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Lions' fullback Jason Martinez finds the gap up the middle during Friday nights 27-0 win over the Rattlers. Martinez had two rushing touchdowns in the district 2-2A championship game.
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With the extra effort Lions' fullback Ben Madrid leaps for the endzone to earn the two-point conversion.
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Rattlers Jakus Martinez makes this catch at the sideline on 4th and 7 gaining a first down.

A strong run game earned the Santa Rosa Lions a district 2-2A championship with a 27-0 win over the Tucumcari Rattlers.

 

“We just had little mistakes kill our drives all night long,” said Tucumcari Rattlers head coach Daniel Hutchins.

 

One of those mistakes was a fumble by the Rattlers late in the fourth quarter on a third-and-goal on the Santa Rosa 1. The Lions recovered to preserve the shutout.

 

Throughout the night several of the Rattlers offensive drives stalled. But some resulted in long gains when Rattler quarterback Dalton Wood connected with seniors Jakus Martinez and Jantzen Darnell.

 

Both Darnell and Martinez had receptions of 22 or more yards putting the Rattlers deep in Lions territory. However, the Rattlers could not venture beyond the 15-yard line.

 

The Lions' double-wing formation earned them four scores — two each by seniors Jason Martinez and Ben Madrid.

 

“The Rattlers are a good team,” said Lions head coach Mario Trujillo. “We were able to match-up well with them and break up some of their plays.”

 

Trujillo said the Rattlers often displayed an ability to move the ball with big pass plays. He said that was one reason he kept telling his team not to take them lightly.

 

“They have got some great receivers,” Trujillo said. “We kept on them all night, but at times they were able to slip coverage and get a big gain. That is what makes them so dangerous.”

 

The Rattlers will now wait for the state seeding committee. The Class 2A playoffs begin next week.

 

Also Friday night, the Logan Longhorns won the District 1 8-man championship with a 42-26 win over Menaul.

 

The Longhorns will wait for the seeding, but will likely host a Friday first-round game.