Logan wears down Mountainair

LOGAN - The Mustangs made it interesting for about 1 1/2 quarters, trailing only 20-19.

But Logan's speed and hard-hitting defense wore down Mountainair, allowing the Longhorns to score 53 unanswered points during a 73-19 home-opening victory Friday in six-man football action.

The game ended midway through the fourth quarter by the mercy rule.

Haden Judd totaled 247 yards receiving and rushing with four touchdowns for the Longhorns (2-0). Mason Wallin also scored four touchdowns - two receiving and two rushing. Quarterback Aydin Kotara threw for five touchdowns and scored another.

In all, Logan totaled more than 470 yards of offense.

Logan coach Dwayne Roberts said penalties early by his team kept the Mustangs in the game ... for a while.

"We kept putting ourselves in the hole," he said. "Penalties were our big nemesis tonight, kind of kept them around a little longer than I wanted to.

"But, all in all, I can't gripe. We had a few busted plays that turned into big gains. It helps to have a bunch of athletic kids that can turn something that was nothing into something."

The Longhorns defense made seven tackles for a loss, held the Mustangs (0-2) to 191 yards of offense and kept them off the scoreboard for well over a half.

"We got a lot more physical the second half, and you could start to see it," Roberts said. "Our guys come to hit, and we practice that."

Mountainair coach Robert Zamora said he didn't have two starters Friday night because "they wanted to be a little bit late ... that's not how we roll." Zamora said he wasn't going to excuse that for the loss, however.

Zamora admitted his team grew tired in the second half.

"I pretty much had just six (players), honestly," he said. "It makes a big difference when you can sub a kid. We got wore down."

Logan drew first blood when Judd took a short forward pitch from Stratton Schoonover, broke several tackles and scored a 40-yard touchdown less than four minutes into the game.

The Mustangs tied it less than 90 seconds later when quarterback Brody Brazil scored on a 22-yard run.

Judd scored again with 3:13 left in the period when he used his track-champion speed to outrun the defense on a 65-yard run. The Longhorns converted the kick for a 14-6 lead.

Unnecessary roughness and pass interference penalties against Logan gave Mountainair a first down on the Longhorns' 5-yard line. The Mustangs capitalized with Marcos Sisneros' TD reception. Mountainair's PAT kick was wide right, and Logan still led 14-12.

Set up by Schoonover's 25-yard run, Kotara found Wallin for a 10-yard TD pass with 9:43 left in the second period. Logan had a 20-12 lead.

On Mountainair's next possession, Brazil broke several tackles running up the right side for a 54-yard touchdown. Brazil threw to Dezshawn Nieto for the PAT, and the Mustangs trailed just 20-19.

That's as close as Mountainair would get. Less than a minute later, Judd took a pitch to the left side and scored a 53-yard touchdown for a 26-19 lead.

Logan's defense stiffened, forcing Mountainair on a four-and-out series. On the Longhorns' next play, Kotara scrambled and connected with Wallin for a short pass with nobody within 10 yards of him. Wallin then rambled 62 yards for the touchdown. Wallin also ran in for the PAT for a 33-19 lead.

Judd took a short pass and raced for a 62-yard TD with 3:04 left in the half, giving Logan a 39-19 lead.

With a little less than a minute left in the half, Mountainair intercepted Kotara's pass and returned it to the Logan 12.

But Logan's defenders did their job again. The Mustangs gained just 5 yards on three plays, and time ran out before they could attempt a play near the end zone. That lack of taking advantage of a turnover hurt Mountainair's chances for a comeback.

In the second half, the Longhorns scored on every possession:

- A 26-yard rush by Kotara on a busted play where he picked up a fumble in the Logan backfield;

- A 30-yard run by Wallin, breaking several tackles on the way;

- A 26-yard Kotara pass to his brother, Devin;

- A 25-yard Kotara pass to Payson Nials, who had slipped past the Mountainair coverage;

- A 23-yard run by Wallin down the left side.

Roberts said "there's little things we have to clean up" in practice before the next game. But he said he was especially appreciative how supportive the players were to each other on the sideline.

"It was a great, great team effort," he said. "There were no disgruntled kids down the sideline chewing on one another. That's just nice as a coach where you're not having to listen to the crap behind you."

Logan faces a critical district game Friday at Grady, runner-up in last year's six-man playoffs. The Bronchos (2-0) blasted Animas 53-0 on Friday.

Mountainair lost its season opener 53-26 to the Bronchos. Zamora was asked how well Logan stacks up.

"I think it's pretty evenly matched," he said. "They're both deep, too ... have a lot of kids."