Bloomfield Bobcats bounce back with 59–18 rout of Miyamura

By Truman Begaye
Special to the Times

GALLUP

The Bloomfield Bobcats wasted no time shaking off their first regular season loss since 2022.

One week removed from a humbling defeat at the hands of Piedra Vista, the Bobcats stormed back in convincing fashion with a 59–18 blowout win over the Miyamura Patriots on Friday night at Angelo DiPaolo Stadium.

Even in victory, Bloomfield head coach Mike Kovacs wasn’t entirely satisfied.

“We still have sloppy play, and you know I just don’t like that,” Kovacs said. “Some of the run game that we gave up because we’re out of position and we’re not attacking, and some of the balls we dropped along with the two overthrows that (quarterback Manuel) Chavarria had.”

Despite the critique, the Bobcats piled up two rushing touchdowns and seven through the air, flexing an offense that proved difficult for the Patriots to contain.

The game opened with a costly mistake by Miyamura, as the Patriots fumbled the kickoff to give Bloomfield prime field position at the 48-yard line. One play later, senior quarterback Manuel “Peanut” Chavarria punched in a 2-yard rushing touchdown to set the tone, 6–0.

On the very next drive, Bloomfield’s defense struck again. Senior defensive back Peyton Duncan intercepted a pass at the Patriots’ 25-yard line. Chavarria wasted no time, finding senior Kaleb Hutchens for a 75-yard touchdown strike to make it 12–0.

The Patriots responded with a brief spark, capitalizing on a Bobcats turnover. Sophomore Hayden Vidal intercepted Chavarria, and senior quarterback Salid Rashid connected with senior receiver Benjamin Vidales for a 19-yard touchdown, trimming the deficit to 12–6. But Bloomfield quickly restored momentum as Chavarria launched a 61-yard bomb to Duncan, closing the first quarter with an 18–6 advantage.

The second quarter belonged to Bloomfield. Chavarria delivered a 70-yard touchdown to sophomore Cable Carruth and later hit senior Gavin Pecotte for 18 yards, extending the lead to 32–6. Miyamura briefly rallied with Rashid’s second scoring pass to Vidales from 16 yards out, but Bloomfield answered immediately. Chavarria tossed a 33-yard touchdown to senior Deasyl Priddy, and with a two-point conversion, the Bobcats entered halftime ahead 40–12.

Bloomfield’s ground game opened the third quarter with senior Cole Gosnell powering into the end zone from two yards out. After another Patriots turnover on downs, Chavarria struck again, this time with a 54-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open receiver, stretching the lead to 53–12 by the end of the quarter.

Miyamura found one last offensive highlight when Rashid fired a 27-yard touchdown to senior running back Carlos Garcia early in the fourth, cutting the margin to 53–18. But Bloomfield added the finishing touch when freshman quarterback Wyatt Babcock connected with sophomore Packer Ordyna on a 5-yard score, sealing the 59–18 final.

For Kovacs, the win was about more than numbers on the scoreboard.

“We had to get back on track — that loss humbled us,” he said. “We had a few mistakes, but overall, I’m proud of the guys for how they came together. This was game one of the processes, and our fans, our community, and our players need to know this is just the beginning.”

Miyamura head coach David Foley praised his team’s fight despite the lopsided outcome.

“I feel like the effort was there, and it was 59–18, they scored a lot of points — that’s a fantastic line of athletes and I feel like we fought to the very end,” Foley said. “We did some things well. I thought Ben Vidales had a fantastic game, Salid our quarterback gritted it out, Carlos Garcia ran hard, and I feel like our line didn’t back down to the pressure we faced. We gotta correct some things in our coverage, but that’s one heck of a team. I was hoping for a better outcome, but I’m proud of how we fought to the very end.”

The Bobcats (2–1) look to keep momentum rolling when they travel to face district rival Kirtland Central on Friday. The Patriots (1–2) will try to regroup on the road against the Rio Grande Ravens on Saturday.

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