Prep football: Menaul defeats Clayton to secure spot in 8-Man quarterfinals

Menaul senior Nick Brock (23) sprints in for a touchdown as Clayton senior Brody Ouellette (20) attempts to catch up during the playoff football game against Clayton at Menaul School in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. The Menaul Panthers won 64-20.

Menaul’s Kelly Boneza, left, wraps up Clayton’s Eli Ritchie during Friday night’s playoff game.

Glen Rosales Glen Rosales Glen Rosales For the Journal

Published October 31, 2025 - 8:49 p.m. Modified October 31, 2025 - 9:42 p.m.

If there was a downside for Menaul in their dominating 64-20 win over Clayton in the opening round of the 8-Man football championships on Friday, it likely came midway through the third quarter — right after Bryan Cabrera’s interception snuffed out a Yellowjackets drive.

Panthers head coach Procopio Padilla celebrated with such jubilation that he likely tore his Achilles tendon and lay sprawled on the ground. As the game continued, and while trainers examined him, the Menaul players on the sidelines circled past and one by one gave him a pat on the head.

“I just went to step and felt my Achilles go,” he said. “So I tore my Achilles. I feel like Aaron Rodgers, right now. But, I’m not feeling anything yet. I mean, I think my adrenaline is still pretty high. So I’m probably gonna go talk to these guys, send them home, and I’m gonna get to a doctor.”

Despite the injury, Padilla was all smiles as the Panthers (7-3) won a playoff game for the first time since 2019, and did so convincingly, over Clayton (3-7).

Next up, Menaul meets top-seed Fort Sumner in the quarterfinals.

“This is my second year here with them ... so I think we just had a culture shift,” he said. “We’re finally starting to build in, and we’re starting to settle down as a team.”

Quarterback Luke Boatman had rushing touchdowns of 50 and 51 yards while gaining 221 yards on just eight carries, and he also threw for four touchdowns. The 51-yarder came on Menaul’s third play from scrimmage and set the tone for the rest of the night.

“This team has just gelled,” said Boatman, who is in his first year a quarterback after playing receiver the past two seasons. “We’ve become a team and we’re peaking at the right moment. We’re going to Fort Sumner and we’re going to go win. This game, we came in and we were expecting to win.”

Receiver Nick Brock also had a huge game with two touchdown catches, a 68-yard touchdown run and an electrifying 51-yard return for a score on a snagged Clayton pitchout, which came on the first play from scrimmage following Boatman’s 50-yard touchdown that opened the second half.

The back-to-back touchdowns in the first minute of the third quarter blew the lead up from 32-14 at halftime to 44-14.

“I was just playing my position, trusting my other seven teammates to do their job so I could do my job 100%. I was just in the right place at the right time, and I made a play on the ball,” Brock said of the defensive score. “It was like the ball was coming right to me. So I just turned on the jets and took it to the house.”

Clayton tried to methodically grind out drives behind backs Eli Ritchie, who gained 184 yards on 30 carries, and Adrian Quintana, who ran for 112 yards on 22 carries. Unfortunately, the Yellow Jackets could not overcome two lost fumbles and three interceptions.

“This game, we were just ready to play,” Boatman said. “We were ready to show the state that we can really play football. And then Menaul, our athletic program as a whole, is just taking the next step.”