By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Raton traveled down I-25 a day early to prepare to meet the #1 ranked Socorro Warriors for the quarter final, second round of state 3A football playoffs.
The Saturday, November 16th game saw Raton score the first and last points of the game, but Socorro’s Payson Hicks and company took advantage of Raton’s errors and secondary to light up the scoreboard in between enroute to a 52-15 win and give Socorro a rematch with Tularosa in the next round semi-finals.
Raton took the opening kickoff and marched down the field getting into Warrior territory before the drive stalled and was forced to punt. However, the Warriors fumbled the punt and Raton recovered the ball inside the Warrior 20 and this would be the first of numerous fumbles and recoveries by both teams during the game. With a 4th and one on the Socorro nine, Raton pulled Socorro offsides and an unsportsman-like penalty put Raton with a first and goal on the three-yard line. Three plays later Dylan Quartieri finds Cayden Walton coming out of the backfield for the TD pass and Jesus Alvarado tacks on the PAT for a 7-0 lead at 4:14 on the first period clock.
Socorro runs the kickoff back 45 yards to the Raton 45. Payson Hicks runs up the middle and coughs up the ball, but recovers his own fumble. On the next play, the shotgun snap to Hicks is low and goes between his legs, but Hicks kept his poise, picks up the ball and heaves a up a 40-yard TD pass to Andrew Garcia, the first of three TDs the combo would complete during the game. Josh Walsh’s PAT split the uprights to tie the game at seven with 3:08 left in the first quarter.
Raton goes three and out, but on the second snap the Warriors fumble and Raton recovers to get the ball back. A holding penalty however pushes the Tigers back and on a 4th and 26, Jesus Alvarado can’t get the punt away, scrambles for 15 yards, but comes up short and Socorro takes over as the first quarter ends.
To begin the second quarter, Socorro uses some trickery in the form of a halfback pass, and a 44-yard completion to Adadrian Jackson, puts the ball on the Raton four. Nathaniel Fresquez gets the call and finds pay dirt, but Raton blocks the PAT and makes it a 13-7 game 11:16 left in the second quarter.
Raton commits a couple of procedure penalties on it’s next possession, so must punt it away and Socorro begins its most sustained drive of the game, a nine play 68 yard march capped off by a 13-yard run by quarterback Payson Hicks who also takes it in for the 2-point conversion to make it a 21-7 game at 5:45 left in the half.
After receiving the kickoff. Raton’s ground game had a good gain, but fumbles on its first play and Socorro recovers. A 39 yard completion to Michael McDaniel gave Socorro a first and goal at the Raton six. The Raton defense stiffened though, and the Warriors had to settle for a 24-yard field goal making it 24-7.
Raton’s offense was stymied again with a three and out, but Socorro’s Caden Moreland blocks the Raton punt and Jesus Alvarado tackles Moreland at the four yard line. On the next play, Hickson finds Garcia for the short score and it’s a 31-7 Socorro advantage with 46 seconds left in the first half.
Socorro took the second half kickoff and took control of the game with a 9 play 62 yard drive, with the Hicks/Garcia connection from 11 yards out the end zone for six and a 38-7 advantage.
Raton goes for the first down conversion on 4th and 5 from their own 33 on the next series. and comes up short. It didn’t take Hicks long to find Jackson for six more with Walsh tacking on the extra point for a 45-7 score at 8:12 in the third.
Raton continued to shoot themselves in the foot, with a fumble on the kickoff giving Socorro the ball at the Raton 11. Jordan Armijo scored Socorro’s last point with 7:08 on the clock with an 11 yard run and it’s a 52-7 ball game.
Raton takes advantage of a pass interference call and a roughing the passer penalty puts the ball at the Socorro 20. A nine yard pass play to Chance Middlebrook takes it to the 11 and Cayden Walton finishes it off with a run for the score. Dylan Quatieri unable to find a receiver runs the ball in for the 2-point conversion and makes it 52-15 game with 1:35 left in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers ended their season at 6-6, including. a district win and a first round playoff win over Santa Fe St. Mikes and a first round all-time thrilling 22-21 win in the first round over St. Mikes.
The success of Raton was aided upfront by Senior linemen: Brayden Topping, Vern Edwards, Garrett Kelley, Kaleb Sena, Jaydon Romero, David Saenz, Tyler Neurater and kicker/receiver Jesus Alvarado and RB/LB Alec Vatlestad.
