La Cueva runs to 35-14 win over Cibola
Eldorado, Cleveland prevail in openers
Saturday afternoon’s football game was billed as a gunslinging showdown between two of New Mexico’s elite quarterbacks, Cibola’s Aden Chavez and La Cueva’s Aidan Armenta.
Not only did that not materialize, but neither was the biggest impact player on the field at Wilson Stadium.
That distinction belonged to La Cueva junior Exodus Ayers. He scored three touchdowns, two by air, as La Cueva scored the game’s final 28 points and pulled away for a comfortable 35-14, season-opening victory.
“Exodus has uncommon talent,” Bears coach Brandon Back said.
Ayers scored on a 16-yard run, caught a 77-yard touchdown pass and, most memorably, went up in double coverage and got a foot down in the end zone for a 30-yard TD grab in the third quarter.
“He’s just an athletic specimen,” Armenta said. “Any time you have him on your team, you’re lucky to have him. … He’s a lot to deal with. He’s everything you want in a receiver.”
The Bears wore Cibola down in the second half following a riveting back-and-forth for the opening two quarters as they traded scores.
Cibola struck first, with QB Chavez throwing 11 yards — on fourth down — to Branden Castillo for an early 7-0 lead.
Ayers countered by bulldozing a Cougars defender on a drive late in the quarter, completing an impressive TD run as the Bears tied the game.
Tiny Nathan Lopez took an end around handoff for Cibola and scored from 32 yards out on the final play of the first quarter.
But Cibola’s offense didn’t muster a whole lot over the final three quarters. La Cueva had no such issues, as the Bears dominated with a potent ground game and superb defense.
Two plays into the second quarter, Armenta let it fly to Ayers, who caught it, stiffarmed a Cibola defensive back and raced the final 40 yards up the near sideline to complete a 77-yard score.
Armenta, on a 4-yard keeper, gave the Bears their first lead of the day at 21-14 with 2:49 remaining before halftime.
La Cueva owned the second half in every way.
Cibola was limited to just 71 yards of offense in the final two quarters, and just eight yards on the ground.
La Cueva, meanwhile, rushed for 118 yards in the second half.
“We were in a great rhythm,”
said Ayers. “We’ve got great guys, great seniors, and we know what we need to do.”
Ayers went up for his second TD reception, managing to get one foot down in the end zone as La Cueva doubled its lead to 28-14 late in the third quarter.
Said Armenta: “His basketball came out. His ability to jump right there, to high-point the ball … he just balled out today.”
Chavez, meanwhile, was chased all day by a fierce La Cueva pass rush; he finished 17 of 40 for 182 yards with two interceptions and a touchdown. He was sacked five times. ELDORADO 28, WEST MESA 0: At Wilson Stadium, the Eagles manhandled the Mustangs with their power run game, particularly in the first half, and rolled in a season opener.
Aidan St. John, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior running back, carried 24 times for 144 yards and a pair of 1-yard touchdowns in the first half.
“I feel like the reason I run so hard and I run the way I do is, it’s our defense at practice,” St. John said. “They’re always banging me up, hitting my legs. You kind of have to come prepared on game day.”
In between St. John’s two scores, QB Elias Franco threw a 15-yard TD pass to Shane Aspera.
Eldorado outrushed the Mustangs 202-5 in the first half, and 228-60 for the game.
“That’s where our strength is,” Eagles coach Charlie Dotson said. “Four offensive linemen and four linebackers coming back.”
Franco added a 1-yard TD run in the third quarter to close out the scoring for Eldorado, which pulled its starters with a few minutes left in the game.
CLEVELAND 49, CENTENNIAL 21: At the Field of Dreams in Las Cruces, Josh Perry rushed for two touchdowns as the Storm rolled in its season opener.
Lucious Dickson, Ethan Duran and Andrew Ortega also rushed for TDs for Cleveland.