Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Two area teams begin defense of state titles this week when the 2024 season kicks off on Friday night.
Melrose in 8-man and Texico in Class 2A open with intriguing matchups, the Buffaloes playing defending Colorado 8-man runnerup Haxtun in a 6 p.m. kickoff at Colorado State-Pueblo. Meantime, Texico will be at home to face longtime rival Santa Rosa in a 7 p.m. start.
For Melrose, it’s the first of two consecutive outings against Colorado finalists. The Buffs take on defending champion Mancos in a 4 p.m. start on August 30 at Escalante.
Not only did Melrose dominate in 8-man last season en route to its first title since 2019, the Buffs also return eight seniors from that squad, most of whom are third-year starters.
“We have a really good group coming back,” third-year coach Drew Hatley said.
Twins Josiah and Josh Roybal at quarterback and wide receiver/defensive back, respectively, lead the way. Others are tight end-linebacker Nolan DeVaney, defensive end Landon Flores, center-defensive end Cy Draper, guard-defensive lineman Briar Larson, guard Isaiah Garcie and running back/defensive back Brayden Eldridge.
Another top returnee is junior running back-defensive back Jaxon Odom.
“We lost some good pieces,” Hatley said. “Michael (Cardonita) and Dathan Yeary will probably make the final roster this year at Eastern (New Mexico University).”
Hatley said the competition should be stronger in 8-man this year with several teams – Hagerman-Escalante and Mescalero – dropping down from Class 2A. Meantime, traditional 6-man power Gateway Christian is moving up.
Texico, seeded second, walloped top seed Eunice 44-7 in last year’s 2A final. Sixth-year coach Bob Gilbreath returns a good nucleus, led by senior running back-linebacker Alex Fuentes and senior tight end-defensive lineman Taye Smith, a fifth-year starter.
Other top returning seniors are guard-defensive end Warren Schooley, safety Edgar Mendoza and cornerback Missael Buendia. Schooley is a fourth-year starter
Gilbreath said last year’s quarterback, Cade Figg, is in competition for a tight end slot this season at West Texas A&M.
“Last year was a special year,” Gilbreath said. “We did a lot of good things and finished the way we wanted to. But this is a new year.”
Also on Friday night, Grady visits Mountainair in a 7 p.m. kickoff. Other area schools open their seasons next week, with Floyd hosting New Mexico School for the Dear on August 29. The following night, it’ll be Carrizozo at Dora and Hondo at Elida in 7 p.m. kickoffs.
Texas schools also begin play next week. Farwell visits New deal and Bovina entertains Texico in 7 p.m. (CDT) starts.
Volleyball – Melrose in Class 1A and Texico in Class 2A are also defending state titles this season. Texico travels to Cloudcroft, Clovis Christian hosts San Jon (5 p.m.), while Grady, Elida and Floyd are in a tournament at Logan on Thursday and Saturday.
Clovis Christian is back in action on Friday and Saturday in a tourney at Maxwell. Other season openers send Dora to Grady on Tuesday and Melrose to Capitan on Thursday.
