Muleshoe 54, Friona 19

I don't know if everyone was home watching the Rangers get beat by the Yankees or what, but far too many  reserved seats were empty tonight. And the Mules could have used fan support. It was a night of ups and downs, wonderful plays followed by mediocre tackles followed by Friona touchdowns.

We were off to a slow start-again-but Saul Elizalde hits one of the high points of the night when he kicks a heck of a 60-yard punt. Then with 6:21 left in the quarter,  Jr. Baca scores on an exciting 36 yard run, followed at 3:01 by a 68-yard touchdown run by Isaias Guerra. The score is now 14-0.

The second quarter saw Joey Ramirez and Rico Alacon make the score 28-0. And suddenly it is half-time.

Our band looked and sounded good, but I will have to say that even though the Friona football team trailed the whole game, their band looked really nice in their red and white with black accents, and they sounded good, too.

The third quarter saw more ups and downs, starting with our fumble that Friona recovers and our poor tackling that allows them to come up with a touchdown, so at 10:33 the score is 28-7. At 9:06 we respond with our own touchdown, and the score is 34-7. This is all followed by a series of Friona passes and what Muleshoe thinks are unfair pass interference calls, a Friona catch out of bounds that results in no touchdown for them, another incomplete pass, and we finally get the ball on our six-yard line. Isaac Baca supplies another high point of the game with an 85-yard touchdown run and the score is 40-7. With 1:54 left in the quarter little brother Jr. Baca scores on a 52-yard run: 47-7. But with 29 seconds left, Friona scores, so now it is 47-13. The quarter ends with a fun run by Isaac Baca surrounded by a wall of Muleshoe protectors, and he alsmost makes it to the end zone.

Beau Avila does make it to the end zone at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and it is now 54-13. Because we are still suffering from poor tackling, Friona manages to get another TD but fails on the two-point conversion attempt, and the game ends Mule 54, Friona 19.

So this brings us to the crucial game with Littlefield next Friday. Monday morning quarterbacking is always the easiest coaching job around, and I'm sure many folks have already qualified for the job after this game, but if you really want to help, show up in Littlefield Friday night to make lots of positive, supportive noise.