Jags, Tigers post homecoming victories; Eagles edged

Valencia and Los Lunas celebrated homecoming success Friday, while Belen came up just short on their home turf.

Valencia Jaguars

Michael Storms scored five touchdowns, including the game winner in overtime Friday to give Valencia (5-2, 2-1) a 52-44 homecoming victory over Chaparral (2-5, 1-2) in a District 1-5A clash.

“Nothing quite like that one,” is how LeDarrius Cage, VHS coach, described the back-and-forth battle.

The Jaguars did not punt once and scored every time they had possession except twice, when VHS fumbled in the red zone and a field goal that was blocked late in the game.

Despite the offensive efficiency, Chaparral led 16-14 at the half, and when the Lobos recovered a fumble on the kickoff to start the third quarter, they were able to build the only two score advantage of the game, 24-14.

“After that, they couldn’t really stop our ground game,” Cage said. “Our offensive line played really well.”

With Storms running wild, totaling 318 yards on the ground, and quarterback Aiden Harrington rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown, the Jaguars moved in front with less than two minutes to go in regulation.

Chaparral answered right back, scoring in the final minute on a short run to tie the game at 44-44. However, Valencia’s defense stopped the critical two-point try.

In overtime, VHS scored first on a Storms run, who also converted the two-point conversion. Then, it was up to the defense.

“The defense finally got the stop we needed — stopped them from scoring,” Cage said, ending the contest and sending Valencia into a bye week on a high note.

“Historically, these are the types of games Valencia loses — we took a step forward,” the coach said.

Valencia returns to action at home Oct. 18 against Manzano.

Belen Eagles

A see-saw game Friday in Belen came down to the final few possessions, with Los Alamos (4-3, 4-0) making key plays down the stretch to come away with a 36-32 victory over the Eagles (2-4, 2-2) in District 1-5A.

BHS had the ball and a two-point lead with three minutes to go in the fourth quarter but the offense was unable to move the chains.

“If we had gotten a first down, we probably could have shut it out,” said Kevin Peña, Eagles’ coach.

After Los Alamos forced a punt, the Hilltoppers marched down the field and scored from short yardage to regain the lead.

The Eagles followed with a final possession, but several desperation passes were incomplete, including one that Peña felt was interference.

“I wasn’t too happy with the officiating crew,” Peña said, adding that, “You can’t let the officials (decide the game). We should have done it better earlier.”

BHS quarterback Gonzalo “Chalito” Cano “had a heck of a game” in his first start, according to Peña. Cano rushed for three touchdowns, including a run of about 60 yards, and tossed a 52-yard touchdown pass that was deflected into the air and caught by Nate Herschfeld, who ran it in for a score. Augustine Griego also added a touchdown.

The game was knotted 14-14 at halftime, setting the stage for the wild second half.

“We’ve got to learn how to make plays at the end,” said Peña.

Belen has a bye week, then returns to the gridiron on Oct. 17 at Highland.

Los Lunas Tigers

Despite penalty after penalty, a punishing defense Friday carried Los Lunas (4-1, 3-0) to a 28-7 District 2-6A homecoming victory over Albuquerque High (4-2, 2-1) in District 2-6A.

“It was atrocious for three quarters,” Greg Henington, LLHS coach, said about the penalties. “I think we let (Albuquerque) get into our head a little bit. They were a little dirty and talking a lot of trash.”

Los Lunas led 3-0 at the half after stopping the Bulldogs on fourth down inside the five-yard line. After adding a safety in the third quarter, LLHS extended the lead to 13-0 when Tegan Gallegos took a short pass from Kaiden Reese and scooted 31 yards for a touchdown.

AHS broke through with less than a minute to go in the quarter to make it 13-7. From there, the Tigers running attack controlled the line of scrimmage and the clock, with Martin Cordova and Robert Pino finding the end zone to secure the victory.

“We couldn’t get anything moving because we had so many penalties,” said Henington. “Once we were moving forward and not backwards, things went the way they probably should of.”

One constant throughout was the Tigers’ defense.

“Our defense is really coming together,” said linebacker Gage Marquez, who also scored on a two-point conversion. “We love to hit.”

Los Lunas has little time to correct mistakes. At 7 p.m., Thursday, LLHS meets top-ranked La Cueva (6-0, 3-0) at Wilson Stadium in Albuquerque. The Bears are the defending 6A champions, a team Henington calls “the top of the top.”