Carrizozo defeats San Jon/Grady

SAN JON - James Gonzales' third rushing touchdown with 1:33 left sealed a 39-33 victory for Carrizozo over San Jon/Grady in a six-man football game Friday afternoon that saw three lead changes and two ties.

Gonzales ended the game with 108 yards on 14 carries. The win for the visiting Grizzlies (3-4) snapped a three-game losing streak.

Carrizozo coach Jesse Samora said his team's resilience was the difference.

"It's been a while since we'd won a game, so I was really proud of the boys for coming out and fighting to the end like we did," he said. "When you lose three games in a row like we did, it's tempting to pack it in early."

San Jon coach Adrian Jones gave credit to Carrizozo's defense for its win.

"Their defense just kept getting stops," Jones said. "We just couldn't find a way to score."

Jones acknowledged the back-and-forth game probably was entertaining to watch.

"It was those sort of fun games I liked to play in," the Tucumcari football alum said. "I think we just missed some opportunities."

The Coyotes (2-4) were led by Chad Becerra's 134 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. Dustin Bryant added 111 yards rushing and a touchdown on 11 carries.

Two eighth-graders also proved to be high-impact for the Coyotes. Zane Rush was pressed into service as the team's primary quarterback after injuries to sophomore Jordan Verbal. Rush is the brother of Grady baseball pitcher Chisum Rush, who led New Mexico in strikeouts last season. Zane also showed a strong arm, going 9-for-14 passing for 160 yards, including two touchdowns to fellow eighth-grader Cantrell Latimore, who totaled four receptions for 94 yards.

Rush began the game inauspiciously, getting sacked at his team's 11-yard line on fourth down. Gonzales scored on an 11-yard run, and a pass on the conversion made it 7-0 in Carrizozo's favor.

San Jon answered with a 47-yard touchdown run by Becerra. The run attempt after the score was short, and the Coyotes trailed 7-6.

The Coyotes recovered an onside kick and advanced to Carrizozo's 7-yard line. Three subsequent plays fell short of the goal, and the Grizzlies took over.

On San Jon's next possession, Bryant scored on a 53-yard run for a 13-7 lead.

Carrizozo tied it 13-13 when quarterback Ethan Ortiz threw for a 28-yard TD to Mathew Nagrete.

The Coyotes responded with a 57-yard touchdown pass from Rush to Latimore for a 19-13 advantage.

The Grizzles used an eight-play, 51-yard drive punctuated by Gonzales' 4-yard TD run. Ortiz threw to David Najar for the conversion and a 20-19 lead.

San Jon stripped the ball from Gonzales with less than 40 seconds left in the half. The Coyotes moved into the red zone but lost 17 yards on a bad shotgun snap to Rush. Time expired in the half before they ran another play.

San Jon took a 26-20 lead in the third quarter on when Becerra caught 44-yard touchdown pass. Bryant threw to Tobe Slater for the conversion.

Carrizozo tied it at 26 when Lorenzo Beltran threw a 3-yard TD pass to Ortiz.

After the Grizzlies recovered an onside kick, Joel Villanueva bulled his way for a 5-yard touchdown and a 32-26 lead late in third quarter.

San Jon drove to Carrizozo's 8-yard line but lost yardage on two penalties and two passes for a loss. The Grizzlies got the ball back with four minutes left and milked the clock while gaining yards. With 1:33 left, Gonzales broke loose for a 26-yard TD run and a 39-26 lead.

Rush found Latimore for a 28-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds left. The conversion made it 39-33.

San Jon's attempt at an onside kick failed, and Ortiz executed two kneeldowns to run out the clock.

Logan 20, Dora 6

Logan blanked district foe Dora for three quarters en route to a 20-6 home victory Friday night in eight-man football action.

The Longhorns improved to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the district.

Logan next travels to winless Mesilla Valley, a 64-14 loser Friday to Gateway Christian.

Dora fell to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the district.