Clovis, NM | Saturday, November 5, 2022 | MaxPreps
On Friday evening, Portales hosted St. Pius X High School (ABQ) in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. The Rams went into the game as seed #5 in Class 4A. The game was scheduled at 7 PM in Leon Williams Stadium in Clovis.
With a cold chill in the air, fair skies and at least a thousand fans in attendance, St. Pius X kicked off to the Rams. Portales fumbled on their first possession of the game, and the Sartans recovered, but the Rams answered by forcing a punt. No points were scored on their next drive, though.
On the Sartans’ next drive, Portales intercepted the ball, which quickly led to a 37-yard passing touchdown from #1 Paxton Culpepper to #11 Zane Mulberry. The PAT was good after, and Portales added the first points to the scoreboard, and took the lead 7-0.
On St. Pius X’s next drive, #11 Zane Mulberry intercepted a pass, and ran it back for a touchdown, adding 6 more to the score. The kick after was no good, but the Rams added to their lead 13-0.
The Rams had possession of the ball at the start of the 2nd quarter, and scored on that drive when #1 Culpepper completed a pass to #8 Tommy Lopez. The score went up 7, solidifying a dominating lead of 20-0 over the Sartans.
On another fumble by Portales that was recovered by St. Pius X, the Sartans were able to finally score with a good field goal attempt, making the score 20-3.
While St. Pius X recovered another fumble by the Rams, and intercepted a couple passes, Portales’ defense was able to keep them out of the end zone before halftime, and held the Sartans to only a 3-point field goal.
The Rams came our fired up after halftime, and kicked off to the Sartans, who ended up with a 3-and-out on their first second-half drive, and punted the ball. The punt was blocked by the Rams, and ran in for a touchdown! With a successful PAT, the Rams stamped their lead at 27-3.
The momentum continued for the Rams. #11 Mulberry intercepted another St. Pius X pass, and that led to a rushing touchdown for the Rams, whose lead went up 34-3. Quarterback #1 Paxton Culpepper left the game with a leg injury, though. However, the injury didn’t stop the Rams from continuing to dominate.
On their next drive, Portales’ #23 Emmanuel Diahn rushed in for another score, and the Rams went up 41-3, starting a running clock, at the end of the 3rd Quarter!
St. Pius X turned over on downs to start the 4th quarter, and Portales answered with another score. #6 Kaidyn Cordova rushed in for a short 4-yard run to score again for the Rams. The lead extended 48-3.
That is the score the Rams ended with, ending the Sartans’ season. With a dominating performance, Portales is fired up for their next playoff game. The Rams will face Lovington on the road, November 11 at 7 PM. Plan to load up and head down to Lovington as your Rams continue their playoff journey!
