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Week 1: New Mexico high school football game scores and summaries
La Cueva junior quarterback Cameron Dyer (1) reacts after scoring a touchdown during La Cueva’s homecoming football game against Rio Rancho at Wilson Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.
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THURSDAY
Bernalillo 12, Valley 6
It was a grinding and frequently ugly opening night to the 2023 football season. Bernallilo and Valley started 30 minutes late due to lightning. And for the over 2½ hours they clashed, the highlights were few and far between.
It was Bernalillo’s stellar defense that ultimately ruled, and the Class 4A Spartans, with a 12-6 upset of the 5A Vikings (who lost their starting quarterback to injury in the first half), in essence pitched a shutout against the Valley offense.
All the points occurred in the first half.
Albuquerque Academy 50, Rio Grande 0
At the Academy, the Chargers opened the season with a convincing victory as new head David Lee won in his debut.
Academy scored 30 points in the second quarter.
Senior quarterback Lucas Tracy threw four touchdown passes in that quarter: 15 yards to Finn Thompson, 29 yards to Gage Conway, 18 yards to Carter Speegle and 60 yards to Andres Grine. He added a fifth TD pass, a 38-yarder to Thompson, in the third quarter to end the game.
Junior Jett Galles also rushed for a pair of scores for the Chargers, on runs of 45 and 22 yards.
Robertson 28, Socorro 13
Eunice 40, Raton 29
Crownpoint 14, Valley (Ariz.) 6
Los Alamos 35, Española Valley 0
Gadsden 42, Ruidoso 0
FRIDAY
La Cueva 35, Rio Rancho 14
Cam Dyer’s debut as the La Cueva High School quarterback went extremely well.
The junior scored on three touchdown runs, and also threw a pair of TD passes, as the Bears opened the 2023 prep football season with a resounding 35-14 victory Friday night over Rio Rancho at Wilson Stadium.
Dyer scored on a fourth-down run from 3 yards out in the early stages of the second quarter for a 14-7 lead. He added a 1-yard run with 1:05 to go before halftime, which ended with the Bears in front 21-7.
Volcano Vista 24, Las Cruces 7
At the Field of Dreams in Las Cruces, running back Alijah Gonzales went over 100 yards and scored three touchdowns, as the Hawks opened the season with an impressive win over the Bulldawgs.
As a team, Volcano Vista was over 250 rushing yards.
The Hawks led early, 3-0. Trailing 7-3 in the second quarter, Volcano Vista put together a 93-yard drive, capped by the first Gonzales score, to lead 10-7 with about four minutes left in the first half.
Volcano Vista added a 94-yard scoring drive in the third quarter for a 10-point lead.
Kian Vander Wilt and Hunter Martinez each registered double-digit tackles for the Hawk defense, and eighth-grader Aden Gonzales had an interception.
Albuquerque High 34, Organ Mountain 17
At Milne Stadium, the Bulldogs, in coach Desmond Anaya’s debut, spotted the visiting Knights the first seven points, but then took over and rolled over Organ Mountain on opening night.
Isaac Houlihan had a pair of interceptions to lead the AHS defense against the Knights, who were debuting a new head coach themselves in Kenneth Sanchez.
Eldorado 41, Cibola 20
At Nusenda Community Stadium, Josh Jackson, Josiah Mitchell and J.P. Ludi each scored a pair of touchdowns as the Eagles won a lightning-shortened game against the Cougars.
The game was called after the third quarter.
Jackson had a receiving touchdown and a rushing score. Mitchell caught a TD pass from quarterback Brandon Olivas, and he also returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown.
West Mesa 42, Santa Fe 6
At Ivan Head Stadium in Santa Fe, Mustangs senior quarterback Elijah Brody had a magnificent evening, throwing for 181 yards and a touchdown, and rushing for another 168 yards as West Mesa opened strong.
West Mesa gained over 450 rush yards in the victory.
Los Lunas 56, Belen 6
In Los Lunas, the Tigers’ defense was dominant throughout, with four sacks, two fumble recoveries and a safety as Los Lunas pounded the Eagles to retain possession of the Chile Roaster trophy.
Artesia 55, Carlsbad 7
In Carlsbad, Nye Estrada threw three touchdown passes, and Ethan Conn had over 100 receiving yards with two TD receptions, as the Bulldogs opened defense of their Class 5A state title with an unusually one-sided victory over the Cavemen in the Eddy County War.
Valencia 48, Kirtland Central 20
In Kirtland, running back Daniel Villegas rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns, as the Jaguars made a winner of LeDarrius Cage is his head coaching debut.
The game was delayed an hour by weather — as were all the games Friday in the Four Corners region.
Deming 56, Del Norte 6
Bloomfield 41, St. Pius 20
Farmington 48, Piedra Vista 7
Moriarty 50, Gallup 0
Menaul 54 at Navajo Pine 0
Melrose 52, Legacy Academy 0
Aztec 50, Miyamura 0
Dexter 54, Cloudcroft 0
West Las Vegas 27, Escalante 0
Tucumcari 32, Mescalero Apache 6
Capital 33, Grants 17
Wingate 50, Many Farms (Ariz.) 0
Roswell 45, Lovington 18
Thoreau 52, Zuni 0
Hobbs 41, Clovis 13
Tularosa 54, Hot Springs 0
Pojoaque Valley 34, Navajo Prep 0
Hatch Valley 50, Laguna-Acoma 0
Cobre 31, Chaparral 7
Elida 50, Carrizozo 0
Hagerman 36, Capitan 0
Alamogordo 36, Silver 29
Goddard 49, Santa Teresa 0
Magdalena at Tatum, no score reported
Lordsburg at Duncan, Ariz., no score reported
Dora at Roy/Mosquero, no score reported
Tohatchi at Shiprock, cancelled
SATURDAY
Sandia 21, Atrisco Heritage 20
An 80-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter, and the subsequent point-after attempt were the difference in a tight, back-and-forth season opener at Nusenda Community Stadium.
The long Cruz Rivera-to-Joey Harris connection for the Matadors produced the only points of the second half. Atrisco Heritage led 20-14 at halftime.
Although Sandia had repeated red zone issues — the Matadors had no fewer than three trips inside the Atrisco Heritage 10, none of which yielded a single point — they struck lightning at an opportune moment.
The Matadors, Adcox said, showed a tunnel screen to Grayson Frederich. Harris showed that he was going to block in support of Frederich, with Frederich coming toward the ball from the outside. And when the Jaguars’ defender came up, Adcox said, Harris went vertical.
He was wide open when Rivera delivered the ball. It was an easy-looking 80-yard score.
Cleveland 27, Centennial 8
In Las Cruces, Harris Mbueha finished the game with 152 yards on 33 carries, and although the Storm offense struggled when he was getting a break, the defending Class 6A state champions won this season opener with defense, downing the Hawks at the Field of Dreams.
Cleveland intercepted Centennial four times. One of those was a pick-6 by Marcus La Cuesta. The Storm defense also recorded four sacks and limited the Centennial offense to 34 yards rushing. Cleveland did not give up a third-down conversion to the Hawks in the second half.
Cleveland’s first-half touchdowns followed a blocked punt, and a wind-affected punt that went a minus-2 yards.
Mayfield 55, Manzano 0
At Wilson Stadium, Two Monarchs were taken by ambulance to UNM Hospital in this game, one in each half. Manzano coach Stephen Johnston said he believed both athletes had been impacted by the heat. One player was on the field for roughly 30 minutes being doused in ice, Johnston said, before he was finally loaded into the ambulance and driven away.
Johnston told the Journal late Saturday afternoon that both players were doing better.
Portales 45, Highland 0
At Milne Stadium: Rams junior quarterback Paxton Culpepper threw three touchdown passes and ran for another, as Class 4A Portales led the 5A Hornets 35-0 at halftime and cruised to a nondistrict victory.
Zach Radloff ran for two touchdowns in the first half, and Culpepper’s rushing TD made it 21-0.
The Rams later added two, one-play scoring drives. Culpepper threw a 46-yard scoring pass to Zane Mayberry, and then hit Braden Beck for a 28-yard touchdown for a five-TD lead at the break.
Hope Christian 42, McCurdy 20
In Española, junior Mason Hohsfield rushed for four touchdowns, and the Huskies opened their season with a victory over the Bobcats.
Cuba 14, Santa Fe Indian School 12
Dulce 60, Pine Hill 14
Texico 52, Estancia 22
St. Michael's 39, Taos 30
Animas at Grady, no score reported
Have a score to report or information to correct? Email sports@abqjournal.com.
