Jags, Tigers survive drama to advance in state playoffs Belen Eagles ousted in Las Cruces

Big plays on defense in crunch time propelled Los Lunas and Valencia to one-point victories in the first round of the New Mexico football playoffs, while Belen was dominated on the road.

Los Lunas Tigers

A blocked field goal with just over a minute left preserved a 28-27 victory for No. 6 Los Lunas (8-2) against 11th-seeded Piedra Vista (3-8) Saturday in the 6A state playoffs.

Gage Marquez, who scored two touchdowns for LLHS out of a power formation, pushed an offensive lineman backwards, on his way to blocking the 30-yard field goal try with his chest.

“That was definitely a crazy thing,” said Marquez, who plays both fullback and linebacker for the Tigers. “You just go full force into the guy — you just go hard.”

Temperatures around the freezing mark seemed to cause problems in the kicking game, with LLHS having several miscues punting and the Panthers missing an extra point on their final touchdown to leave their lead at 27-21 early in the fourth quarter.

A short run by Marquez and the successful extra point kick by Nathan Martinez with less than six minutes remaining in regulation put Los Lunas ahead 28-27, setting up the final drama.

Even with standout running back Brig Keiser unable to play because of injury, Piedra Vista moved the ball effectively on the ground. Panthers’ wide receiver Amasi Griego scored three touchdowns for the Panthers, including two running the ball out of the slot.

Neither team was able to build more than a touchdown advantage, with the score 14-14 at the half. The Tigers and Panthers each passed sparingly, with LLHS finding the end zone on a strike from Kaiden Reese to J’den Howard, but both teams focused on the ground attack.

“They run the ball old school style, so we knew it was going to be super physical,” said Greg Henington, LLHS coach. “But we’re still alive.”

In addition to the two touchdown runs by Marquez, Jordan Howard scored in the third quarter to tie the game at 21-21.

Los Lunas next faces a quarterfinal matchup at No. 3 Cleveland (9-1), which posted a 55-7 victory over the Tigers on Aug. 30.

“We’re going to get after it. We’re going to play as hard as heck,” Henington predicated. “We’re a completely different team, completely different.”

Kickoff is 7 p.m., Friday at Cleveland.

Valencia Jaguars

Both Valencia (8-3) and Moriarty (4-7) showed a potent running attack Saturday in the 4A playoffs, but big plays on defense turned the tide in the Jaguars’ 35-34 victory at VHS.

After Rylan Thackerson scored with 3:14 left in the fourth quarter to pull Moriarty within one point, the two-point conversion try by the Fighting Pintos was snuffed out by defensive back Mario Santiago.

Moriarty wasn’t done, getting the ball back with less than a minute to go in the game. However, Valencia’s Santino Mares intercepted his second pass to seal the victory.

“I saw it go up and I just broke down and caught it,” Marez said, admitting, “I almost thought I was going to drop it.”

The interception allowed Valencia to run out the clock for the one-point victory.

“We were blessed to play at home and fortunate to get a win,” said LeDarrius Cage, VHS coach. “It’s a big deal for us.”

Moriarty took a 16-8 second quarter lead, but touchdowns by Valencia quarterback Aiden Harrington and one by Michael Storms III just before the half, put the Jags up 22-16.

“Both of those guys are studs,” said Cage, referring to Harrington and Storms, who each rushed for more than 100 yards.

Cage credited the offensive line, especially tight end Eric Rodriguez, who hauled in a pass on a two-point conversion in the first half.

“The corner just bit down on the halfback swing,” Rodriguez recalled. “I was wide open. I practiced that a hundred times.”

Storms’ third touchdown of the day gave Valencia a 35-22 advantage, but Moriarty scored twice in the fourth quarter to put the outcome in doubt. The comeback ended when the point after try was stopped just short of the goal line.

“We rallied to the football, got a good tackle and we were able to keep the lead,” said Cage.

Valencia will go on the road for a quarterfinal matchup at 1 p.m. Saturday against top ranked Bloomfield.

While acknowledging the challenge, Bloomfield defeated VHS 50-0 last season, Cage says, “I’m excited to see what we can do.”

Belen Eagles

No. 6 Mayfield (5-6) proved to be too big and talented, defeating 11th-seeded Belen (4-6) 53-7 Saturday in a 5A playoff game at the Field of Dreams in Las Cruces.

“They just out-matched us. They were a lot bigger than us,” said Belen coach Kevin Peña.

The Eagles had issues on special teams. A blocked punt led to a Mayfield touchdown and the Trojans recovered three on-side kicks.

“We had our ‘hands’ team on the field the whole game,” Peña said about his kickoff return unit. “We just didn’t pick it up.”

After the Eagles’ Damian Avila touchdown in the second quarter, BHS was down 25-7 at the half.

“I think our offense was disciplined; we just didn’t punch it in when we needed to,” according to Peña.

The third quarter was decisive, with the Trojans reeling off 28 unanswered points in route to the 53-7 victory.

Despite the disappointment, Peña said he was thankful for the fans and his players, especially his 13 seniors.

“They stepped up. They had to win their last two games to get in (the playoffs) and they did it.”