Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
PHS junior linebacker Brandon Webster drags down a West Las Vegas ballcarrier from behind as senior linebacker Manny Chavez moves in on the play at Steve Loy Family Foundation Stadium. Portales, which defeated the Dons 21-14, begins District 2-4A action on Saturday against Manzano in Albuquerque.
After a week off to try to heal their wounds, Clovis High's football team looks to start to get things turned around when the Wildcats play Cibola in a 7 p.m. kickoff on Thursday at Albuquerque's Milne/Wilson Stadium.
After three consecutive dominating setbacks to start the campaign, the Cats look to bounce back at the expense of the Cougars (1-3), whose win came in overtime 20-17 at Albuquerque High in the season opener.
First-year Clovis coach Stan Hodges is certainly hoping that's the case.
"They've got some kids that I think we can compete with," he said of the matchup. "(But) they have some good athletes over there."
In this case, an early bye week could serve to help the Cats try to right their ship. They suffered through a myriad of injuries in getting outscored 151-8 the first three weeks of the season.
Sophomore quarterback Javier Jimenez, injured in a Game 2 loss at home against Rio Rancho, should be one of the players back in action in this one, Hodges said.
Cibola is coming off a 35-6 loss last week at Carlsbad, the Cougars' first of only two trips out of the city during the regular campaign. Their other setbacks were to Sandia (37-7) and Eldorado (27-20).
"We can't really compare (scores) because we don't have a common opponent," Hodges said. "We think it's going to be a good, competitive game. It's our last non-district game, and we want it to propel us into our district schedule."
Hodges said the Cougars mix the pass and run, but in reality rely on their quarterback to make key plays.
"They're a spread team that really likes to run the football," Hodges said. "Their quarterback is really their best athlete. They want to put you in a position where you forget about the quarterback."
Clovis' six remaining games are all in District 3-6A play, beginning when they host longtime rival Carlsbad in a 7 p.m. game on Sept. 27.
Rams begin district play – Portales High will also be in Albuquerque this week, beginning its District 2-4A slate on Saturday this week with a 4 p.m. contest against Manzano.
The Rams take a 2-2 record into the match after slipping past West Las Vegas 21-14 at home on Friday night.
Meantime, the Monarchs, who dropped down from Class 5A this season, bring a 3-1 record and a three-game winning streak into the clash after routing Hope Christian 40-14 on Friday night.
