Estancia is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Friday. After each having a week off, they and the Tucumcari Rattlers will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Estancia came up short against Hope Christian last Saturday, falling 54-34. The loss continues a trend for the Bears in their meetings with the Huskies: they've now lost three in a row.
Meanwhile, while Tucumcari put up plenty of points last Friday, the same can't be said for Cuba. The Rattlers breezed past the Rams to the tune of 40-0.
Tucumcari's win came from a few key players Estancia will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Nick Geon, who threw for 171 yards and five touchdowns, and also rushed for 64 yards. Tucumcari's leading receiver Luis Archuleta was Geon's top target yet again, picking up 69 receiving yards and three scores.
Tucumcari's run defense was locked in: Cuba could only muster 3.2 yards per carry. While one picked up at least two total tackles, Archuleta stood above the rest. He picked up 69 receiving yards and three TDs. The dominant display was nothing new: Tucumcari has now limited their opponent to fewer and fewer yards per carry in three consecutive games.
Tucumcari's defense didn't let Richard Lovato, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for four sacks. Leading the way was Niemiah Pacheco with two. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one sack the last three times he's played.
Estancia's defeat dropped their record down to 1-4. As for Tucumcari, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Estancia and Tucumcari were almost perfectly matched up when the teams last played back in October of 2024, but Estancia suffered an agonizing 48-47 loss. Will the Bears have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
