Buffs make short work of Logan in district tilt

LOGAN – For the second week in a row, Melrose put a 40-spot up in the first quarter against an 8-man District 3 opponent and then took the game into cruise control.

The Buffaloes, ranked No. 1 in eight-man, coasted to a 54-0 win over Logan in a battle for the top spot in the district race. The game ended early in the third quarter on the 50-point lead rule.

Junior quarterback Josiah Roybal tossed three touchdown passes while the Buffs (8-1, 3-0 district) scored a pair of defensive touchdowns in the opening stanza to quickly put away the Longhorns (6-3, 2-1), who were coming off a 38-34 win the previous week at Fort Sumner. The Foxes (5-1, 2-1) visit Melrose in a 7 p.m. kickoff on Friday night.

Roybal delivered a 20-yard scoring pass to his twin, Josh, and a 68-yarder to sophomore Jaxon Odom in the opening stanza, and added an 8-yard TD pass to senior Gray Brandon in the second quarter. Josiah Roybal also ran for an 8-yard score in the first period, while junior Brayden Eldridge returned a fumble 36 yards and senior Michael Cardonita brought back an interception 30 yards for scores to cap the first-quarter onslaught.

Melrose converted all six 2PATs in the first half, three on runs by Josiah Roybal. The game ended with sophomore Carson Jones’ 6-yard run in the third period.

Grady 54, Chesterton Academy 0 – At Grady, the Bronchos (6-2) did nearly the same thing as Melrose, rolling to a 34-0 lead at the quarter and a 48-0 advantage at halftime in crushing the Albuquerque-based Saints (1-6).

The rout couldn’t have started any earlier as junior Deakin Ragland returned the opening kickoff 62 yards for a score. Freshman Hays Rush, who scored on a 4-yard run in the initial canto, ended the contest early in the final segment with an 8-yard TD run.

Senior Zane Rush tossed a 30-yard scoring pass to junior Chevy Dixon, then returned a fumble forced by his younger brother 38 yards for a score. Eighth-grader Trell Foote also tallied on a 3-yard run in the first frame, then sophomore Jackson Nolen added a 5-yard TD run and freshman Caden Croy completed a 55-yard TD pass to sophomore Gavin West in the second session.

Senior Sergio Perez kicked a pair of 2-point conversions in the first quarter, while Croy and West hooked up for one single-point PAT and freshman Gabriel White ran in another.

Grady wraps up its regular year with a 7 p.m. non-district kickoff on Friday night at Hondo (1-5).