Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Texico senior running back Alex Fuentes finds plenty of room to run during Saturday's Class 2A state football championship game at Santa Rosa. Fuentes rushed for four touchdowns and 257 yards as the Wolverines claimed their second consecutive 2A crown with a 50-0 victory over the Lions.
SANTA ROSA – It seems all the Texico Wolverines have had to do is reach the Class 2A state football championship game, and they cruise from there.
A year after thumping Eunice – a team it had lost to earlier in the season – 44-7 in the finals, the Wolverines did the same against Santa Rosa on Saturday, posting a 50-0 win over the Lions in a game which ended on the 50-point mercy rule about a minute into the final quarter.
Senior running back Alex Fuentes amassed 257 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 27 carries for the Wolverines (12-0), who finished the day with 369 total yards. Fuentes also tossed a 36-yard scoring pass to junior quarterback Bennett Wahlen, a play which ended the game.
It was a repeat of Texico's 50-0 victory over the third-seeded Lions (9-4) in the season opener at Texico.
"We probably didn't run through them like we did the first game, but our defense was ready," Wolverines coach Bob Gilbreath said. "I think we held them to just one first down."
Texico got past what proved to be its toughest test in the semifinals, beating a fifth-seeded Eunice squad 36-27. The Wolverines won the regular-season matchup against the Cardinals by almost the same score (36-28), coming from behind in both games.
"Last week was a little bit of a hiccup, but I think Eunice should've been the second (seed)," Gilbreath said.
After a bit of a slow start, the Wolverines erupted for 30 points in the second stanza for a 36-0 halftime lead.
Fuentes had TD runs of 36 yards in the first frame, 50 and 15 yards in the second stanza and 4 yards in the third canto. He added a pair of 2-point conversion runs.
Meantime, Wahlen scored on a 3-yard run and completed an 18-yard TD pass to junior Luke Thompson in the second segment.
It was Texico's fourth trip to the state championship game in five full seasons, excluding the 2020-21 COVID-19 campaign. The Wolverines lost in the finals to Eunice in 2019 and to Jal in 2021.
Fuentes is one of only five seniors on this year's squad, so the Wolverines could be well-positioned for at least the next year or two.
"We've got a lot coming back," Gilbreath said. "The well's not going to be dry for a while."
