By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
The Santa Fe Indian School Braves, despite being out numbered and out sized, came into the Jungle and never gave up as the Raton defense simply dominated the Braves Friday night during the homecoming game.
The Braves only had 18 players on the team. That meant all the players worked both sides of the ball while Raton was able to move players in and out. Raton won the coin toss and deferred giving the Braves the ball first on windy cool night in the Jungle. The Braves started on the twenty and went three and out.
Raton took only three plays to travel 40 yards setting up a six yard pass play to Luis Ruiz for the first six points of the game. With the help of a brisk north wind Toby Henson nailed the PAT for a 7-0 lead at 9:12 on the clock.
Raton would go on to score three more touchdowns in the first quarter while the Raton defense held the Braves deep in their own territory leaving the score 28-0 at the end of the quarter.
Raton’s second TD came after a fumble at the Brave 25 that later set up a six-yard run by Luis Ruiz. A pass interception by Luke Cimino at the Brave 12-yard line setup a six-yard run by Cam Baird for six. The fourth TD came when Cam Baird took the ball 15 yards to pay dirt. Henson nailed all the PATs with the help of a strong tailwind.
The second quarter went much the same way with the JV players coming in early in the quarter to give them some playing time. The Raton scoring machine started out when Jordan Mendez picked up a fumble and scrambled the five yards to pay dirt. Henson missed the PAT as he kicked into the strong wind and left the score at 34-0.
Raton went on to score two more times leaving the score 47-0 at the halftime buzzer. Raton’s scoring was a pass play to Caleb Wood from the eleven and 18-yard pass play from Moss Saccomano to Dillon Lemons after Martin Ortiz intercepted a Santa Fe pass.
Coach Walton told KRTN before the game that the coaches had cut most of the playbook out of the game plan and went back to basics. The defense was changed up to a 3-4 defense with two defensive ends that Walton turned loose to run.
Raton deferred after winning the coin toss and received the kickoff to start the second half. The kick went to Jacob Concha who took the ball from the Raton 25 yard line to pay dirt behind some tough blocking. At that point the game was called leaving the score 53-0.
The real test of the changes to the Raton offense will come Friday night when Raton travels to Las Vegas to take on the West Las Vegas Dons at Highlands University field at 7:00 p.m.
