Hawks hang on to beat Rams
Penalty-filled victory gives undefeated Volcano Vista its first district crown
A new No. 1 for No. 1.
The state’s top-ranked football team on Saturday afternoon was at times spectacular, at times undisciplined, and at times dog tired.
But Volcano Vista, despite an astonishing 251 yards in penalties, put up 650 yards of total offense against No. 2 Rio Rancho — and still had to hold on for dear life at the end as the Rams chased the Hawks all the way to the end before falling 51-43 at Nusenda Community Stadium.
“At times, it was a great game,” Hawks coach Chad Wallin said. “At times, it felt like a circus with the officials and the flags.”
For Volcano Vista (9-0), it was the school’s first district championship in football. This victory secured the District 1-6A crown and certainly the overall No. 1 seed for the 6A playoffs.
“That’s goal No. 1,” Wallin said of the district title. “The kids are riding high.”
The teams combined for 1,098 yards.
This three-hour contest weaved in and out on the “compelling” scale. The Hawks never trailed, but their leads varied in size. It was 14, and then 17, in the first half. It grew to 31 points (51-20) with 3½ minutes left in the third quarter.
And yet, Rio Rancho, perhaps emboldened by what happened in Week 1 when the Rams themselves blew a 28-point second-half lead to Centennial before losing to those Hawks in overtime, surged back against these Hawks, led by their senior quarterback, Isaiah Chavez.
Chavez threw a TD pass to Tyrese Watson at the end of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 51-27. Chavez, on a fourth-and-10, ran 23 yards on a scramble for a touchdown with 4:26 remaining, and with a 2-point run, the Rams were down 51-35.
Then Rio Rancho recovered the ensuing onside kick, and Chavez engineered a quick scoring drive. His 3-yard score, plus a 2-point pass, made it an eight-point deficit with 2:33 still on the clock. The Volcano Vista defense, for the first time all season, clearly was gassed.
“They did get tired,” Wallin said. “Last series of the third quarter, we felt the energy was low.”
The Rams got the ball back once more, at their 20 with 73 seconds left, but never threatened to tie.
There were almost too many standout individual performances to count.
Volcano Vista senior QB Diego Pavia threw for 310 yards (on 21 of 25 passing) and four touchdowns, including two in the third quarter when the Hawks in a span of five minutes extended from a 31-20 lead to a 51-20 cushion.
“It was important for Diego to come out and have a great game for himself, and he absolutely did,” Wallin said.
Pavia also rushed for 129 yards. His two running backs, Isaac Chavez and Jimmy Gallegos, combined for another 211 rush yards. Chavez rushed for 143 and scored three TDs, including rushing scores of 31 and 61 yards. Gallegos caught one TD pass and ran for another.
“I’d like to congratulate my O-line,” Pavia said. “No sacks once again. They’re the best there is. Our running backs are the best there is. Our coaching staff is best there is. It’s gonna be hard to stop us.”
Rio Rancho, which was plus-13 in turnover margin through its first eight games, was minus-3 Saturday as the Rams lost three fumbles. One of them, Rio Rancho coach David
Howes said, was a touchdown scored by his quarterback that was missed and ruled a fumble.
And while the Hawks didn’t turn that takeaway into points, they did score 14 points off the other two Rio Rancho turnovers.
Although Rio Rancho’s penalty count (seven for 65 yards) was modest, the Rams also were burned by laundry. One holding call negated an Isaiah Chavez touchdown run in the first half. Rio Rancho ended up not scoring on that possession.
“We got off to a late start,” Howes said. “At the beginning of the game, we tried to feel them out, but when you spend too much time feeling out a good team, they feel you out instead.”
ALSO SATURDAY: Collin Evans threw for four touchdowns, and Blaine Miller scored twice as Class 3A’s fourth-ranked Hope Christian (7-2, 2-0 in 5/6-3A) dominated Cuba (3-6, 1-1) 50-0 at Milne Stadium that ended at halftime. … In the evening game at Milne, Albuquerque High (5-4) also won 50-0, against Shiprock, with QB Daysean Feuntes scoring on a 94-yard run, Cashmere Robinson rushing for two TDs, and the defense registering six interceptions including two by Anthony White. … Saturday night at Community Stadium, St. Pius (4-5, 3-1 in 2/5-4A) blanked Española Valley 49-0.