Thoreau Hawks soar past Wingate, 48-0, on Senior Night

By Truman Begaye
Special to the Times

THOREAU, N.M.

In a battle for first place in New Mexico’s District 1-3A, the Thoreau Hawks crushed the Wingate Bears, 48–0, on Friday during their Senior Night game to claim the district crown.

Led by senior linebacker and offensive anchor Jordan Calladitto, the Hawks’ offense and defense worked in perfect sync, shutting out the Bears and improving to 8-1 overall and 5-0 in district play.

“I’m so proud of him,” said Thoreau head coach Erik Loera, referring to Calladitto. “He runs our offense and our defense, so to lose him would be terrible for us going into the playoffs.”

Wingate opened the game with the kickoff to Thoreau, and the Hawks immediately established control. A strong opening drive brought the ball to the 2-yard line, where senior fullback Irvin Tom punched it in for the game’s first touchdown.

On Wingate’s next possession, the Bears advanced to the Thoreau 19-yard line but failed to convert, turning the ball over on downs. The Hawks capitalized again, driving to the 6-yard line, and senior running back Saige Westmoreland powered through for another score to make it 12-0 after a failed two-point try.

“You don’t see many people score on us because of our defense,” said Loera. “They got a few deep passes, but our guys always pull up and make the stop.”

The second quarter featured several turnovers and missed opportunities for both teams. Wingate’s defense made key plays, including interceptions by seniors Rylie Morgan and Matthew Whitehair, but their offense couldn’t sustain drives.

Late in the half, Thoreau regained possession after another Bear turnover. Sophomore quarterback Aiden Woody then found senior receiver Noah Trickey in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 20-0 after the Hawks’ first successful two-point conversion.

In the third quarter, Thoreau’s defense completely took over. Wingate drove as far as the 4-yard line, threatening to score, before a costly fumble was scooped up by Calladitto, who raced 95 yards for a defensive touchdown to make it 27-0.

Moments later, another interception by the Hawks set up Woody for a 13-yard touchdown pass to Calladitto, pushing the score to 34-0. Wingate’s offense faltered again, fumbling the ball deep in their own territory, which senior Myles Milliken turned into another Thoreau touchdown to make it 42-0 after a good two-point conversion.

By the fourth quarter, Thoreau’s dominance was complete. Following a turnover on downs, Woody connected with Tom for a 35-yard touchdown strike, sealing the 48-0 shutout victory.

“I’m really proud of these kids,” Loera said. “I don’t expect anything less from them. If I’m going to coach, I want us to be dominant and disciplined. In all my four years here, we’ve never lost a district game and I plan to keep it that way.”

Wingate head coach A.D. Jim praised his team’s growth despite the loss. “We do have a young group,” he said. “They were sophomores last year, now they’re juniors, and this was the first time they’ve been in this kind of environment. We didn’t come out the way we wanted, but the kids adapted and kept competing.”

With the win, Thoreau will close out the regular season traveling to Crownpoint on Halloween night to face the Eagles at 7:00 p.m. as the district champs barring any upset.

Wingate finished the regular season at 7-3 overall and 5-1 in district play in second place.

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