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Missed red-zone chances hurt Logan against Melrose

Melrose capitalized on its opportunities in the red zone, and Logan didn’t.

The result was a 48-6 loss for the host Longhorns in eight-man district football action on Friday.

Logan coach Dwayne Roberts said his team suffered three turnovers inside its opponent’s 20, including two at the goal line.

“We just didn’t get it in the end zone,” he said. “We were in the red zone six times. Four of those were inside the 10.

“We actually held the ball more than Melrose most of the night. We moved the ball on them all night; we just didn’t punch it in. We left a lot of points off the board.”

Roberts said the Longhorns’ defense stiffened in the second half, allowing just two touchdowns. But without Logan points to counteract, a comeback wasn’t in the cards.

Christian Kotara scored Logan’s only touchdown.

“We played well; the score just doesn’t show it,” Roberts said.

Logan fell to 6-3 overall and 1-2 in district play.

Meanwhile, the Buffaloes frequently encountered a short field on their drives, and they cashed in. Melrose improved to 6-3 overall and 3-0 in district play.

Logan travels to Tatum for the regular-season finale at 7 p.m. Friday. Tatum (4-4 overall, 1-2 in district) defeated visiting Clayton 42-6 on Friday.

“We really need to get this one so Tatum doesn’t jump us in the (playoffs) seeding,” Roberts said. “We’ll be a four- or five-seed unless we lose to Tatum; that would mean we would play (Magdalena) in the first round.”

The Longhorns lost 32-20 at Magdalena early in the season. Logan committed seven turnovers during that matchup.

Also on Friday, Melrose could notch a district title by beating Fort Sumner-House (7-0, 3-0) at the Foxes’ field. Fort Sumner crushed Dulce 58-6 on Saturday.