Missing key players, LA falls to Estancia in quarterfinals
Laguna-Acoma Hawk quarterback Ryan Arkie (16) quickly tosses the ball over a rushing Estancia defender on Friday night. Estancia defeated Laguna-Acoma, 28-18. (Times photo - Donovan Quintero)
ABOVE: Laguna-Acoma Hawk quarterback Ryan Arkie (16) quickly tosses the ball over a rushing Estancia defender on Friday night. Estancia defeated Laguna-Acoma, 28-18. (Times photo – Donovan Quintero)
CASA BLANCA, N.M.
It was out of character for the Laguna-Acoma Hawks to start throwing the ball.
Going into last Friday’s Class 3A quarterfinal, the LA football team averaged 319 yards per game running the ball.
But after the Estancia Bears scored 15 straight points to start the second half in a span of 10:58, the Hawks started to air out the ball more often than they wanted.
“They got ahead so we had to come out of our game plan,” said LA coach Roger Cordova following their 28-18 loss. “We had to start throwing the ball. That is not really our game; we’re a running team first.”
It also didn’t help that the Hawks lost one of their stalwart rushers to a one-game suspension and had to find other means to advance the ball.
Star running back David McGee, who averaged 196.9 yards and had scored 36 TDs, had to sit out this game for throwing a punch three weeks ago in the Hawks’ final game of the regular season. Ironically, that was against Estancia.
“It was a different game but, hey, whoever is out there we have to put out our 11 and play ball,” Cordova said, adding that they had a few starters out due to injuries, particularly second leading tackler Richard Saaverdra and senior Jeremy Nelson.
“We had to put in some makeshift positions,” he said. “The kids fought back hard but it wasn’t good enough.”
As for the Hawks missing McGee, Estancia coach Stewart Burnett was less inclined to spotlight that loss.
“People who think Laguna is McGee hadn’t paid any close attention to Laguna,” Burnett said. “That’s my opinion and they are by far the best football team we’ve faced this year.”
Burnett said the Hawks are more than one dimensional with senior quarterback Ryan Arkie being the engine that runs the team.
In their previous outing with Estancia, Arkie scored four TDs with three rushing as LA won the district title in a 38-22 tilt.
“Ryan killed us in that first game,” Burnett said. “This is almost sacrilegious to say but when we played the first time we had a plan for David but Ryan scared the crap on us.
“Ryan in my opinion is the toughest player that we had to defend this year,” Burnett added. “We played 12 games and 11 of those teams were in 3A and he’s the toughest player to defend.”
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow