The Raton Tigers outplayed and held the #1 seed St Michael’s Horsemen in check on both sides of the ball for three quarters plus, but the Horsemen rallied with 21 points in the 4th period for an improbable 21-14 win to propel them into the next level of the AAA NM Football Playoffs.
Played in Santa Fe on Saturday, November 11, the Tigers came out on fire from the beginning and with the addition of the Wildcat Formation, put the Horsemen on notice they were not going to be handed anything and marched down the field for 14 plays including a fourth down conversion completion from Mattorano to Wyatt Berry, before they turned it over on downs at the St. Mikes 20.
The Raton Defense was a version of 11 Angry Men and after a sack by Isaac Garcia, the Horsemen punted, giving Raton the ball on the Raton 40 for their second series. Two Wildcat runs, one of 14 yards from Joesph Saenz and a 46-yard TD run right up the gut by Cannon Walton and a PAT by Logan Elliott Raton led 7-0 with 2:42 left in the first.
St Mikes got their first first down with less than two minutes left in the first, but were forced to punt again and Raton’s Wyatt Berry alertly picked up the live ball and returned it to the Santa Fe 42 to end the first period.
Raton’s offense sputtered with a dropped pass and a 3 and out but Raton’s WD Hyer punted and pinned the Horsemen back at their own 10. After a SF first down, Raton’s defense caused the first of three fumbles in the second period alone, and Mathew Munoz recovered the ball at the Horsemen’s 25. After a loss, Cannon Walton ran 27 yards to give the Tigers a first and goal at the three and then finished off the drive with his second TD Run and it was 14-0 with 7:23 left in the second.
Raton could not capitalize on the other two fumbles in the second period, one caused by WD Hyer, and even though Raton completely dominated play still left a path for St. Michael’s in the second half.
The second half started the same way the first ended as Raton’s defense led by Carson Chatterley and Isaac Garcia met at the SF QB Reed Bass for a sack and a three and out.
The first penalty of the game came when Raton was flagged on the punt return and began the drive from their own 21. After a couple of first downs, Raton faced a fourth and one at the St. Mikes Horsemen and with everyone expecting a run from the Wildcat, Walton attempted a pass and the ball was intercepted by St. Mikes.
St. Mikes gained some ground, but Raton defense sacked Bass again with Joe Arguello and Isaiah Garcia forcing a punt. Raton started their next drive with 2:00 left in the third from their 25. On second down Matt Munoz was run over by a defender, but no flag was thrown. On fourth down, Raton punted and the punt was muffed, but the bounce of the ball went St Mike’s way and as the third period ended with neither team scoring, and Raton was still up by two scores.
Reed Bass threw a long ball up to begin the fourth, but Raton defense held and began their fourth period from their own 30. However, Raton’s offense was flagged for a delay and couldn’t make the line to gain.
The punt gave the Horsemen a first down on their own 41, and after a two-yard loss, the Tigers were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for language. The Horsmen broke the shutout with a 34 yard pass and run to Lucas Gurule and with the two point PAT run denied, Raton’s lead was 14-6 with 8:10 left.
The Tigers started their next possession from the 20 with Walton getting a seven-yard Wildcat gain, followed by an 8-yard straight handoff from Mattorano. Mattorano dropped back to pass and had good protection and found Wyatt Berry for a long gain, but Raton was flagged for illegal man downfield. On the next dropback it appeared that Mattorano’s arm was coming forward as the ball hit the ground, but a Horsemen picked up the ball and took it to the endzone. After a conference, the officials ruled it was incomplete, but Raton was flagged again for unsportsmanlike conduct and faced a third and long from the 15. After a timeout, the Tiger’s quick-kicked, but a shank punt gave St. Mikes a 1st and 10 from the Raton 30. On the very next play Lucas Gurule caught another TD pass and a successful two-point PAT tied the game at 14 all with 5 :15 left.
Raton started from their own 20 and after a strike from Mattorano to WD Hyer, Raton was in St Mike’s territory. RAton faced a fourth and four with just over 2 minutes left and Mattorano threw a strike to Berry for a first down on the Horsemen’s 34.
After a timeout and on their ninth pay of the drive, Raton faced a 3rd and 8 from the Horsemen’s 34 and then an interception by St. Mikes and a long run back, with a face mask penalty tacked on, gave the Horsemen a first and 10 just outside the 10-yard line. On second down Mathias Duran went right up the middle for a 9-yard TD and with the PAT, the St. Michael miracle comeback had them ahead 21-14. There was no miracle for Raton only disappointment again at St. Michael’s, knowing they had the #1 seed on the ropes and had the talent to be in the upper echelon of AAA football.
