Late Laredo TD mars home opener

RIO RANCHO – In a game that featured 18 lead changes and 149 points, it’s no wonder the laptop for New Mexico Stars’ stat crew fritzed out midway in the game at the Santa Ana Star Center on Saturday night.

By the end of the night, the visiting Laredo Rattlesnakes had put a dagger into the hearts of the Stars in their home opener with a 75-74 Lone Star Football League victory in front of a crowd of 2,600. The winning touchdown and extra point came with 6.9 seconds remaining.

The Stars (1-2) still had a chance to win in this indoor game played on a 50-yard field, but Josh Floyd was able to run the kickoff out to only about midfield as time expired.

	Saturday: New Mexico at Abilene, 6:05 p.m.

Stars coach Chris Williams appeared drained as he sat at his desk in the locker room afterward. Although he didn’t say it was the most difficult loss of his near 10 years of coaching, it had to be close.

“It’s definitely a heartbreaker,” he said.” It definitely hurts.”

The hero for the Rattlesnakes was third-year quarterback Bryan Randall, a Virginia Tech alum, who threw for eight scores and rushed for three.

“I don’t know how many I threw, but I had no interceptions so I know it was a good game,” he said on the field after shaking hands with assorted Stars players. “I threw eight in a game once, so this would be a record, too.”

His primary target was Damion Clark, who scored on five of the throws, including one in which he and the Stars’ Roland Bruno wrestled for the ball in the end zone.

Another of his throws went to 6-foot-3, 330-pound Brandon Evans on a lineman-eligible play. It was the first touchdown of his career, but he doesn’t have a souvenir to prove it.

“I wanted to keep the ball, the referee said, ‘Give it here,’ or I’d be fined,” Evans said with a trace of regret.

New Mexico’s Josh Floyd eludes Laredo’s Jerome McGee en route to a 54-yard touchdown kickoff return during Saturday’s game at the Santa Ana Star Center. Laredo won 75-74. (GREG SORBER/JOURNAL)

The Stars had their share of stars, too. Logically, they also were on offense.

Considering coach Williams calls the LSFL a passing league, it’s somewhat of a surprise running back Seth Smith, a New Mexico State alum, scored four times on the ground. But not to him.

“I always think we can run the ball,” he said.

Saturday night also was the debut of Stars quarterback Brendan Crawford, who was acquired in a trade with Amarillo last week after the team lost starting QB KJ Black to a season-ending knee injury.

At practice Wednesday, Crawford said his main concern was getting his timing down with receivers. He seemed to have taken care of that, especially with Dexter Manley, who caught scoring throws of 14 and 27 yards before any other New Mexico player had even one catch.

Crawford wound up with three scoring throws, including an 8-yard pitch to Floyd to open the second half. Floyd scored again 4 minutes later on a 54-yard kickoff return that gave the Stars a 45-41 lead – the 11th lead change of the game.

Fast-forwarding to the end, it appeared the Stars had put a headlock on the victory after forcing a turnover deep in Rattlesnake territory with less than 3 minutes to play. New Mexico led 71-68.

But the Stars were stopped on offense and settled for a 29-yard Zeke Arevalo field goal.

Laredo (2-1) then took over with 46.2 seconds left and culminated its scoring march with a 2-yard run by Randall.

NOTES: One of the bravest Stars this night was Bruno, a 5-10, 180-pound defensive back. Early in the second quarter he ran headlong into 6-2, 310-pound Rattlesnakes fullback Dephilip Harris, who had built up a head of steam after catching a dump-off pass from Randall. Bruno knocked Harris back with a shoulder hit on the thighs. Harris, though, maintained his balance and advanced 3 more yards. Bruno’s teammates were quick to congratulate him on his hit.

… Stars statistician Oscar Sida, who was still working on retrieving the game data an hour after the game, said it was a tough night: “I got frustrated. And then I got scared.”

After next week’s game in Abilene against the Bombers, the Stars will have a bye week before playing host to the San Angelo Bandits on April 27 at 7:05 p.m.

The Stars’ other home games this year are scheduled for May 11 against Abilene, June 8 against Amarillo , June 15 vs. Abilene again and the season finale July 1 against San Angelo. All games kick off at 7:05 p.m.
Stars lose a hectic heartbreakerLate Laredo TD mars home openerSee RATTLESNAKES on PAGE D2Rattlesnakes nip Starsfrom PAGE D1GREG SORBER/JOURNALNew Mexico players Dexter Manley (10) and Roland Bruno celebrate after Manley caught a touchdown pass during the first half of the Stars’ 75-74 loss to Laredo Saturday night.<reefer_hed>Up next<reefer_body>Saturday: New Mexico at Abilene, 6:05 p.m.<reefer_hed>OnlineVisit ABQjournal.com/sports for a photo slide show

INDOOR FOOTBALL: rattlesnakes 75, stars 74
— This article appeared on page D1 of the Albuquerque Journal