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First-year head coach Stan Hodges gave a slight grunt while sitting down in Clovis High School's film room after its 50-0 mercy rule loss to Rio Rancho on Friday night at Leon Williams Stadium. The Wildcats are now 0-2 and have been outscored 97-8.
"My back's acting up on me. I've got a lot of weight on my shoulders," he quipped.
In less than three quarters of action, CHS fumbled over five times, allowed quick screens to go the length of the field and watched several fans leave after the band's halftime performance.
Few can blame them. CHS was down 42-0 at the time.
"It's a little heartbreaking to see so many people leave," CHS senior Troy Richter said.
Nonetheless, Hodges remains hopeful that these are the brutal days that lay a foundation for success.
But it's not going to get any easier.
The Wildcats will play host next week to Cleveland High School, the defending Class 6A state runnerup. On Friday night, the Storm thumped Los Lunas 56-7.
Though it's a non-district game which has little bearing on playoff possibilities, three-straight losses could sap players' confidence.
Making matters more difficult is CHS' quarterback situation.
As injuries piled up last week and in Friday night's drubbing, CHS was forced to use its fourth-string quarterback in Richter.
Entering the game, Richter, a rushing cog in the triple-option, took a few snaps in practice during the week, but nothing substantial enough to teach him the nuances and timing required to run a threatening attack.
"Definitely was a little short on time, but I made the best of what I had, and just went out there and played," Richter said from CHS' locker room.
Given the dearth of depth – and great competition – CHS can't afford any injuries to a difference maker before district time. The problem is players like Richter and running back John Royal could be forced to shoulder bigger workloads. And the bigger the workload, the greater the chance of sustaining an injury.
From Hodges' perspective, this aspect is "just an element of the game."
"There's always a risk. It doesn't matter," Hodges said. "We just want to put our guys in the best position, of course, to be safe, but be able to execute."
While Hodges' positivity is palpable – if not infectious – such messages could fall flat if these throttlings keep occurring. Not just for players, but fans, too.
When asked about this, Hodges' blue eyes intensified.
"I keep hearing these questions, and I'm not deterred," Hodges said. "... It takes time. I'm not a band-aid. It takes work."
He later added that he still feels he has support from the school's principal, David Fredericks, and athletic director, Lonnie Baca.
Richter is added to that list, too.
Following the end of last season, Richter said he contemplated quitting because he was tired of not winning. But after being coached by Hodges, he said that he's committed to finishing his CHS career – no matter what the results are.
"I didn't feel like we had the support that we do now. Even though we're losing, I felt the support in this game was a lot higher than last year for us personally," Richter said.
What edified Richter's answer was Hodges' halftime speech. Despite being down 42-0 entering the half, Hodges wanted players to prevent a final RRHS score that would've enacted the 50-point mercy rule.
"I'm worried about your effort and your execution. I'm worried about your attitude," Hodges told the team. "Let's do everything we can to fight until the end to make them have to get home late, like at four or five in the morning."
With the Rams' starters still on the field, CHS began getting stops. The offense, which didn't finish a drive on the the Rio Rancho side of the field in the first half, began getting positive yardage. Though Rio Rancho did eventually clinch a mercy rule on a quarterback keeper, Hodges said he saw effort that left him feeling like better times may lie ahead.
Even if he's one of the few who can see this.
"So these men (CHS players) are going to have a son bouncing on their knee one of these days, right? And that little boy's going to look at them and say, 'Daddy, did you play football for the Clovis Wildcats? And they can look down at him with pride and say, 'You're daggum right I did. And so are you,'" Hodges said.