Tigers tame Tigers in Taos

By Marty Mayfield

KRTN Multi-Media

            It looked like it might be a run away game as the Raton Tigers took off on their first possession and went the distance for six followed by another TD before the end of the first quarter for a 13-0 lead.

            Raton went the 75 yards on their first drive in the air, in part with one 50-yard pass play to Mark Hightree. The drive culminated with a 7-yard pass play to Devon Casias. Jordan Darras’ PAT was good and Raton was up by seven.

            Raton took a fumble at the Taos 29 and turned it into six more when a Matt Ortiz pass was tipped by Taos Tiger Max Suazo that fell right into Devon Casias’s hands at the five, Casias then walked into the end zone. Darras’ PAT went wide leaving the score 13-0.

            Max Suazo took the kickoff to the Taos 44 and then a 47-yard pass play from Dakota Swinehart to Max Suazo took the ball to the Raton three. From there it was Isaac Gonzales who took it in for the Tigers and Swinehart’s PAT made it a six point game with 2:05 left in the first.

            Swinehart added three for Taos on a 30-yard field goal with 9:56 in the second.

            It became a defensive struggle until Raton fumbled at the Taos 15 the on the next play Taos fumbled on their 21 and Raton was able to make that turnover work in their favor and put six more on the board when Mark Hightree took it in from the five. At 7:02 in the second it was a 19-10 game.

            Taos turned it around and went 79 yards with the help of a 68-yard TD pass play to Josh Valencia. Swinehart’s PAT was good and brought the score to 19-17 with 6:25 on the clock.

            Dakota Swinehart with his leg and kicking ability took away any chance of a kickoff return by putting the ball deep into the end zone preventing any Raton returns most of the night. From the 20-yard line Raton moved forward, yet a holding penalty moved it back some. Later a pass interference penalty and an offside call helped move the ball down the field to give Raton good field position. From near mid-field Matt Ortiz put up one beautiful pass to Devon Casias that resulted in a 37-yard pass TD to extend the two-point lead to eight. The 2-point try failed and Raton ended the drive with a 25-17 score.

            Taos in hurry up mode took the ball to half-yard line and a tried to punch it in but a penalty and a tough Raton defense denied the score and ended the first half of the game.

            Raton began the third the way they did the first with a 8-yard pass play to George Marquez for six more and Matt Ortiz ran in the 2-point try to extend Raton’s lead 33-17.

            Raton spoiled the next Taos drive when Dylon Aragon picked off a Swinehart pass yet Raton failed to capitalize and turned it over on downs.

            Taos retaliated with a 5-play drive that ended with a 26-yard pass play to Suazo to begin the fourth quarter with a TD and another pass to Suazo for the 2-point conversion making it a 33-25 game.

            Raton started the 80-yard drive with a 49-yard Matt Ortiz scamper. Unfortunately a couple of penalties pushed Raton back 20 yards leaving Raton with a third and long. Ortiz found one of his favorite receivers in Devon Casias on a short pass and it was one of those tackle-breaking sprints to the end zone for six more. George Marquez took it on in for the 2-point try and Raton lead 41-25.

            But it ain’t over until it’s over and the final buzzer sounds as Taos took the ball down to the three and Suazo punched it in. A penalty pushed Taos back five yards and the 2-point try failed. It was 41-31 with 6:47 left on the clock.

            It was left up to the defense now to hold on and keep Taos out of the end zone. Coach Brock Walton later told KRTN that the key to holding Taos back was to keep the ball away from Max Suazo which Raton managed to do rather well on the last Taos drive. Both teams turned it over on downs as the defenses dug in and held. Fortunately for Raton Taos made the final try and failed leaving Raton with the ball to run out the clock with just over two minutes left in the game. A Matt Ortiz run for nine and a five-yard romp by Seth Parker gave Raton the needed first down to keep the clock running and the game.

 Raton will host Robertson Friday night in the jungle, which should prove to be another close game. 

Taos Tiger Max Suazo tipped it and there he was, Devon Casias, all he had to do was walk it on in to the end zone for six Friday night 10-14-2011

It's one of those picture perfect passes to Devon Casias as Matt Ortiz lays right in his hands for six more Raton points Firday night(10-14-2011) in Taos

Its up and away as Isaac Gonzales can't quite handle a Dakota Swinehart pass, Raton's Luis Ruiz can't get turned enough to bring it in. (10-14-2011)

Dylan Aragon gets a hand on the ball to break up this pass to Josh Valencia late in the game Friday night (10-14-2011) in Taos

           

JV Scores

Raton       25 25

Springer    7   21

Varsity Scores

Raton      25  25  25

Springer 15 13  17

Tigers Dowse Red Devil Fire

By Marty Mayfield

KRTN Multi-Media

            Indoors and out of the wind the ladies took to the court in Sym Brown Gym in Springer Thursday for an evening of volleyball.

            The Lady Red Devils came out strong and stayed with it for the first part of game one and then something seemed to go south for the ladies. Strong play at the net with blocks and well placed spikes allowed the Lady Tigers to open up their lead and volley their way to a 10 point lead.

            Again as game two got underway the Lady Red Devils stayed in the game with Alissha Frye and Brittany Baca making the blocks and spikes at the net. Then the heat left the Lady Red Devils as Raton again pulled out and took a big lead. Well placed spikes by Maggie Honeyfield, Shania Dorrance and Brittni Garcia extended the lead to a final score at 25-13.

            Game three again stayed close in the beginning and this time stayed closer later in the game. Raton’s hitters again found the holes in the Lady Red Devil defense and extended the their lead. As the game wore down Raton put it away with some great vollies back and forth until the ball slipped in to the hole and found the court for the point.

            Both teams played well yet it seemed the Lady Red Devils got bit about half way through each game, some miscommunications also troubled the ladies. Despite the knee brace Brittany Baca played a strong game at the net as she went head to head with Raton players Mikala Vertovec, Briannon Trujillo, Jordan Valdez and Arrissa Maldonado who are tasked with the blocking duties for the Lady Tiger Defense.

            Raton will begin district play next week on Thursday at West Las Vegas while Springer will continue their district play against Des Moines Saturday.

Fingertip to Fingertip as Mikala Vertovec and Brittany Baca meet at the net During the volleyball match in Springer Thursday Afternoon (10-6-2011)

Kyra Laumbach puts it up as Mikala Vertovec makes the block Thursday afternoon (10-6-2011) in Sym Brown Gym 

Des Moines 9  11  17

Raton          25 25 25

Lady Demons struggle as Lady Tigers win in three

By Marty Mayfield

KRTN Multi-Media

            They were wearing the yellow jersey but watching the volleyball match Tuesday evening in Tiger Gym may be asking was that the Lady Demons from Des Moines? It was but they definitely were not playing up to the same caliber of play as they did when Raton was in Des Moines.

             Raton pulled out quick and early in all three games creating leads that grew to as many as 10 points. It wasn’t until game three that Des Moines was able to break the 10-point deficit.

            As Raton pulled out in front and widened the lead they played the net very well making blocks that often fell back just beyond the net making it difficult for the Lady Demons to respond, when they did it made for a great series of vollies.

            It was game three when Des Moines finally began to look more like the team that took Raton in five games last month but it came a bit late and with a large point deficit that they were unable to overcome.

            Both teams will soon begin district play as Raton will travel to West Las Vegas next week and Des Moines travel to Springer on October 8^th.

Jordan Valdez and Shelby Walker meet hand to hand at the net Tuesday evening in Tiger Gym

Dakota Martinez shows the concentration to make the hit

Breannon Trujillo tries to avoid the net as Samantha Green goes up with the ball

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.