By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Another great night for Friday night football in Raton, as rivals Socorro and Raton took the field to face off on September 7th. Coach Tory Giacomo knew would be a tough battle for Raton, but Raton turned out to be its own worst enemy as several turnovers resulted in Socorro scores and only Raton scoring a last second TD prevented the shutout. The 5th-ranked Warriors dominated the game and took home a 42-6 win.
Socorro won the coin toss but deferred and kicked off to Raton, who struggled from the beginning as the Warrior defense shut down the Raton running game on the first series of plays. The one bright spot was an 18-yard pass play from Raton quarterback Aden Vanderwater to Ismael Tafoya. The drive ended however with a pass interception by Andrew Garcia to end the first Raton series. Socorro didn’t fair much better as quarterback Payton Hicks fumbled the ball on the fourth play of the series and Ismael Tafoya pounced on the ball to give Raton another chance but that too was short-lived as Raton fumbled the ball after two plays. Warrior Clinton Welborn fell on the loose ball to give Socorro the football on the Raton 35. Seven plays later Andrew Garcia crossed the goal line for six. Josh Walsh tied the ribbon on the score splitting the uprights making it a 7-0 ball game with 5:23 on the first quarter clock.
Raton went three and out after a sack left them 4th and long. From the Socorro 38 it only took three plays for the Warriors to put together another score on a 48-yard pass and run play by Nathaniel Fresquez. Walsh hit the PAT and made it a 14-0 game with 2:29 left in the first. Another three and out for Raton would give the ball back to Socorro on their 11-yardline.
The Socorro drive moved the ball down the field and into the second quarter where Clinton Wellborn would finally finish it off with a hard fought half-yard run over the goal line for six. Walsh booted the PAT through the uprights and made it a 21-0 game at 10:22 on the second quarter clock.
A personal foul penalty backed Raton deep inside their own 10-yardline followed by a couple of long pass plays of 21 yards to Ismael Tafoya and 11 yards to Ahsan Maso to give Raton some breathing room. However, the Socorro defense dug in, and Raton turned the ball over on downs. Tempers rose and Raton took and unsportsmanlike penalty that moved the ball 15 yards for Socorro giving them much better field position. Four plays later Andrew Garcia scrambled 22 yards for the score and the Walsh PAT made it a 28-0 ball game.
Nathaniel Fresquez intercepted a Vanderwater pass and another personal foul penalty gave the ball to Socorro at the Raton 31. Hicks hit Wellborn to get the ball to the nine and Wellborn ran it in on the next play for a 9-yard TD score. Walsh again tied the ribbon on the series making it 35-0 with 6:27 left on the first half clock.
Raton’s next series finally showed some progress with a couple of good runs but then seemed to go nowhere as a 12-yard run was negated by a 15-yard penalty and a Vanderwater 9-yard run was offset by a 9-yard sack. Raton would finally turn the ball over on downs and Socorro would run out the clock on the first half of play.
The second half of the game started off with a running clock and a Socorro Jv team going into clock management where they put together a 14 play 69-yard drive to pay dirt that took all but 1:46 of the third quarter. Walsh once again split the uprights making it a 42-0 game with 1:46 on the third quarter clock.
Dante Romero sparked some life into the Tigers as he carried the kickoff about 37 yards to the Socorro 40. A fumble 2-plays later gave the ball back to Socorro at the 40 yard-line where they would begin the fourth quarter only to turn the ball over on downs four plays later. Back and forth the ball went as both teams struggled and Raton turned the ball over with a fumble and Socorro handed it back on downs four plays later.
Raton then took the ball and lit a fire moving the ball down to the 10 yard-line where Aden Vanderwater would scramble to pay dirt with only 14 seconds left on the clock. The Vanderwater PAT went wide and left the score 42-6.
The Tigers record is 1-2 and Coach Giacomo noted that the team still has some things to work on as they will face Tucumcari Friday night, September 14 at home. He is expecting another tough game as Raton has won the last two meetings with Tucumcari and they will travel into the jungle hungry and ready to play.
The game will be broadcast on FM 93.9 and streamed on Network1Sports.com.
