Status of Eldorado QB colors first playoff week
Eagles coach calls chance that Smith will play ‘50-50’
Perhaps this is the weekend we’ll see the return of Gabe Smith.
Eldorado High’s senior quarterback broke his collarbone on Sept. 20, and it’s conceivable he’ll be back in pads as the Eagles visit Hobbs tonight in the first round of the Class 6A football playoffs.
“It’s 50-50 right now,” Eldorado coach Charlie Dotson said of the odds of Smith getting on the field.
With the postseason having arrived, there are 25 games across seven classifications today and Saturday.
Three of the four first-round games in 6A will be played tonight.
In addition to Eldorado-Hobbs, there is the 8 vs. 9 matchup of Manzano-Rio Rancho at Wilson Stadium and Cibola’s dangerous 12thseeded team traveling to Mayfield.
Eldorado (6-4) played its way into the field last week, beating Sandia in the regularseason finale. If Smith does return, that is not just a major boost for Eldorado, it could impact the entire bottom half of the bracket.
But whoever is at QB for the Eagles today, a looming issue at the moment is defense. Eldorado yielded an average of more than 40 points a game during district play. Trying to game plan for the up-tempo, pass-happy Hobbs offense is another challenge.
“They are hard to practice for,” Dotson said, “because they have so many fast guys. It’ll be a challenge, trying to get to their quarterback, and not many people have this year. We haven’t been covering guys well the last couple of weeks.”
As for Smith, Dotson said: “If he’s willing to take the chance to play, I’ll let him play.”
Cibola (5-5), led by the fantastic efforts of quarterback Marcus Steele, edged out Carlsbad for 6A’s final at-large bid for the right to meet the 7-3 Trojans — a team that has succeeded with a balanced running attack and terrific defense.
“It is a 12-5, but we feel like if we are not overwhelmed by the atmosphere, we can compete,” Cibola coach Rod Williams said. “I don’t feel like it’s a game where they are hands-down the better team.”
Manzano (6-4) vs. Rio Rancho (4-6) is the featured local game. The Rams, who will need a strong game from quarterback Isaiah Chavez (who has combined for about 2,500 passing and rushing yards) have not had a first-round road game since 2010. Not that this qualifies as a grueling road trip, necessarily.
“Kudos to coach (Phillip) Martinez for getting those guys over the hump of a sluggish start,” Rio Rancho coach David Howes said of his counterpart at Manzano.
“It’s about matchups right now,” Howes added. “I think we match up pretty well with these guys. (But) a team like (Manzano), you have to be firing on all cylinders. Or you don’t have a whole lot of room for error.” Clovis is at the Field of Dreams on Saturday afternoon to take on Las Cruces.
Class 5A
Valley’s transition to a lower classification must be regarded as a success. The Vikings (6-4) qualified for the playoffs and have a home game as the No. 8 seed. Valley plays host to No. 9 Santa Teresa (8-2) at 7 p.m. today at Milne Stadium.
“I think we have a great chance of winning this week,” Vikings coach Judge Chavez said. His team obliterated Valencia 48-0 last week, with QB Manny SanchezVargas throwing four touchdown passes.
But the Desert Warriors, in the playoffs for the first time in eight years and winless in the postseason, are a new — and unknown — entity.
“It’s a really, really strange situation,” Chavez said. “It’s kind of a mystery thing.”
Del Norte (4-6) running back Isaiah Ortiz ran for 430 yards and eight touchdowns for the Knights last week in Los Alamos, but Piedra Vista — where No. 12 seed Del Norte is playing tonight — is not Los Alamos.
“They’re a big, physical team,” Knights coach Bruce Binkley said of Piedra Vista. “But we’ve been up against teams that are bigger and faster, so we shouldn’t be worried about their size or speed.”
Valencia qualified for state in its first season with coach Wes Shank, and the Jaguars (6-4) are at district rival Belen (6-4) tonight. On Oct. 26, the Eagles came from 21-7 down to beat Valencia 28-21.
The Jags will have a new quarterback tonight; Shank playfully declined to reveal his identity. Valencia rotated three players at that position — all of whom struggled, he said — last week against Valley. The season starter, Andres Lucero, was knocked out for the season at the end of the first Belen game.
“Never taken a snap at quarterback in his life,” was all Shank would say about his new QB. “But the kid told me he could do this.”
Classes 4A, 3A, 2A
While No. 1 seed St. Pius awaits Aztec or Ruidoso in the 4A quarterfinals, Bernalillo and Moriarty are both in action tonight.
The 11th-seeded Spartans (6-4), making their first playoff appearance since 2010, are at Lovington. The 12th-seeded Pintos (3-7) are in Bloomfield.
Top seed Hope Christian has the weekend off in the 3A bracket, which opens with first-round games. The Huskies face Zuni or Tularosa next week in the quarterfinals. Zuni, the 8 seed, has never won a football playoff game.
Class 2A is already into its quarterfinal round, and chief among the intriguing matchups is No. 6 Newcomb (10-1) visiting defensive-minded Fort Sumner/ House (8-1), the 3 seed, which has given up only 50 points total in nine games, and 22 of those were last week in a loss to Santa Rosa. The Skyhawks are averaging 43.7 points a game.
No. 1 seed Eunice (9-0) has been as impressive, winning by about 40 points a game. The Cardinals already dispatched their quarterfinal foe, Texico, 52-6 in the regular season.
Escalante, like Texico, is looking for payback. The fifth-seeded Lobos were thrashed 46-6 at Estancia two months ago, but they’ve rattled off eight consecutive wins since that day. The two meet again in Estancia tonight.
Santa Rosa (9-1) has a ninegame win streak as it hosts Jal.
8-Man, 6-Man
Menaul (5-4), which thrashed Alamo Navajo in the first round, visits No. 2 seed Tatum (7-2) at 6 p.m. today in the 8-Man quarterfinals.
The 6-Man final is Saturday ■ in Animas, as the defending state champion Panthers (9-0), seeded No. 1, faces No. 2 Elida (9-1).