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Big plays, ground game propels Los Lunas Tigers
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LOS LUNAS — Coaches usually don’t approach game two of the season as a “must win,” but that’s exactly the perspective Greg Henington took as Los Lunas prepared for Friday’s home game against Farmington.
“We were like, all week, ‘We’ve got to win this dad gum game.’ It was a must win,” Henington shared after the Tigers’ 37-28 victory over Farmington (2-1).
LLHS (1-1) felt like the ship was taking water following the 55-7 pounding the Cleveland Storm delivered one week earlier.
After giving up a touchdown pass to the Scorpions, the Tigers found a groove. Quarterback Kaiden Reese tied the score at 7-7 with a 14-yard run midway through the first quarter.
Los Lunas recovered a fumble on the next possession and the Tigers took the lead for good when Reese found Tegan Gallegos for a 47-yard touchdown strike. The successful two-point conversation gave LLHS a 15-7 advantage.
Before the end of the opening quarter, Farmington made it 15-14, but the rest of the half belonged to the Tigers.
Jordan Howard scored from short yardage, and Los Lunas turned a Scorpion’s fumble into more points when Reese hit J’den Howard from 35 yards out to make it 28-14 at the break.
However, the contest was far from over, with Farmington using its spread offense to score midway through the third quarter. From there, the LLHS ground attack rolled.
“At a certain point, it was about the offensive line and running backs taking over the game, to eat the clock,” said Henington.
A short Gage Marquez run put the Tigers up 34-21, but another TD strike pulled the Scorpions to within six points late in the third quarter. Farmington would not score again.
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Nathan Martinez booted a 28-yard field goal to increase the Tiger’s lead, giving Los Lunas a 37-28 victory.
“We had some adversity in the second half, and we responded and won. That’s exactly what we needed,” Henington said.
LLHS rushed for 345 yards, with Jagger Casillas pounding Farmington for 140 yards on the ground.
It’s a short week for Los Lunas, with the Tigers playing at 7 p.m., Thursday, against Eldorado at Wilson Stadium in Albuquerque. It is also the first of seven district games under the new format.
“It’s like a playoff — week every week,” explained Henington. “It’s interesting — it should make every game exciting because every game really matters.”
