Estancia High School’s football team drove into the end zone twice during its Aug. 24 season-opener, but came up short on its third attempt—and that was the difference in the Bears’ loss to the visiting Hatch Valley Bears.
- Brian Walker eluding a defender before getting wrapped up. Photo by G. Demarest.
- Brian Walker eluding a defender before getting wrapped up. Photo by G. Demarest.
- Brian Walker eluding a defender before getting wrapped up. Photo by G. Demarest.
- Brian Walker eluding a defender before getting wrapped up. Photo by G. Demarest.
With 2.5 seconds left on the clock and Estancia down to its final play, Cruz Moreno attempted a pass to Drayton Oberg. But the would-be game-winning pass was incomplete, and Hatch Valley went home with a 17-12 victory.
“We had a shot there, we had Oberg open, but he just couldn’t come up with it,” Estancia head coach Stewart Burnett said.
From the outset, the game meandered back-and-forth, with Hatch Valley (1-0) taking a brief 3-0 lead on a field goal late in the first quarter.
A minute later, Estancia (0-1) recaptured the lead when Moreno connected on a 47-yard touchdown strike to Oberg just before the quarter ended.
- Drayton Oberg catching his second-quarter touchdown pass. Photo by G. Demarest.
- Drayton Oberg catching his second-quarter touchdown pass. Photo by G. Demarest.
- Drayton Oberg catching his second-quarter touchdown pass. Photo by G. Demarest.
Oberg made a leaping catch just inside the 20-yard line, zigzagged past a Hatch defender, and scampered into the end zone to put the Bears ahead, 6-3.
Hatch Valley scored a touchdown midway through the second quarter to push ahead 10-6 at halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Josh Thomas’ touchdown run helped the hometown Bears regain the lead, 12-10.
But later in the quarter, Hatch Valley responded with a TD to seal the victory.
“Overall, I don’t feel like we played well,” Burnett said. “I was pleased with how we threw the ball, but we had no run game—we were a little soft on the offensive line and we’ve got to fix that.”
Estancia travels south to take on the Eunice Cardinals Aug. 31.