Thursday Throwdown: West Mesa-Santa Fe (Recap and Video) + More

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SANTA FE </strong>– The West Mesa Mustangs knew they had to win Thursday's regular season finale against Santa Fe at Ivan Head Stadium or risk being left out of the Class 6A playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As a result, being a bubble team, the Mustangs played with a sense of urgency and the result a 37-0 victory over the Demons on a chilly night in the capitol city.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Mesa began Week 11 at No. 13 in the latest MaxPreps Class 6A rankings, one of the factors the NMAA considers in selecting at-large teams. Since only 12 teams make the playoffs, the Mustangs knew they had to win, especially against a 2-7 team behind them in the rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>However, with a 5-5 overall record (3-4 in district), Thursday night's shutout road win doesn't guarantee West Mesa a spot in the playoffs, merely a seat at the table of teams hoping to slip into the post-season. The Mustangs will be eagerly watching Friday night's games and rooting for Sandia (No. 11), Piedra Vista (No. 12) and Carlsbad (No. 14) to lose to Los Lunas, Farmington and Hobbs, respectively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680035' first='Isaiah' last='Cazares']</strong> got the scoring started for West Mesa with a 73-yard TD scamper off a double reverse just past the midway point of the first quarter. After stopping Santa Fe on fourth down inside the 5-yard line, the Mustangs drove 95+ yards for the second TD of the game with 32 seconds left in the second quarter. RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615617' first='Ronnie' last='Gilletti']</strong> &nbsp;scored on a 5-yard run over the right side.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The long scoring drive, which drained more than 6 minutes off the clock, gave West Mesa a 14-0 halftime lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Mesa put together another long drive on its first possession of the third quarter, possessing ball for about 5-1/2 minutes as they drove for a 29-yard field goal by [player_tooltip player_id='1680043' first='Larry' last='Varoz'] with 3:29 left in the third quarter that increased the lead to 17-0.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mustangs scored again moments later when they recovered a fumble off an onsides kick and RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594033' first='Jamari' last='Phillips-Woods']</strong> ran into the end zone from 15 yards out for a 23-0 lead. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Mesa stopped Santa Fe again in the red zone in the final minute of the third quarter and took a 23-0 lead into the final frame.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mustangs sealed the victory in this must-win game with a long TD run on the first snap of the fourth quarter and Gilletti's 4-yard run with 1:37 left.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The NMMA will release the brackets for the 2024 playoffs Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In other games, Los Alamos clinched the District 5A-1 championship with a 43-22 home victory over Miyamura. The Hilltoppers finished 7-3 and will likely get a middle tier seed when the brackets are revealed Sunday morning, assuring them of a first-round home game in the Land of Oppenheimer. Los Alamos scored two touchdowns in the first three minutes of the game, including <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604744' first='Jordan' last='Herrera']</strong>'s rushing TD to make it 14-0. Herrera's score came after an interception by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1751680' first='Tyler' last='Jones']</strong>. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Los Alamos added three more TDs in the second quarter for a 36-16 halftime lead. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594208' first='Akim' last='Leija']</strong> rushed 22 yards for a TD, Herrera added another TD on a 6-yard run and QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119597' first='Kyle' last='Evenhus']</strong> passed 12 yards to <strong>Gavin Mitchell</strong> for the final score with one minute remaining before intermission. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Also, Valley (4-6) beat Rio Grande, 48-18, in a must-win game for the Vikings at Milne Stadium as stud DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='837220' first='Juan' last='Vigil']</strong> scored a pair of defensive touchdowns on an interception and fumble return. He also scored one TD on offense. The Vikings began Week 11 ranked No. 13 in Class 5A by MaxPreps and eye a playoff spot as the No. 11 or 12 seed depending on the outcomes of other games. If Valley gets in, they'll go on the road next weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Video 1: Early First Quarter (West Mesa TD)</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/3KDIWnpIgms?si=BQNY8GOJ53fw7IL4","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/3KDIWnpIgms?si=BQNY8GOJ53fw7IL4 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Video 2: Late First Quarter</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/ICLntUuCWWc?si=mY2H-CoryhdM_lfn","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/ICLntUuCWWc?si=mY2H-CoryhdM_lfn </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Video 3: Second Quarter (West Mesa TD) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/DVOMMxDdR-k?si=Tja2b-zRD8i2Tk6j","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/DVOMMxDdR-k?si=Tja2b-zRD8i2Tk6j </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Video 4: Third Quarter</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/J1clXH41Og4?si=VI1pgP1MpB3jF5fx","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/J1clXH41Og4?si=VI1pgP1MpB3jF5fx </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Video 5: Third Quarter</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/23TEL-qm0uk?si=frjiHpZ5Iysz14Zq","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/23TEL-qm0uk?si=frjiHpZ5Iysz14Zq </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Video 6: Fourth Quarter (West Mesa TD)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/h-0NNCK3aW8?si=Bd1eOTmtrc7ChT42","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/h-0NNCK3aW8?si=Bd1eOTmtrc7ChT42 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>WEEK 11 THUR. NIGHT SCOREBOARD (10/31) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>La Cueva 50, Albuquerque High 0 </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Mesa 37, Santa Fe 0 </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Los Alamos 43, Miyamura 22 </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Valley 48, Rio Grande 18 </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Pius X 16, Manzano 7 </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Las Vegas 41, Pojoaque Valley 12 </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tohatchi 46, Zuni 6 </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shiprock 40, Gallup 18</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>ADDITIONAL VIDEO (Courtesy of NMAA)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/nQ-XJzo0xYQ?si=vlV1LbBOc9uqc6xv","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/nQ-XJzo0xYQ?si=vlV1LbBOc9uqc6xv </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/1omkC-CJsQs?si=MzIhVabG4PHJ_nMK","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/1omkC-CJsQs?si=MzIhVabG4PHJ_nMK </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->