Cats use three pick-6s to rout Demons 33-0
Oct. 8—CLOVIS — Clovis High's football team has been on the wrong side of a couple of games this season like Friday's contest against Santa Fe High, so it felt pretty good to be on the other end of it.
The Wildcats returned three interceptions for touchdowns, building a 41-0 halftime lead and cruising to a 53-0 District 5-6A victory over the Demons in their Homecoming game at Leon Williams Stadium.
Senior safety J.D. Burton notched two of the pick-6s, including the game-ender on the 50-point rule with just over four minutes left. Meantime, junior Kash Roberts had the other — 10 seconds after rushing for a touchdown — on the first play following the ensuing kickoff.
Everything followed a 44-yard return of the opening kickoff by senior Matt Cruz, setting up the Cats (2-6, 2-0) for junior quarterback Jett Stone's 1-yard sneak four plays later.
First-year CHS coach Andrew McCraw said the kickoff return and subsequent score pretty much gave the Cats all the momentum they needed.
"We wanted to start fast, and we did that," McCraw said. "Our defense stepped up tonight and made some really good plays."
With a running clock in effect, the second half seemingly went by in a flash. Leading 47-0, Roberts' bid to end it on a 27-yard field goal missed wide left, but three plays later Burton picked off senior quarterback Andrew Allen pass and cruised 20 yards to finish it.
"We just had to end the game," said Burton, who hadn't had a varsity interception before Friday. "It was a great feeling getting those interceptions. It all started with the kickoff return (by Cruz), and we just kept it up."
Stone added another rushing touchdown early in the second segment, while senior R.J. Nora turned his short pass over the middle into a 62-yard scoring play late in the first period.
"The momentum (from the previous game) carried us," said Stone, who came back to play at Albuquerque High after missing the previous contest against Roswell High with a hand injury. "We had a really good week of practice. We stuck with our game plan, and it worked for us."
Stone, Roberts and senior Brian Weiss each carried the ball eight times, all finishing between 67 and 72 yards.
Roberts capped an 11-play, 73-yard march — easily the Cats' longest possession of the night — with a 12-yard run. He then stepped in front of Allen's pass in the right flat and returned it 41 yards to the end zone on the Demons' first play following the kickoff.
McCraw said the Cats were able to build on a 31-28 win in their district opener at Albuquerque High the previous week, a game capped by Roberts' go-ahead 27-yard field goal with three seconds left.
"We got some momentum and made play after play," McCraw said. "The offensive line blocked their tails off this week. Cruz had that big kickoff return to start the game, and we had all the momentum from there."
Clovis now has bye week before their final two games of the regular season against Santa Fe Capital on Oct. 20 and at Los Lunas on Oct. 28.
It may come down to the finale. The Cats are tied for the district lead with Los Lunas, which pounded Capital 27-0 on Friday.
McCraw said the bye week should help the team heal up some nicks and bruises.
"They're probably going to be our toughest two games in district," Burton said. "But if we go in with a lot of energy, I think we can come out with the wins."
