Rattlers take season-opening loss

Defending Class 2A runner-up Texico and its skill players proved too much for Tucumcari's football team during the Rattlers' season-opening 49-14 loss Friday night at Rattler Stadium - the first high-school sports event in Tucumcari in almost a year because of COVID-19 restrictions.

The Wolverines scored the game's first 43 points and racked up more than 400 yards of offense. Though he played less than a half before leaving with an elbow injury, Texico quarterback Gabe Dickerman led the charge by going 8-for-9 passing for 157 yards and three touchdowns. He rushed five times for 73 yards. Cade Collins and Cade Figg proved to be able replacements, each passing for a touchdown.

"Teams that are that athletic and can throw the ball, we're going to struggle," Tucumcari coach Wayne Ferguson said. "They're a good team. They played in the state championship for a reason."

Texico defeated Tucumcari 55-0 in 2019.

The Rattlers, employing a deep and veteran offensive line, found the most success with straight-ahead, smashmouth football and outscored Texico 14-13 in the second half. Fullback Colt Garcia gained 89 yards and scored a touchdown on 19 carries. Quarterback Alijah Jimenez added 66 yards and a TD on 12 carries. Jimenez went 4-for-9 passing for 64 yards and an interception.

Texico coach Bob Gilbreath knew Tucumcari held an edge in the trenches.

"They have some big boys up front, and that was an advantage over us," he said. "You noticed we didn't run the ball up the middle at all. We threw it outside and went over the top of them and took advantage of our speed."

Gilbreath said one early advantage his team seized was winning the coin toss and electing to receive the ball. He said taking an early lead was critical.

"I didn't want them to start by eating the clock and getting long drives like that," he said. "We want to make it hard for an offense like that to catch you."

Texico ensured that by scoring 21 points in the first quarter. Dickerman opened with a 12-yard TD pass to Collins, and big tight end David Davalos scored on a 15-yard run. Anders Nelson intercepted a Jimenez pass and returned it 55 yards for another score.

Davalos was emblematic of the mismatches Tucumcari faced. A basketball star who went out for football, he totaled 97 yards receiving and two touchdowns on three receptions.

"When they have 6-foot-3 receivers going against 5-foot-3 corners, it's a big disadvantage," Ferguson said.

The Rattlers had a chance to score in the first half during an 18-play, 72-play drive with strong running by Jimenez, Garcia and Charles Prieto. But the drive stalled at the 5-yard line when the Rattlers were held for no gain on fourth-and-2 run attempt.

Tucumcari asserted more control in the second half. Josh Infante's 47-yard pass reception set up Garcia's 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Jimenez finished a 12-play, 64-yard drive with an 8-yard TD run late in the final period.

Both coaches turned reflective about the belated return of prep football in New Mexico.

Ferguson took note Friday night's slight chill felt like a typical football game in the fall, then said:

"Before the game, I told the guys that you need to think about what a blessing this is right now. A month ago, I didn't think this was going to happen. Don't take this for granted."

Ferguson said he also told his players to be careful, as the virus is still around.

"Don't take it for granted we'll play four games," he said he told his team, "because something might happen to take it away from us. If someone does something they shouldn't and brings COVID-19 to the team, it could cost us one or even two games, depending on when it happened."

Gilbreath said he stopped to smell the roses during what he called "a 15-month offseason."

"All along, we told the kids, 'Let's just take what we can do today and enjoy being together,'" he said. "With the seniors that I have, it was kind of a blessing because we spent more time together than we would have because it would have been over in November. Here it is, in March, and we're just getting started."

Both teams learned barely 24 hours before the game the New Mexico Public Education Department and New Mexico Activities Association announced they would allow a certain number of spectators at games depending on a county's COVID-19 risk level. In Quay County's green zone, that was 50% capacity at outdoor venues and 25% indoors.

Ferguson said he and other school officials never quite figured out Rattler Stadium's capacity, though he noted it held 4,000 fans during a state championship game against Santa Rosa nearly 20 years ago. High school principal Nicole Bright-Lesly estimated the west bleachers could hold 1,800 people. Ferguson said the visiting bleachers can hold about 250.

Instead, officials taped off sections of bleachers to create at least 6 feet between groups of families. Officials gently prodded spectators to separate if they were seen too close to each other. The sideline for players was widened to 80 yards to foster social distancing. Masks were required for everyone. The concessions stand remained closed.

Bright-Lesly said a total of 183 tickets were sold for the game.