Muleshoe’s football team has only dropped one game this season and one of the Mules’ newest contributors is senior Elias Alvarado. Playing his first year on the varsity at tailback and inside linebacker, Alvarado has scored a team-high eight touchdowns. Aiming to attend Lubbock Christian University, and perhaps for a future career in coaching, he moved to Muleshoe with his family after having lived in Newport News, Va., and Fort Worth, Texas. Alvarado plays three sports for the Mules: football, basketball and baseball — which he considers his favorite. Q: Have you been starting at tailback all season? Alvarado: No sir, we (Alvarado and Ray Ramirez) switch in and out. A couple of plays each, so we each get about the same amount of playing time. I get little breaks after coming in from defense, so it doesn’t bother me. Q: You guys are off to a good start this year. How far can you take it? Alvarado: For me, personally, I want to at least go three-deep - get to the fourth round of the playoffs at least. Q: The team’s one loss this season came to Idalou. How did you feel when that game ended? Alvarado: I was crushed, because we were so close to tying it up and sending it into overtime. It just didn’t happen. (Muleshoe lost a fumble at the goal line in the final minute) Q: How do you like living in Muleshoe? Alvarado: It’s different, because I’m used to living in bigger cities. It’s OK, because you get to know everybody. Sometimes it has its disadvantages, because if you want to go hang out with your friends, you have to drive long distances. Q: What do you and your friends do for fun? Alvarado: During the football season, it’s pretty much just all about football. We’ll go over to Sonic and toss the football around in the parking lot. Probably about 20 (will play) and some of them aren’t football players. Most of the time, they don’t mind as long as it doesn’t get too out-of-hand. — Compiled by CNJ correspondent Eric Butler