Rams stay unbeaten with victory at Eunice

EUNICE – Class 2A Eunice proved to be a fairly stern test for the Portales High football team.

In the end, the Rams, ranked No. 2 by MaxPreps this week in Class 4A this week behind District 4-4A rival Lovington (3-3), had too much for the Cardinals and pulled away to a 38-13 win on Friday night in the team’s closest game this season.

PHS coach Jaime Ramirez said it wasn’t his squad’s best overall outing.

“We played a little sloppy,” he said. “We need to get a little sharper on our execution. We probably left three or four touchdowns out there.”

Eunice (4-2), ranked third in Class 2A, was playing its second highly-ranked opponent in a row, losing at home last week to Class 3A No. 1 Dexter 44-43. The Cardinals wrap up a three-game homestand on Friday when they entertain Texico (5-1), ranked first in 2A.

Even though they struggled a bit, the Rams (6-0) opened a 17-0 lead in the second quarter on a short touchdown run by junior quarterback Paxton Culpepper, a 20-yard field goal by senior Toby Standifer and a scoring pass from Paxton to senior Zane Mayberry.

Eunice got on the board late in the half to close to 17-7, but the Rams took the second-half kickoff and marched to another touchdown, coming on a 1-yard run from senior running back Zach Radloff. Junior cornerback Xavier Tarpeh had a 98-yard interception return for a score later in the third, and Culpepper found senior Andru Ontiveros for his second TD pass of the night in the final canto.

“Offensively, we did what we needed to do in the third and fourth quarters to seal the game,” Ramirez said. “All the mistakes we made can be corrected.”

The Rams, who have outscored their opponents by 250 points through six games, host Albuquerque-based Valley in their final non-district game on Friday. The Class 5A Vikings (3-2) absorbed a 61-7 pasting at Los Lunas on Friday night.

Then, after an open date, PHS begins District 4-4A action on Oct. 13 against Albuquerque Academy at Greyhound Stadium.

Unbeaten Coyotes blanks CHS – Roswell High (6-0), the No. 2 team in 5A behind Artesia, rode five touchdown passes from senior quarterback Manny Fuentez to a 49-0 victory over the Wildcats (1-5) on Friday night at the Wool Bowl.

Fuentes had TD tosses of 37 yards to senior wide receiver Josh Estrada in the first quarter and 25 yards to junior wide receiver Jacob Palomino, 30 yards to senior fullback Peyton Kennard and 21 yards to junior slotback Abey Toscano in the second as the Coyotes opened a 35-0 halftime lead. His final scoring pass was a 20-yarder to senior tight end Malachi Mitchell in the third period.

Those scores were bookended by a 2-yard TD run from senior fullback Bryce Sanchez midway through the first period and a rushing touchdown from junior running back Jaylon Cloud in the fourth frame. Meantime, Kennard went 7-for-7 on PAT kicks.

CHS coach Andrew McCraw said his team’s relative lack of depth was exposed again by the Coyotes.

“They’re really good,” he said. “Seventeen guys go to their defensive staff to make adjustments (between series). We can’t do that.

“We were trying some different things to see what we’ve got. (Junior running back) Kyrese Phillips popped a couple of runs, so hopefully we’ve found some things that can work in our offense.”

That situation wasn’t helped when senior running back/linebacker Kash Roberts left the game on the Cats’ fourth play from scrimmage with a bruised forearm.

““We’re hoping for the best,” McCraw said when asked if Roberts might return for Friday’s District 6-5A opener against Albuquerque High at Leon Williams Stadium.

“We were trying some different things to see what we’ve got,” McCraw said. “(Junior running back) Kyrese Phillips popped a couple of runs, so hopefully we’ve found some things that can work in our offense.”

Sophomore linebacker Johnny Molina had a first-quarter interception for the Cats, while senior linebacker Kohen Matus and sophomore defensive end Max Roche recovered Coyotes fumbles.