Lobos turn tables on Rams

Chaparral, which squeezed into the 12-team Class 4A playoffs as the No. 12 seed, completely flipped the script against Portales High on Friday night at Steve Loy Stadium.

After losing to the Rams 44-19 in the District 4-4A and regular-season finale a week earlier, the Lobos made the cross-state trip again, this time scoring on their first two possessions and making it stand up for a 10-0 victory.

With the win, Chaparral (4-7) advances to a 6 p.m. quarterfinal game on Friday at fourth-seeded Bernalillo, which had a first-round bye.

"We just had a great week of practice," Lobos coach Joseph Frias said. "We made some adjustments; we relied more on our running game this time."

PHS (6-5), seeded fifth, had a handful of scoring opportunities, but was simply unable to capitalize.

"They played really well," Rams coach Jaime Ramirez said of the Lobos. "We just had too many mistakes. I just feel we didn't execute the way we did the first time."

Actually, Chaparral probably gained some confidence from the previous meeting after trailing just 17-13 in that one heading into the final stanza.

To be sure, it was a big win for the Lobos, who broke a 43-game losing streak dating to 2018 by beating Santa Teresa 26-7 on September 6. They last recorded a winning season in 2017 (6-4).

"It was sort of a redemption game for us (from the previous week)," Frias said. "I told the kids, 'We've got nothing to lose, so let's put all the cards on the table.'"

Portales went 10 plays following the opening kickoff, but the drive stalled at the Chaparral 6. On third-and-4, junior quarterback Isaiah Nieto found junior wide receiver Aaron Eliserio over the middle and he raced for a 90-yard score on what turned out to be the game's only touchdown.

"Isaiah Nieto had a great game," Frias said.

PHS then fumbled the ball away on its first play following the kickoff – one of four Rams turnovers – and the Lobos took over at the Portales 46. On the 13th play of the drive, sophomore Wallace Myles kicked a 31-yard field goal 3 ½ minutes into the second stanza, and that was it.

That three points gave the Lobos some breathing room. The Rams' best chance to score came early in the final segment when senior quarterback Tommy Lopez hit senior slotback Kaidyn Cordova, who was ruled out of bounds at the 1 after a 38-yard play.

An offsides penalty moved the ball inside the 1, but a false-start infraction pushed the ball back. On the next play, Lopez kept around the right side, but had the ball knocked loose and the Lobos recovered at their own 7 with 7:30 remaining.

Game. Set. Match.

"When you look at it, with all the injuries we had and all the young kids we're playing, I'm proud that we achieved a lot," Ramirez said. "I love the way our boys fought. Hats off for how they overcame the adversity we had all season."

Chaparral finished with a 361-280 advantage in total yards, led by Nieto (9-of-15 with two interceptions for 178 yards and 74 yards on the ground) and junior running back Juan Urquizo (10 carries, 91 yards).

For the Rams, Lopez went 9-of-18 for 141 yards with two picks, and led the team with 65 yards rushing. Cordova posted seven receptions for 110 yards – including five for 108 in the second half.