Tucumcari and Logan's varsity football teams finally learned about their shortened-season schedules Thursday, with a possible fifth or postseason game to be determined later.
Tucumcari's cross country teams also learned about their finalized schedule last week.
Fans will not be allowed at games because of a statewide ban on public gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, many football and volleyball games will be broadcast live at the NHFS Network at nfhsnetwork.com, which offers yearly or monthly subscription plans.
Logan and San Jon sports also are offering livestreams of games through the rec6.vhx.tv website with monthly subscriptions.
Tucumcari's first football game will be at Rattler Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday against Texico. After that, the Rattlers have at least three Saturday afternoon games.
Tucumcari's schedule is as follows:
• 7 p.m. Friday, March 5, Texico at Tucumcari
• 1 p.m. March 13, Albuquerque Academy at Tucumcari
• 1 p.m. March 20, at Dexter
• 1 p.m. March 27, at Raton
Tucumcari coach Wayne Ferguson wasn't pleased with so many Saturday games "because they take you out of your routine." However, he said those matchups proved necessary because of the lack of officials this year to cover the usual number of Friday games.
Tucumcari has many of the same assets and liabilities as last season's 1-9 squad.
"We have a veteran group of linemen," Ferguson said. "We have actually have some depth there. Our weakness is we're not very deep with skill players. At receiver, running back, we're pretty thin. We might actually start a freshman (Isiah Revis) at running back, which I've never done."
The Rattlers do have a key returning starter in senior quarterback Aliyah Jimenez, who sat our last season due to academic ineligibility but started as a sophomore.
"We got lucky with him," Ferguson said. "He remembered everything pretty well, though he didn't play last (season). We didn't have to re-teach him everything."
Ferguson, who also is athletic director, said New Mexico prep football teams won't know whether there will be a postseason or an optional fifth regular-season game until after Week Three. He surmises the New Mexico Activities Association likely would organize a one-game postseason with the No. 1 seed versus the No. 2 seed for the state championship in every enrollment classification or format. Those teams not in the de facto title game also might have the option of a fifth game to close the regular season.
Logan, following a 6-5 record and a postseason berth last season in its rugged district, will have its first home game March 12 against perennial football power Fort Sumner, which is playing eight-man football for the first time.
Logan's schedule is as follows:
• 7 p.m. Friday at Melrose
• 7 p.m. March 12, Fort Sumner at Logan
• 1 p.m. March 20, Menaul at Logan
• 1 p.m. March 27, at Tatum
San Jon 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 agreement with Grady in December 2019.
Ferguson said New Mexico football teams won't know until Week Three how or whether a postseason will be scheduled.
Tucumcari's cross-country teams will participate in three regular-season meets this month, all in Clovis.
The schedule:
• 3:30 p.m. Friday Clovis Invitational
• 3:30 p.m. March 12, Clovis Invitational
• 10 a.m. March 13, Clovis Invitational
• March 19, district meet at Socorro (time to be announced)
In a schedule change this week, a volleyball clash between Logan and host San Jon has been moved from Saturday afternoon to Friday evening.