SAN JUAN COUNTY, N.M. – Per the announcer’s pleas, players and personnel were pulled off the field as poofs of popcorn-style lightning postponed Bayfield’s football game with Aztec on Friday.
Of course, it came as little surprise to Bayfield’s backers that such a pause – declared with 3:36 left in the third quarter – came immediately after Aztec took its first lead. The Wolverines took the lead right away after mounting a 50-yard touchdown drive to open the game, capped by senior Nic Twedt’s point-after kick.
AHS responded with senior Tristen McNeal returning Dominic Albo’s kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. Aztec went for the two, but its handoff failed.
After halftime, the Tigers drove 87 yards in five plays, including senior Marcquis Henry’s 51-yard pass to senior Jacob Greyeyes down to BHS’ 1-yard line. Henry subsequently plowed in for the go-ahead touchdown, but his ensuing two-point pass went incomplete.
Suddenly down 12-7, Bayfield would not get a chance to respond.
Overhead bursts of lightning led to a mandated mass exit from Fred Cook Memorial Stadium.
But the very worst lie in wait for the Wolverines; with the team in its locker room, news came via sound system that the decision had been made to terminate play, and that victory was awarded the Tigers.
“Never been a part of something like this,” said Twedt, who caught a 20-yard slant from Deegan Barnes for the night’s first score with 8:23 left in the first quarter. “I don’t think it’s very fair at all. We were holding the lead the entire game, then they score one touchdown and ...”
“There was (going to be) lightning all night; everyone knew it,” Donovan ‘Dante’ Candelaria said, alluding to both the late-game development and, indirectly, the contest’s initial lightning-delayed warmup session. “I just think it’s weird how they scored, and then they called it.”
“We just … tried to catch them off-guard,” said Twedt, who had a 77-yard kickoff-return TD negated by penalty that would have answered McNeal’s runback. “I don’t think that they were ready for us to actually compete with them, hold our own.”
And hold their own Bayfield (0-2, 0-0 2A Southwestern) did.
Barnes completed his first 10 passes, and was one of six Wolverines to carry the football during a tempo-controlled first half during which BHS unofficially outgained AHS 160-88. Defensively, Bayfield derailed two Tiger drives in particular; Candelaria ended the first quarter intercepting in the end zone a Henry lob, and Twedt broke up two passes – in one series – during the last two minutes before intermission.
“They had their wide receiver manned up against our smallest corner, and I saw their QB tap (his) head for the ‘go,’” Candelaria said. “I just knew he was throwing it to him, so I cheated over and was there for the ball.”
“Both of them probably should have been interceptions,” Twedt said, of his dual PBUs, “but I’m fine with that – as long as they don’t get a reception.”
Unofficially, Henry finished 10-of-18 passing for 122 yards, with junior Baylor Seabolt grabbing five throws for 56 yards. Greyeyes finished a team-leading 28 yards on three carries.
For Bayfield, Barnes ended up 12-of-19 for 116 yards aerially and was intercepted once. Sophomore Lincoln Williams snagged four passes for 44 yards. Twedt caught three for 32 and junior Granite Truby three for 28. Candelaria unofficially gained 23 rushing yards on nine carries.
Bayfield will next host Moffat County (1-1) at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
“We’re all hyped after this,” Candelaria said. “I think we played our hardest; we’re ready for Moffat County.”
Durango was trailing Piedra Vista, 14-7, in the third quarter in Farmington, when their football game was also delayed to lightning.
When it was safe to resume, the stadium’s lights didn’t come back on, so play didn’t resume until about 11:15 p.m.
The Demons started with the ball with 42 seconds left in the third and continued to march down the field. Jeric Baruch scored on a 1-yard run to cap an 18-play drive with 10:30 left in the fourth.
The Demons went for two, but Baruch was tackled just short of the end zone, and Piedra Vista held on to a 14-13 lead.
Piedra Vista punted on its next possession, and then Durango punted.
Miguel Garcia Rodriguez came up with a big tackle in the backfield on Piedra’s next possession, and Durango used its final timeout with 3:02 left.
After an incomplete pass, Piedra Vista went for it on fourth down at Durango’s 34. The Demons came up big and sacked the quarterback at midfield to get the ball back with 2:54 left.
An intentional grounding penalty on second down, however, resulted in third down and about 30 for the Demons. Two plays later, Tyler Harms was intercepted with 1:56 left, and Piedra Vista ran out the clock to win, 14-13.
Piedra Vista struck first, converting a Durango fumble into a score.
The Demons answered with a 7-play, 58-yard drive touchdown drive to tie the game, 7-7, after Harms scored on a 4-yard run.
Piedra Vista threatened again, but Luke Wesley, intercepted a PV pass in the end zone to end the first half.
Piedra Vista took the lead in the third quarter on a 31-yard touchdown pass to cap a 6-play, 71-yard drive.
Cody Olivas contributed to this report
