Tigers Ground Hawks for Homecoming Shut Out Friday Night

By Marty Mayfield

KRTN Multi-Media

Raton Football hosted the Laguna Acoma Hawks Friday night September 25, 2026, for the homecoming game in The Jungle and the Tigers were hungry for a victory after two straight close losses on the road in the previous two week.  It didn’t take long for the Tiger stripes to mark the scoreboard with a 90-yard kickoff return by Colt Ayon for six enroute to a mercy rule 53 – 0 victory.

The Cooper King PAT made it a 7-0 ballgame with only 13 seconds gone off the first quarter clock, and the Raton Defense came to play forcing a three-and-out  for the Hawks and Raton gets the ball back.  It didn’t take long for lightning to strike again as three plays later Luciano Castillo takes a Braylon Walton pass and scampers 60 yards for another Raton six with 8:58 on the clock. King splits the uprights and makes it a 14-0.

Another three and out for the Hawks and the punt gives Raton the ball on the Raton 30. A Braylon Walton pass to Gage Alford goes 70 yards for another Raton six. The PAT was partially blocked and leaves the score 20-0.

The Raton KO goes deep, and the Hawks start at their own six. Unable to move the ball the punt comes from the endzone and rolls out to the 47. Raton’s Warren Berry takes the ball into the red zone and Colt Ayon pounds it in from the five-yard line with 2:32 on the clock. King’s PAT is good for a 27-0 score.

On the Hawks next series, they go five plays with the help of a long pass play from Keyon Kie to Keenan Brown then Raton recovers a hard-hit fumble at the Raton 39. On the first play, Raton commits a block in the back to bring back a Cael Walton scamper for six. On the next play, Braylon Walton tosses one to Cooper King who takes it 40 yards for six more Raton points at 11:51 on the second quarter clock. King’s PAT is good for a 33-0 score.

The Raton Defense is simply too much for the Hawks to handle and they go five and out on their next series of plays with the punt giving Raton the ball on the 40. Six plays a 4^th and 17 from the Hawks 27 Braylon Walton puts it up and finds Cameron Mascarenas for six with 6:41 on the clock. King’s PAT is good for a 40-0 sore.

On the Hawks fifth play Keyon Kie puts one up and Tiger Brayden Decker finds the handle on the ball for the interception and Raton takes over on the Raton eight-yard line. The handoff goes to Cael Walton who breaks through the line and goes 92 yards for another Raton six and 2:00 on the second quarter clock. Kings PAT is good after two offside penalties to make it a 47-0 score.

The Hawks finish out the half and receive the kickoff to begin the second half of play. Raton has several younger players in the running clock game and allows the Hawks to go nine plays before a Kie pass gets picked off by Cameron Mascarenas. Raton’s young players go four and out and the Hawks next series goes six plays. Unable to make much progress the Hawks turn the ball over on the 27. The Tigers pound the ball down the field on the ground and gets inside the Hawks 10. From the five-yard line Justice Romero gets it over the goal line for the for six and the game ending score at 5:10 on the fourth quarter clock. Raton improves their record to 3-3 with a bye week coming up the Tigers will host Guymon on October 8^th in the Jungle and will begin district play in Santa Rosa on October 16.