By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Raton hosted the Robertson Cardinals for the first home district matchup of the season Friday night October 11, and came out with a bang marking the scoreboard on the first series of plays in the game.
It took nine plays for Raton to drive down the field and finish off the drive with a 26-yard run from Cayden Walton who crossed the goal line with no one close. Jesus Alvarado tied the ribbons on the score splitting the uprights for the extra point leaving it a 7-0 ball game at 9:20 on the first period clock.
Raton recovered the fumble on the kickoff at the Robertson 23 and went four and out trying a field goal that went wide right to turn the ball over on downs at the 20-yardline. The Tiger Defense held on and after a couple of penalties, illegal procedure and illegal shift Robertson was forced to punt it away.
Raton moved down the field with the help of a facemask penalty but lost the ball on a fumble and Robertson took advantage of the turnover traveling down the field on the legs of Santiago Gonzales and Matthew Gonzales before finishing it off with a 28-yard pass play to Antonio Padilla for six with only five seconds left on the first period clock. Talon Mills tacked on the extra point and made it a tie game at seven.
Raton took the kickoff to the 32 and four plays later punted the ball away giving Robertson the ball on the 34. Two plays later Matthew Gonzales found pay dirt after scrambling and out running the Raton defenders for 64 yards. Mills PAT made it a 14-7 ballgame at 8:42 on the second quarter clock.
Raton’s next series ended in a punt and gave Robertson the ball on their 29. With the help of a 15-yard horse collar penalty and a 25-yard Ace Gonzales pass reception Robertson’s Santiago Gonzales pounded the ball in from the one for six more. Mills’ PAT was good leaving it a 21-7 game with only 1:56 left in the half.
Raton took the kickoff and after three incomplete passes were forced to punt it away with Robertson taking the ball into halftime.
Robertson started the second half off with a fumble three plays into the drive but a strong goal line defensive stand kept Raton out of the end zone and they were forced to hand over the ball on downs at the 2-yardline. Robertson unable to move the ball punted it away from the back of the endzone. Raton returned the ball to the 23 but once again a determined Robertson defense kept The Tigers out of the endzone this time giving Robertson the ball on the 1-yardline.
Again, punting it away giving Raton great field position at the Robertson 31. Robertson committed a personal foul but Raton backed up with an illegal substitution and delay of game then topped the misfortune off with a fumble at the Robertson six.
Two plays later Santiago Gonzales broke free and scampered 92 yards to Raton one. Gregory Martinez then pounded the ball in from the one. Walton got a finger on the PAT, just enough to send it falling short leaving the score 27-7.
Estevan Marquez ended the Raton drive with a pass interception at the Robertson 18. Five plays into the drive Robertson has a long TD run called back with a personal foul call on Raton and an offsetting one on Robertson along with a facemask call on Raton. Right after that Matthew Gonzales took the ball 56 yards for another Cardinal TD. Santiago Gonzales catches the pass in the end zone for the 2-point conversion and it’s a 35-7 game at 6:21 in the fourth.
Robertson recovered a fumbled ball on the 45 on the first play of the Raton drive and began burning the ticks off the clock. With just over a minute to go Robertson took a knee and a couple more to run out the clock on the game.
Coach Tory Giacomo was pleased with the efforts the boys put out despite the season ending injuries to two key players, Chance Middlebrook and Dre Nash, and losing one key player to a big mistake. Leaving the ball on the one-yard line, twice, was definitely frustrating for Coach Giacomo. That inability to score will have to be put aside for next week’s game against the braves. Giacomo also noted that Raton will have to win the next two game in order for the boys to have a chance to make a showing in the playoffs.
Raton will host Santa Fe Indian School on October 18, in the jungle for another district game. Coach Giacomo knows he will have a tough match next Friday and will try to focus the boys on that game and only that game for now.
