinals (4-1) storm from behind.

Eunice converted a couple of fumbles by Texico (1-4) into second-half scores. Trailing 35-33, the Wolverines were unsuccessful on a potential tying 2-point conversion with about three minutes left, and the Cardinals put the game out of reach with a pick-6 in the closing moments.

Senior Cade Collins rushed for a pair of TDs for Texico, and also threw a touchdown pass to senior Brayden Bender. Sophomore QB Cade Figg added a pair of scoring passes to senior Kayden Queener.

In other games on the Texas side on Friday night, Farwell (4-1) absorbed its first loss in a 13-7 overtime affair at Sundown (3-2), while host Vega (4-1) handed Bovina (1-4) a 62-13 setback.