Snap problems hurt Rattlers

Tucumcari's air attack might have enabled it to keep up in a shootout Friday with district foe Santa Rosa, but center-snap problems short-circuited that possibility during a 55-7 loss.

Bad snaps in the shotgun formation repeatedly lost yardage or threw off the rhythm of quarterback Nick Goen. One snap that sailed over his head led to a Santa Rosa defensive touchdown as the Lions staked a 28-0 lead during the Rattlers' last home game of the season.

Goen went 14-for-28 passing for 125 yards and with an interception, and he scored his team's only touchdown. But based on his recent production, he could have doubled that yardage.

Tucumcari coach Doug South said shotgun-snap problems had surfaced occasionally in previous games, but not to the extent on Friday.

"We'll go behind the center next week. We thought we had solved that problem, but apparently we didn't," South said, adding that a backup center wasn't ready for prime time.

THS receivers Luis Archuleta and Daymion Urioste combined for nine pass receptions for 99 yards.

The Rattlers fell to 2-6 overall and 1-2 in district play.

Meanwhile, Santa Rosa's traditional single-wing offense totaled nearly 500 yards rushing.

Josh Cordova ran 15 times for 226 yards and four touchdowns, threw for another TD and scored a defensive touchdown for the Lions. Daryn Pacheco ran six times fo 117 yards and added 35 yards receiving, including a touchdown.

Santa Rosa, ranked fourth in Class 2A by MaxPreps.com, improved to 5-3 overall and 3-0 in district play. The Lions' losses were against No. 1-ranked Texico and Class 3A powers Robertson and West Las Vegas.

South said his team had shown vulnerability against single-wing offenses before, citing the 50 points it gave up to McCurdy.

"You have to have the athletes to stop it," he said. "We just didn't stop it tonight."

Strong downfield blocking enabled the Lions to average well over 10 yards per carry against the Rattlers.

"We try to emphasize finishing their blocks," Santa Rosa coach David Chavez said. "Sometimes they go overboard and get a penalty. But we'd rather they be aggressive."

Chavez said the final score didn't indicate how much better Tucumcari is this season.

"I thought Tucumcari played a lot harder than we've seen in a while," he said. "They gave us fits early on. I thought they played a lot more aggressive than I've seen in a while. They came to play.

"And their offense is as good as I've seen in a long time. Definitely, they're making some progress here. I can see that."

The Lions didn't experience success right away Friday. On their first possession, quarterback Daniel Zamora twice lost yardage on accidental kneeldowns, then Santa Rosa lost a fumble at Tucumcari's 26-yard line.

Alijah Martinez, one of Tucumcari's seniors and its backup quarterback, started the first series against Santa Rosa. That drive went nowhere because of two penalties and bad snap lost yards.

Set up by Pacheco's 45-yard run to start the Lions' second possession, Cordova scored on a 12-yard run. Jared Chico kicked the extra point for a 7-0 Santa Rosa lead and wound up with six PATs for the night.

The Lions made it 14-0 early in the second quarter when Cordova finished an eight-play, 57-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Pacheco.

Santa Rosa increased its lead to 21-0 midway through the quarter on Zamora's 5-yard touchdown run.

Tucumcari, which flirted with disaster twice in its previous possession due to high shotgun snaps, ran out of luck when another snap sailed over Goen's head into the end zone. Cordova recovered it for the score and a 28-0 lead.

The Rattlers put together a scoring drive to start the third quarter. Kamren Apodaca caught a 10-yard pass on fourth down to extend the drive, and Urioste snagged a 14-yard pass to advance his team into the red zone.

Urioste caught a 12-yard pass to give Tucumcari a first down at Santa Rosa's 4-yard line. Three plays later, Goen ran to his right as if to pass, then tucked the ball for a 1-yard touchdown run. The Rattlers cut the Lions' lead to 28-7.

Santa Rosa responded with a seven-play, 85-yard drive. Cordova scored on a 9-yard touchdown run for a 34-7 lead.

On Tucumcari's next possession, running back Robert Rice carried for 35 yards to Santa Rosa's 7, but a holding penalty nullified the play and snuffed out the potential drive.

Rice, an eighth-grader, showed strong running skills other times, carrying five times for a team-leading 40 yards.

Cordova added an 80-yard touchdown run on Santa Rosa's next possession for a 41-7 lead.

Early in the fourth quarter, Cordova scored again on an 8-yard run for a 48-7 lead.

Fullback David Chavez provided Santa Rosa's final score of the night on a 54-yard run with 3:55 left.

Before the game, Tucumcari honored all of its senior athletes, plus held a senior and kindergarten Spirit Walk.

Also, officials from T-Mobile presented an outsized $5,000 check to the Tucumcari school district as part of the company's Friday Night 5G Lights campaign.

On Saturday, Tucumcari travels for a noon game against unbeaten district foe Legacy Academy at Albuquerque.

The Silverbacks, tied for first place with Santa Rosa in their district, walloped Estancia 42-7 on Friday.