By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
The Tigers hosted the Escalante Lobos for this year’s Homecoming game where they marked the win column with a commanding 33-8 win to finish off the festive week of activities.
The evening started off with mum presentation to parents under rainy conditions. The rain stopped to begin the game with Raton winning the coin toss and receiving the ball on the north end of the field. The Lobos started the game off with an onside kick to give Raton the ball at their own 48-yard line. From there it took Raton 10 plays to move the 52 yards for six. Raton capped the drive with a 1-yard run by Cannon Walton at 6:21 on the first quarter clock. Logan Elliott capped off the TD with a perfect PAT for a 7-0 score.
Raton recovered the onside kick and went four and out where Escalante took over on their 25-yard line. Making little progress on the ground Escalante finally had to punt the ball away only to recover the bobbled punt at the Raton 46. Escalante took the ball into the second quarter where the rain started up again.
It was back and forth from there with both teams moving the ball but not getting into the end zone. Escalante went four and out near the end of the quarter to give Raton the ball on the Lobo 30. It was a 70-yard pass play from Jacob Mattorano to Mathew Munoz for six with 1:33 left in the half. Logan Elliott added the PAT for the injured WD Hyer to make it a 14-0 ball game. Escalante ended the rainy first half after two plays.
Escalante receives the kick to begin the third quarter of play and after two plays Isaiah Garcia recovers a loose ball that got away from Lobo quarterback Trey Archuleta. Raton takes over on the Escalante 36 and three plays later a six-yard TD run by Cannon Walton is called back on a holding penalty. From the 16-yard line Cannon Walton gets the ball again and this time scrambles over the goal line for six at 8:47 on the clock. Elliott ads the PAT for a 21-0 ball game.
The Lobo’s Damien Baeza takes the kickoff and sprints down to the field to the Raton 24. From there Jeremiah Martinez makes a 24-yard run for six and then Trey Archuleta pounds his way through the line for the 2-point conversion for a 21-8 game at 8:29 on the third period clock.
Raton then takes the ball down inside the red zone and simply gets stuck for four plays and turns the ball over on downs. Escalante takes the ball and moves up field into the fourth quarter where they turn the ball over on downs at their 22.
Raton moves the ball inside the red zone and three plays later cap the drive off with a Joseph Saenz 2-yard run for six. The PAT fails and leaves the score at 27-8 with 10:00 minutes on the fourth period clock.
Escalante does five and out, but Raton fails to cover the punt and gives it back to Escalante at the Raton 23. Three plays later Isaac Garcia intercepts a Trey Archuleta pass to give Raton the ball on their own 20. Raton moves north on the field and strikes with a 43-yard pass play from Mattorano to Mario Alvarez to the Lobo 22. Raton terminates the drive with a 12-yard pass play from Mattorano to Mathew Munoz for another six at 2:05 on the fourth quarter clock. Raton tries a 2-point conversion but fails to push the ball over the goal line leaving the score at 33-8.
Cannon Walton ended the Escalante drive after the buzzer with an interception to end this homecoming ball game with the win for Raton 33-8. Raton now 3-2 will travel down the big I to Socorro for a Friday night game September 22, 2023.
