LLHS, VHS win; Belen falls in homecoming contests this weekend

Valencia County football teams hosted three high school homecoming games last Friday and Saturday, and came away 2-1 for the weekend.

Tigers ground the Eagles

Los Lunas (2-2, 1-0 District 2-6) earned a hard-fought home win Friday night, 28-22, over the visiting Eldorado Eagles after kickoff was delayed twice by lightning.

The Tigers came out quick, scoring 21 unanswered points in the first half, and led 21-8 at halftime. The Eagles bounced back big in the third quarter with 14 unanswered points of their own to take a 22-21 lead as the Tigers seemed to lose their edge.

Martin Cordova put the Tigers back on top with a 15-yard TD run, and linebacker Bryant Baca ended the Eagles’ chances with a sack to neutralize a late Eldorado scoring threat.

“That was probably, at this point in the season, the best thing that could happen to us,” said LLHS head coach Greg Henington. “We learned a lot of lessons Friday night. It’s better to learn through a win than through a loss. We knew it was going to be a battle, and we knew when the schedule first came out, this first district game would have enormous playoff implications.”

The Tigers were led by senior quarterback Kaiden Reese, who notched 207 total yards and scored two touchdowns, one on a 72-yard run and another on a 33-yard TD pass to junior Anthony Castillo.

Junior running back Jagger Casillas accounted for 66 yards on the ground and scored on a 40-yard run before going out of the game with a knee injury. On Monday, Henington said he had no information on Casillas’ medical status but said it was unlikely he would suit up this Friday.

“We’re all worried for him and pulling for him,” he said.

Los Lunas heads to Albuquerque to continue district play against West Mesa (1-2) Friday night for the Mustangs’ first District 2-6A game of the season. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Wilson Stadium.

Valley scores late to beat Belen

In a game originally scheduled for Friday night but moved to Saturday morning due to weather concerns, the Eagles (1-3, 0-1) dropped their District 1-5A opener in heartbreaking fashion, 25-22 to Valley (1-3, 1-0).

“We came out a little bit slow and didn’t get it going right away,” said Eagles head coach Kevin Peña. “Then we had a few guys go down, and we had to kind of change up a little bit, but the guys that went in there, they stuck it out and they started playing real tough and saw there’s a chance we can get back in the game.”

The Vikings led 13-8 at halftime, despite giving up turnovers to the Eagles in the first half. Belen fought back to take a 22-19 lead midway through the fourth quarter. With time running down, the Vikings drove for a touchdown to take back the lead. On its final drive, Belen moved all the way inside the Valley 10-yard line, but the Valley D forced a fumble to secure the win.

“We pulled it back in and then ended up doing real well,” said Peña. “In the second half, we just had a botched play, and that really cost us. I mean, you know, we had our chances. I can’t say we didn’t.”

Eagle quarterback Chalito Cano accounted for two TDs in the game, with Augustine Griego accounting for the other Eagle touchdown.

Sophomore Andrew James Jr. went out with a concussion in the game. Peña said on Monday that James, who was immobilized as a precaution, is likely out for some time but has improved markedly from his injury.

Belen travels to Albuquerque Thursday to continue district play against winless Del Norte (0-4). Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Milne Stadium.

Valencia mercy rules Cuba

The Jaguars got more problems from the weather than their guests, the outmatched Rams, on Friday night.

The inclement weather caused two lightning delays as threatening mountains danced along the Manzano Mountains all night.

Valencia (2-2) started quickly, with two touchdowns and a safety to earn a mercy rule-shortened 51-0 win over Class 2A Cuba (0-4).

“It was good for us to get a bounce-back game after dropping the game against Belen the week before,” said Jaguar head coach LeDarrius Cage. “We also got the opportunity to get the younger guys’ on-field experiences. So that was good for us, too.”

Valencia scored seven touchdowns on the night, including two rushing scores from sophomore Giovanni Adame and senior Michael Storms III, single touchdowns from senior Jordan Henry, junior Santino Mares, and junior Aiden Farless, and a TD pass from sophomore Aaden Chavez to sophomore Dominick Suarez.

Cage said the week of practices after the Belen loss were productive and showed him that the Jags were inspired, not diminished by the setback.

“We have been talking about having better practices and being sharper. So, we had a good week of practices, and we expect to get better every week,” the coach said. “We had some small mistakes in our first games and a lot of penalties. Friday, we didn’t have that issue. So we need to keep our momentum and to put the ball in the end zone a little more frequently.”

Valencia travels to Silver City on Friday to begin District 2-4A play against undefeated Silver High (4-0). Kick off is set for 7 p.m.