Buffs, Tatum meet for 8-man title

MELROSE - After what qualifies as a grinder by 8-man standards during the first half, Melrose and Fort Sumner turned Friday's state semifinal matchup into a shootout after the intermission.

Specifically, sophomore running back Dathan Yeary did that.

Leading just 8-0 late in the first half and 16-8 at halftime, Yeary broke loose for four touchdowns - three rushing and one receiving - and 169 yards of total offense the rest of the way as the second-seeded Buffaloes posted a 56-24 win over their rivals and advanced to the championship at top-ranked and No. 1-seeded Tatum in a 7 p.m. kickoff on Friday.

The six-team playoff bracket in 8-man included five District 2 squads, and now only two are left. The Coyotes (8-1), who blanked fourth-seeded Logan 52-0 on Friday, handed Melrose (7-1) its lone setback, a 38-26 verdict at Tatum on Oct. 8.

"it'll be a tough game," Buffs coach Caleb King said. "They're a good team, and there are no secrets. We know what we have to do against them."

Melrose certainly figured it out against the Foxes (8-3), whom they edged 58-50 in the regular-season tilt at Melrose in late September.

King decided to open it up a bit and moved sophomore Michael Cardonita under center for freshman Josh Roybal, who had thrown a pair of scoring passes to get the Buffs in front.

"We switch quarterbacks when we go with more speed," King said. "But both of them played fantastic tonight."

Playing just the third segment at QB, Cardonita went 4-of-6 through the air for 89 yards before turning it back over to Roybal. Included was a 26-yard scoring pass to Yeary, who added TD runs of 3, 13 and 51 yards and finished with 198 yards on 26 carries.

"I was expecting a really close game," said Yeary, who had two receptions for 49 yards. "Last time it was an eight-point game, so we were ready for the same type of game."

Hurt by penalties and some dropped passes early on, the Foxes appeared to be gaining momentum after sophomore quarterback Joaquin Segura connected with running back Junior Vigil on a short pass that turned into a 68-yard score, cutting the margin to 16-8 with just over four minutes left in the half.

But they could never get over the hump.

"We don't have that much depth," Foxes coach Brad Holland said. "We've got a lot of young kids, but that's no excuse. Hats off to (the Buffs); they played better than we did today."

Segura completed 18-of-33 passes for 361 yards and three TDs, including a 97-yarder to sophomore Seth Saiz that pulled the Foxes within 22-16 early in the third. But was helped off the field after appearing to injure a knee on a running play near the sideline with about nine minutes left, and did not return.

"I felt strong about how we played," senior guard/defensive tackle Brody McAlister said. "We're ready to go play Tatum. (Losing the last time) gives us something to fight for."

He said the competition in the district has been exciting.

"It's cool because we're all in the same district; we all know each other very well," McAlister said.

Melrose finished with 28 first downs and outgained the Foxes 515-391 for the game, with 343 of the Buffs' yards coming after halftime. Meantime, the defense limited Fort Sumner to five first downs and 156 yards over the final two cantos.

"I was a little nervous coming out in the second half, but I was really happy with how the team played," Yeary said. "We just wanted to stay focused. We knew what was coming (from Fort Sumner), and we had to get the job done."

Senior Logan DeVaney had a strong game for Melrose, catching four passes for 104 yards and a score and recording a couple of sacks of Segura on defense.