Serving the High Plains

Football schedules still awaited

Schedules for Tucumcari and other area prep football teams won't be known until at least Tuesday this week.

Tucumcari athletic director Wayne Ferguson said schedules will remain uncertain until a Zoom videoconference with other athletic directors in New Mexico.

High school football teams in the state who last week opted into playing shortened versions of fall sports in the spring will play four regular-season games, then the playoffs.

One usual football foe for the Rattlers, Robertson, won't be on their schedule. Robertson, along with crosstown rival West Las Vegas, both opted out of football this spring.

San Jon also will not play football this season. Last season, the Coyotes had difficulty fielding enough players for its six-man schedule, even with Grady in a sports cooperative. The San Jon school board voted to end that cooperative with Grady in December 2019.

Ferguson said he also would try to solidify Tucumcari's cross-country schedule this week. It remained uncertain whether Tucumcari would have enough runners to compete, partly because of difficulties with the condensed schedule.

Tucumcari's volleyball team begins the first week of its condensed season of 12 games with road matchups on March 1 at Elida and on March 2 at Texico before its first home game March 4 against Raton. Tucumcari also hosts a home game against Clayton on March 6.

Defending Class 1A volleyball champion Logan begins its season by hosting Grady on March 2 and Fort Sumner on March 4 and going to San Jon on March 6.

San Jon volleyball begins its season on the road March 2 at Fort Sumner and hosts its first home match March 4 against Clovis Christian.

The state volleyball tournament is slated to run from March 29 to April 3.

Most football and volleyball games will be broadcast live at the NHFS Network at nfhsnetwork.com, which offers yearly or monthly subscription plans.

Fans will not be allowed at games because of a statewide ban on public gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.