Top Ranked Melrose Came to Town-They Still Hold the Crown

Of the half-dozen games in our broader community this weekend, the Mesilla Valley Christian SonBlazers game against nationally ranked Melrose topped the list of must see games.

A Las Cruces Digest Report (Photos and Story by Levi Gwaltney for Las Cruces Digest)

Last week the Gadsden Panthers traveled to the Bulldog Bowl to take on an Artesia team defending a state championship. This week, it was the Mesilla Valley Christian SonBlazers turn to tilt at a team defending the previous year’s state championship.

The Melrose Buffaloes traveled to Las Cruces carrying more than a state championship in their pocket. The Buffaloes sit a 14^th in the MaxPreps National Rankings, and 1^st in New Mexico. It didn’t take long for them to demonstrate why.

The Buffaloes jumped out to a 24-0 lead early in the game on three touchdowns and three successful 2-point conversions. It wasn’t until early in the the second quarter that the SonBlazers punched in a quarterback sneak at the goal line to get their first points on the board. By halftime, the score was 48-6.

^{SonBlazer Quarterback Davis Coyle (#14, Sr.) looks for daylight amidst a swarming Buffaloes defense as Brayden Eldridge (#2, Sr.) locks in on defense}

The Match Up

The SonBlazers entered the game undefeated, having just won a competitive bout against conference rival Gateway Christian the week before (50-48). The Buffaloes were also undefeated, but the numbers don’t always tell the whole story.

In small-school, 8-man football, there is no such thing as an even match. Statistics only work with large sample sizes, and this level of football simply does not afford that kind of comparison. For the SonBlazers’ Homecoming game, the tale of the tape indicated an uphill battle. Even without key injuries in their senior leadership, Melrose would have been a formidable opponent. This is what makes 8-man football a great sport. There is always an underdog, and underdogs make for great stories.

These stories are not always indicated on the scoreboard.

^{Kaden Warner (#5, Jr.) tries to break free of a tackle, squaring off against Melrose’s Josh Roybal (#10, Sr.)}

The Decision

Football is a scholastic sport, and ultimately is a learning experience for the players. While “teamwork” and “skill building” and “fitness” are often the cliché responses given when asked what a player learns from playing a sport like football, there are more subtle–and valuable–lessons to be learned. There is an old coaches saying: “A team doesn’t learn from winning.”

While the final score gave Melrose the “W”, the SonBlazers left the field having learned the most. One lesson observed by the camera was “the Decision.”

Football is a game of decisions. From the decision to play to the decision to work hard in practice. Football is a constant act of will because without the will to play, there is little to be gained in comparison to the risks involved. These are the big decisions, but once a commitment has been made, there are all of the immediate decisions that are required of players from the moment the ball is snapped to the moment the whistle blows.

The following two photos demonstrate what one of these decisions looks like:

^{Kaden Warner (#5, Jr.)} ^{is surrounded by Melrose defenders, and for a brief instant he is faced with a decision as he squares off against Melrose Freshman defender, Aiden Aucutt}

There are moments when faced with unfavorable odds that a decision must be made to bow one’s neck, drop one’s shoulder and take on an obstacle head on.

^{Kaden Warner (#5, Jr.) tackled by Melrose’s Aiden Aucutt (#3, Fr) after a long gain.}

The SonBlazers were faced with moments like this with every snap of the ball. The drive associated with the pictures above resulted in the SonBlazers’ first score.

The Outcome

At the end of regulation, the score was 56-12. Each team scored a single touchdown in the second half of play.

One of the best things about high school football is the possibility of a rematch in the state playoffs. With half a season to go, the SonBlazers have plenty of time to grow and learn from this loss.

The Gadsden Panthers bounced back this week after losing to Artesia. We will be watching to see if the SonBlazers can show the same as they travel to Tatum to take on a Coyotes team fresh off a district win over Hagerman/Lake Arthur.

Article posted by:

Levi Gwaltney

Levi Gwaltney is the Editor In Chief of Las Cruces Digest. The Editor makes editorial and posting decisions regarding content published on this site. In most cases, the Editor makes little if any contribution to content published, and takes no credit for the content of republished posts. If available, the source or author of posts is provided at the top of the article.