Rattlers' comeback bid falls short at McCurdy

Down by three touchdowns, Tucumcari’s football team roared back in the second half and came within a two-point conversion of tying it in the fourth quarter before succumbing 50-42 Saturday at McCurdy.

Rattlers receiver Luis Archuleta played a big role in Tucumcari’s near-comeback, catching six passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns.

Daymion Urioste scored two touchdowns for the Rattlers. Eric Acosta and emergency backup quarterback Alijah Martinez also scored TDs.

Despite the Rattlers falling to 0-3, head coach Doug South said he saw encouraging signs.

“The team’s starting to come together,” he said. “We’ve obviously made some adjustments to our offense because I know the personnel now and I know who we need to get the ball to and what we need to do.”

Tucumcari managed just 53 yards rushing but totaled 248 yards passing.

The Rattlers fell behind 14-0 early in the second quarter.

Tucumcari rallied, but McCurdy quarterback Jeremaya Roybal led his team to two quick scores just before halftime for a 36-16 lead.

Roybal totaled 286 yards rushing or passing in the first half for the Bobcats.  

The Rattlers scored 20 points in the third period to cut their deficit to a touchdown.

Tucumcari second-string quarterback Michael Crouch, playing Saturday after starter Nick Goen had to sit out a game due to his ejection from the Hozho Academy contest, had to leave early in the fourth quarter with an injured ankle.

That brought in senior running back Martinez, pressed into quarterback duty. He rewarded the Rattlers with a rugged rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter to cut McCurdy’s lead to 44-42.

“He was amazing,” South said. “You could just see the desire that he wanted to score. He came on in the fourth quarter, and he just he made a heck of a difference.

“He’s going to make Monday’s practice interesting,” he added.

Tucumcari failed to convert the two-point play that would have tied the game.

McCurdy’s J.J. Vigil scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 3:53 left to give the Bobcats a 50-42 lead and some breathing room.

Vigil also successfully defended the Rattlers’ fourth-down-and-8 pass with less than two minutes remaining to secure McCurdy’s victory.

McCurdy improved to 1-1.

South compared Tucumcari to a long-moribund California team he led to the playoffs his second season there.

“Things are coming around,” he said. “They’re listening. They're more focused. We're working together as a team. There was a lot of positive energy. Obviously, there's some things we got to do better. It’s just a matter of getting used to the new system and getting used to me the way I do things.”

Tucumcari returns home at 7 p.m. Friday to face non-district foe Loving as part of the Rattlers’ Homecoming game.

Loving (2-1) defeated the Artesia junior varsity 39-27 on Thursday. Loving lost 35-0 to New Mexico Military Institute the previous week and defeated Estancia 49-20 in its season-opener.

The Rattlers’ annual Homecoming bonfire will happen at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on South 11th Street, south of Mesalands Community College.