Texico dismantles Clayton

TEXICO - It didn't take long for Texico to put away an abbreviated homecoming and District 6-2A win against Clayton on Friday night.

How about 24 plays, to be exact?

Senior Cade Collins rushed for two touchdowns of more than 60 yards, then ended the game on the NMAA's mercy rule early in the third period by carrying a shovel pass from quarterback Cade Figg 53 yards for a score in a 53-0 rout of the Yellowjackets.

Texico (3-4, 1-0 district) can claim the three-team district crown on Friday night with a win at Santa Rosa (4-4, 1-0) in the regular-season finale for both teams.

The injury-riddled Yellowjackets (3-5, 0-2) finished their campaign with only 17 players available. Among those on the injured list was senior quarterback Jerome Padilla, and his replacement, sophomore Jonoven Hidalgo, found himself in over his head.

Meantime, Collins finished with 169 yards rushing on just eight carries and added two catches for 69 yards, while Figg went 5-for-6 for 163 yards and two TDs.

"I figured it would be about like it was, especially when I saw (Padilla) on the sideline," Collins said. "He was a key part of their team.

"Our (offensive) line came out and took care of them early. I've never seen a line perform as well as they did tonight, and that really boosted our confidence."

Five of Texico's eight scoring plays were for more than 50 yards, including four on the first play of a possession. The Wolverines finished with a whopping 428-53 margin in total offense, while their defense limited the Yellowjackets to three first downs.

Leading 40-0 at halftime, Texico needed just five plays to finish it off with a pair of scores.

"They're hurting," Wolverines coach Bob Gilbreath said of the Yellowjackets. "They didn't play football in the spring; we did, and I felt like we were still behind (this fall).

"When we started this season, about three-fourths of our team had (no more than) eighth-grade experience. We've steadily gotten better, even in some of our losses."

Even though the game itself may not help prepare the Wolverines for postseason play, Collins said he was OK with it.

"I enjoy the blowouts just because it's a little more exciting," he said. "In a close game, you get a little nervous and start thinking too much."

Gilbreath, who coached Collins' father Jim as an assistant at Clovis High in the 1990s, said Santa Rosa presents an interesting challenge with its unusual single-wing attack, which doesn't feature a quarterback and instead relies heavily on deception.

"They do what they do, they do a good job," he said. "A lot of what they do, I call 'eye-candy.'

"We'll just have to go up there and be disciplined, and try to win the battle in the trenches."

Meantime, Collins noted the Wolverines started 2-4 during his sophomore season in 2019 and then made a run to the Class 2A championship, where they lost to Eunice.

He hopes they can go a step farther this time.

"We ended up winning six straight to go to the finals," he said. "We just came up short."

In Friday area games on the Texas side:

Bovina 22, Ropes 15 - At Bovina, the Mustangs (3-5, 2-0 District 2-2A Division II) erased an eight-point deficit with two touchdowns in the first two minutes of the final stanza.

Ropes (5-2, 0-2) took a 15-7 lead on senior Kayden Bryan's 3-yard run in the final minute of the third quarter. Bovina tied it on a 7-yard Nathan Guevara run and sophomore Daniel Herrera's 2-point conversion run with 11:14 left, then got the game-winner 59 seconds later on a 41-yard interception return for a score by sophomore cornerback Miguel Lopez.

Junior running back Darian De La Rosa rushed for 105 yards and pulled the Mustangs to 8-7 with a 9-yard run midway through the third quarter.

Farwell 55, Sanford-Fritch 7 - At Farwell, sophomore Corey Stancell rushed for 234 yards and scored five first-half touchdowns, giving him 26 TDs and more than 1,500 yards for the season.

Stancell tallied on runs of 71 and 4 yards to stake the Steers (6-1, 2-0 District 1-2A Division I) to an early 14-0 lead. He added scoring runs of 6, 11 and 39 yards in the second canto.

The Steers outgained Sanford-Fritch (2-5, 1-1) in total yardage 441-120. Farwell's defense forced three turnovers and limited the Eagles to seven first downs.