33-8 Win crowns homecoming week

By Marty Mayfield

KRTN Multi-Media

            It was a defensive battle throughout the first half, back and forth up and down the field before the Tigers caught a break, found a hole in the Elk defense and Matt Ortiz hit Troy Hall for a 44 yard pass play that scored Raton’s first TD and set the tone for the rest of the Homecoming game.

            As the game wore on the playbook was wide open with Raton going to the air and the Elks staying on the ground. Fumbles on key plays turned the ball over and even a fake punt that resulted in a first down for Pojoaque still couldn’t bring the spark to start the fire the Elks needed.

            Pojoaque again turned over the ball on downs with a 1:14 left in the half and goose eggs on the scoreboard, Raton headed up the field. With just over 40 seconds left Matt Ortiz found Troy Hall and he managed sidestep a tackle and find a hole with blocking and down the field for a 44 yard pass play that found the end zone. Jordan Darras made the PAT and Raton went into halftime up 7-0.

            The second half of this game was nothing like the first half as the Elks bad luck would continue with a fumble at the Raton 25 on their first series which Raton capitalized on with another pass play this time to Devon Casias for 64 yards and another six. The PAT was wide right and left the score at 13-0.

            Jesus Urquidi muffed the kickoff and the ball came out to the 20. It was three and out and Raton took the punt with a penalty for illegal use of hands and started at the 40. On the ground with big George Marquez and Jon Mark Atwater, in the air to Devon Casias and Mark Hightree Raton ended this drive with a 20-yard pass play to Hightree for six. A failed PAT and it was 19-0 at 1:57 in the quarter.

            The third quarter ended for the Elks when Dylon Aragon picked off a Louie Martinez pass with 4 seconds on the clock. Two personal foul penalties on the play however set Raton back another 30 yards. Coach Brock Walton later said that when you play aggressive and don’t let up these things can happen and our boys didn’t make the infractions on purpose.

            Raton however overcame the penalties and this time it was a 7-yard pass play to Casias for six more. Darras’ PAT was good and Raton pulled out to 26-0.

            The next Elk series ended with another pass interception by Mark Hightree. On the 2-yard line Raton’s Jeramy Armijo playing as a running back on this play simply bulldozed over the line for six, the PAT was good and it was Raton 33-0.

            With the younger players in on defense for Raton to get them some playing time the Elks managed to get a TD with a 9-yard run by Mario Urquidi. Urquidi was also credited with punching the ball through on the 2-point try and it was 33-8 with 7:10 on the clock.

            The defense continued its dominance in the game. With Raton’s underclassmen at the helm the Tigers went three and out. The Elks moving down the field suffered another pass interception by Jordon Mendez. Raton ran out the clock to end a successful homecoming week with a win over the 5-0 Elks.

            Coach Brock Walton told students and parents at the homecoming assembly earlier in the day that he wouldn’t guarantee a win but would say that this would be one of Raton’s best-played games of the season. The Elks came into the game with a 5-0 record and much improved team over past years.

            Raton came into the season with a young and inexperienced team, Walton knew he had his work cut out and often expressed that this team would only get better with experience. With the first part of the season now behind them Raton will have a week off and then start play at the district level at Taos.

Brandon Baker wraps up Louie Martinez who looses the ball and Raton recovers the fumble Friday night 

Troy Hall slows up Martinez long enough for help to arrive and create a loss on the play 

Dylon Aragon ends another Elk Drive when he picks off a Louie Martinez pass

Winning Ways at Volleyball Homecoming

C-team

Clayton 25  17  8     

Raton   22  25  15

JV

Clayton 12  13

Raton   25  25

Varsity

Clayton 22  18  25  20

Raton    25  25  23  25

Winning Ways at Volleyball Homecoming

By Marty Mayfield

KRTN Multi-Media

            The Lady Tigers from the C-Team to Varsity made it a memorable volleyball homecoming Tuesday as they hosted the Clayton Yellowjackettes and took all three matches.

            It took three games for the C-team to win it Tuesday afternoon and the JV won their match in two rather handily by more than 12 points in both games.

            As the varsity ladies took the court they put together an early lead with Shania Dorrance coming up with six points to take an 8-3 lead. The Yellow Jackettes however rallied and tied at 11 then took a short lead, Raton tied it again at 13 and pulled out with Maggie Honeyfield taking the Lady Tigers to a 19-13 lead. Again the Jackettes rallied, yet came up short giving the Lady Tigers a run for the money and closing to within three before Raton finally put it away.

            Raton with strong play at the net took another early lead yet let Clayton come back and tie the game at 10. Often times the ladies, on both teams, had trouble handling the ball and often it was a serve in the net or ball flying out of bounds to keep the game close, however Raton was able to pull it out and win by seven.

            It was game three that was close with ties at 5 and 9. As the girls battled on they tied the game at 19, 20, 21 and 23 with Clayton finally pulling it out for the two-point win at 25-23. Again both teams had some great vollies and blocks at the net to keep it close.

           In game four Raton again to the lead and at one point had a rally that gave them a good seven and eight-point lead. The Lady Tigers managed to keep the Yellowjackettes at bay until late in the game when the Lady Tigers had some bad passes and missed hits to allow Clayton to pull within five before Raton finally put it away for a five point win.            

Caydence Sisneros makes the grab as Ila Medina is there to help out during the c-team game against Clayton  Tuesday afternoon

Coach Zack Romero was honored for his 300+ wins as a volleyball coach

Sarandon Walton goes to the floor for play during the homecoming game with Clayton

Arissa Maldonado goes for the block as Clayton's Emily Swagerty slaps it over the net Tuesday night in Tiger Gym 

               

C-team

La Junta 25 25

Raton 16 10

JV

La Junta 18 18

Raton 25 25

Varsity

La Junta 15 15 13

Raton 25 25 25

Raton Lady Tigers win in three

By Marty Mayfield

KRTN Multi-Media

It only took three games to bring the match with the Lady Tigers from La Junta to a positive end for Raton.

As game one got under way it didn’t take the Raton ladies long to take the lead and pull out to a more comfortable lead. The ladies put together a strong defense oat the net and with the hits from Shania Dorrance, Makayla Mondragon along with Mikala Vertovec kept Raton well ahead.

In game two Raton took a commanding lead only to almost loose it with a tie game at 14. Maggie Honeyfield not only took control but with the help of the rest of the team put together a very strong offense and extended the score out allowing only one point by La Junta and ending the game at 25-15.

Game three Raton took control of early and fast and never looked back. La Junta had problems handling the ball at times and was only able to score 13 points in the game ending the match at 25-13.

Sarandon Walton makes the play on the serve Saturday afternoon in Tiger Gym against the Lady tigers from La Junta. (9-17-2011)

Sarandon Walton makes the play on the serve Saturday afternoon in Tiger Gym against the Lady tigers from La Junta. (9-17-2011)

They got it Jordan (Valdez) as Mikala Vertovec and Maggie Honeyfield go for the ball Saturday afternoon in Tiger Gym (9-17-2011)

They got it Jordan (Valdez) as Mikala Vertovec and Maggie Honeyfield go for the ball Saturday afternoon in Tiger Gym (9-17-2011)

Socorro Warriors Spear Raton Tigers

Warriors spear the Tigers

By Marty Mayfield

KRTN Multi-Media

            They struck early and quick with just over 3:00 minutes gone off the clock Friday night as third ranked Socorro Warriors came to the Jungle and simply man handled the Tigers.

            Raton took the opening kickoff and went three and out, then Socorro only took five plays and went 54 yards when Zeb Esquivel scampered 40 yards for the first score of the game.

            Raton’s next series ended with a pass interception when Ray Valza picked off a Matt Ortiz pass. That resulted in a eight play 65 yard drive ending with Gary Lam plowing over the goal line. Zack Binger again put the ball through the uprights and what a leg Binger has as he put the ball in the end zone on the ensuing kickoff starting Raton off at the 20.

            Raton has moved the ball well in the game, but unfortunately a mistake costs them putting them in long yardage situations that they cant get out of. Coach Brock Walton said after the game “last year we could get out of these situations, this year we can’t” He also noted Raton is a young team with mostly sophomores.

            Second quarter action continued with Socorro finding pay dirt this time when quarterback Ibrahim Maiga scampered 27 yards and six.

            It looked like Raton was on the way when they converted a fourth and five into a first down in Socorro territory but a sack set them back 14 yards and forced a punt. The Warriors took the ball on the 11 yard line and with the help of a couple of penalties ended up at their two. Lightning struck though and Ibrahim Maiga playing in the running back slot broke free and sprinted 98 yards for six. Troy Hall got some measure of revenge when he blocked Binger’s PAT leaving the score 0-27.

            A Raton fumble ended their next drive and 36 yard pass play that Zeb Esquivel picked out of thin air under great coverage by Toby Henson resulted in Six.

            Raton again started down the field moving the ball until Ray Valza ended the drive when he picked off another Matt Ortiz pass ending the half with a 34-0 score.

            Socorro took the third period kickoff and promptly headed north on 10 plays and 91 yards ending the drive with a 33 yard run by Adam Paz. The PAT was good leaving the score 0-41 and a running clock due to the mercy rule.

            In the fourth quarter Binger put up a 34 yard field goal at 9:54 left in the game. Proving full well that Socorro has many weapons for scoring in a game.

            Raton finally found pay dirt after moving the ball with short eight and nine yard pass plays and feeding JonMarc Atwater the ball up the middle to seal the deal and a first down. Raton QB Matt Ortiz finally had some breathing room and he struck with a 35 yard pass play to Mark Hightree for six.

            Maiga took the kickoff to the Raton 47 and the Warriors went on from there ending the scoreing drive when Adam Paz fumbled the ball inside the 10 and it bounced right into the hands of Ignacio Chavez when took it the rest of the way for six.

            Coach Walton later said he felt Socorro was better than Raton but not 50-6 better. Raton will travel to Portales this week to take on the seventh ranked Rams.

Great defense as Toby Henson and Dylan Aragon break up this pass play late in the game against Socorro Friday night in the Jungle

Great defense as Toby Henson and Dylan Aragon break up this pass play late in the game against Socorro Friday night in the Jungle

Zeb Esquivel pulls the ball out of thin air despite the efforts and coverage by Toby Henson during the game against Socorro Friday night.

Zeb Esquivel pulls the ball out of thin air despite the efforts and coverage by Toby Henson during the game against Socorro Friday night.

Zeb Esquivel pulls the ball out of thin air despite the efforts and coverage by Toby Henson during the game against Socorro Friday night.

Zeb Esquivel pulls the ball out of thin air despite the efforts and coverage by Toby Henson during the game against Socorro Friday night.

Kim    10 24 11

Raton 25 26 25

Mustangs stumble in Three

By Marty Mayfield

KRTN Multi-Media

It was a repeat of Tuesday night in game one as the Lady tigers took an early and commanding lead over the Kim Lady Mustangs.

It was a quick and commanding lead that quickly spread to 10-2 and later to 13-4. The Lady Tigers were playing a great game at the net and defensively all over the court. By the end of game one Raton made it look easy with a 15 point win at 25-10

Game two was looking like it would be the same until Kim pulled the ball out of the hat and scored five to tie the game at five. The Lady Mustangs had jelled and were making the plays at the net as well as in the backcourt. Raton was also suffering from blazing hits that sailed over the back out of bounds line.

Game two also found the score tied several times and switched leads before the final tie at 24 and Raton’s Makayla Mondragon managed to get the right spin on the ball to keep the Lady Mustangs from making the play and end the game at 26-24.

Game three saw another strong start by Raton with a 4-0 lead. Then the Lady Mustangs found the rhythm if only for a short time as they tied the score at 6 and 7 before Raton simply drove away pulling out 9-7 and then opened it out 18-11 and finally 25-11 for the win. Arrissa Maldonado has the hot hand at the service line as she put it over the net 12 times in a row for the win.

Lady Tigers Mikala Vertovec and Shania Dorrance go for the block as Tai Ann Dittler tries to get it over the ball however seems to be rolling the net

Lady Tigers Mikala Vertovec and Shania Dorrance go for the block as Tai Ann Dittler tries to get it over the ball however seems to be rolling the net

ts a reach as Makayla Mondragon reaches for the ball and the save Thursday evening in Tiger Gym

ts a reach as Makayla Mondragon reaches for the ball and the save Thursday evening in Tiger Gym

Raton v Trinidad volleyball Sept-6-2011 It took five games for Trinidad to finally win it.

C-team

Raton 14        10

Trinidad 25   25      

JV

Raton 25       19       15

Trinidad 22   25       11

Varsity

Raton 26       25       21       11       10

Trinidad 24   21       25       25       15      

It was a long night for the varsity Lady Tigers as they hosted the Trinidad Lady Miners for the first home game of the 2011 season.

            The Lady Tigers took an early lead in both of the first two games with good serves and strong play at the net making several blocks as well as good shots over the net. Yet by the time they hit 20 points in the game the Lady Miners were close on their heels and tied the first game at 20 and each point thereafter until 24 when Raton took a lead and went on to win 26-24 in game one.

            Game too saw the Lady tigers take a quick lead then come up tied at six. Raton pulled out again going 12-8 but allowed the Lady Miners to tie again at 13, 14, 15 and 16 before pulling out to a 21-17 lead and on to the win.

            Again Raton pulled out in front 5-1 in game three but allowed Trinidad to tie and later take a short lead 9-8. The game was back and forth with several ties up to 18 when the Lady Miners took the lead and went on to win 25-21.

            Many times the point fell at the net with great play by Lady Miners Molly Roth and Vanessa Gonzales. Roth the tall girl made several blocks and went head to head with Lady Tiger Mikala Vertovec on several occasions at the net either making a block or making the hit.

            Game four saw a totally different story in play.  Somewhere some how the Lady Tigers just seem to fall apart missing spikes and miscommunicating and allowing the ball to find an open spot in the defense. The game was tied at four but Trinidad took a 9-4 lead and simply spread it out. Going up by seven then nine and ten points ending the game at a dismal for the Lady Tigers 23-11.

            The momentum continued for the Lady Miners going on into the tie breaker game where they pulled out in front with strong serves and net play making it 10-5 at one point in the game. They went on to stretch it on out to 12-6 then finished the game allowing the Lady Tigers to wrangle out four more points before ending the game 15-10 and winning the match 3-2.

Lady Miner Vanessa Gonzales puts it up and over just out of the reach of Lady Tiger Jordan Valdez Tuesday night in the Jungle.

Lady Miner Vanessa Gonzales puts it up and over just out of the reach of Lady Tiger Jordan Valdez Tuesday night in the Jungle.

As happened countless times Tuesday night Lady Miner Molly Roth goes head to head with Lady Tiger Makayla Vertovec, this time getting the block

As happened countless times Tuesday night Lady Miner Molly Roth goes head to head with Lady Tiger Makayla Vertovec, this time getting the block

As happened countless times Tuesday night Lady Miner Molly Roth goes head to head with Lady Tiger Makayla Vertovec in Tiger Gym

As happened countless times Tuesday night Lady Miner Molly Roth goes head to head with Lady Tiger Makayla Vertovec in Tiger Gym

Game Photos by Marty Mayfield

Tigers keep Coal Bucket

Tigers keep Coal bucket

By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media

Raton and Trinidad fans gathered in the Jungle as the Coal Bucket rivalry continues for the sixth year to see if the Miners could wrangle the bucket away from Raton who has won the bucket the last three years.
The Miners took the opening kickoff and sputtered as did Raton early in the game. Trinidad struck first late in the first quarter when Trenton Gomez scored with a 2-yard run for six. Jaydin Waln barely cleared the cross arm for the PAT putting the Miners on top 7-0 with 2:07 left in the quarter.

Raton’s Devon Casias recovered a fumble in the end zone and scampered 105 yards for six with 10:26 on the clock in the second quarter. Casias shanked the PAT and left Raton down by one 6-7.

Raton put together a 73 yard drive in the second quarter that ended with a 1-yard end around by George Marquez for six and a 2-point conversion pass to Tyler Vertovec from Tiger quarterback Matt Ortiz leaving Raton on top 14-7 with 2:38 left in the half.

Luis Ruiz picked off a Dante Begano pass to end a Trinidad drive and Matt Ortiz took a knee to end the half.
With 7:01 in the third quarter Trenton Gomez scampers the three yards for another Trinidad TD. The Raton defense however held tough and thwarted the 2-point conversion try leaving the Miners down by one 14-13. Try as they may neither team could get to paydirt the remainder of the game. Either a fumble or a tough stand ended a drive on downs and penalties on key downs didn’t help either as both teams put themselves in long yardage third and fourth down situations.

Coach Brock Walton said we are a young team without a lot of experience and we can only get better as the season goes on and we gain more experience.

Raton will face a tough Socorro team this Friday and as coach Walton put it we will really see where we are in class 3A as Socorro was ranked third in class 3A by coaches in the state.
2 of 3 Miner Devon Payne gets a hand on Devon Casias as he makes the fingertip catch for good yardage.