Excitement in Class 6A
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – The La Cueva Bears traveled to Rio Rancho for a rematch of last year’s semi final matchup. The Rams ended La Cueva’s 2021 season, and the start to 2022 was a much different story as the Bears cruised to a 30-7 victory.
“You know, there’s a lot of things we did right, but its the first game of the season you know we are going to see a lot of mistakes on both sides of the ball,” said La Cueva head coach Brandon Back. “We just got to find a way to minimize the mistakes, try to hold on to the ball in bad situations and just clean some things up.”
The defending champion Cleveland Storm welcomed the Centennial Hawks to Lightning Bolt Stadium, in what was a battle between class 6A contenders. The Storm entered the game not having lost a game since October 2019, however the Hawks were up to the challenge. In a game that would only be decided by one score, Centennial ended Cleveland’s win streak and stole a 38-35 win.
Sandia played in a Thursday night game against Atrisco Heritage, and the Matadors won 59-37 thanks in part to running back Malachi Thymes scoring seven touchdowns. Thymes and Sandia head coach Chad Adcox joined Van and Jared in studio to discuss the win.
The winner of this week’s New Mexico Ford Dealers Spirit Stick was awarded to Rio Rancho. The Rams took the top spot in this week’s poll with 919 votes.
Battles Down South
Defending class 5A champion Los Lunas made the jump to class 6A in 2022, and their first game of the season started with an old foe. The Tigers traveled to Belen for this year’s chile roaster game, and while the energy started high for the Eagles, Los Lunas put an end to that real quick, as the blue and orange came away with a 45-0 win.
‘The turnovers were awesome, but I liked the way that our o-line after the first drive has taken over the game,” coach Henington said.
The team with the most state championships in the country since 1950, Artesia, came into the season expecting to reclaim the title of top dog in class 5A. Carlsbad gave the Bulldogs a run for their money however, as the Cavemen made it a one possession game. In the end, Artesia pulled off a 30-27 win.
Everguard Solar Shining Moment
This week’s Everguard Solar Shining Moment went to Sandia running back Malachi Tymes. The Matadors game-changing running back set a program record with a whopping seven touchdowns in Thursday night’s 59-37 win over Atrisco Heritage. In addition to being an end zone magnet, Tymes also racked up 269 rushing yards, which ranks 3rd all time in Sandia history.
American Home & Mattress Driving It Home
Los Lunas quarterback Paul Cieremans was a major part of the Tigers success in 2021 and he started off 2022 with a bang. The Tigers signal caller marched his team down the field and put a cap on the drive, bulldozing defenders to get in the end zone. Cieremans wins the American Home and Mattress Driving it Home Award.
