DEXTER – Following a 42-yard touchdown strike from Dexter quarterback CJ Granados to Rigo Regalado to give the Demons a 26-0 lead in the first half, Ruidoso’s football needed something to build up some momentum before the break.
The Warriors got it with a 46-yard scamper by quarterback Mason Fikany, then saw Fikany pass to Zaiden Harris for the two-point conversion and a 26-8 score at halftime.
But it did little to stem the tidal wave of Dexter offense, as Ruidoso fell 53-14.
“We were doing really great things, getting into the backfield defensively and were really salty at times,” said Ruidoso coach Andrew McCraw. “We just missed tackles offensively. We were moving the ball great, but then just lost our momentum.”
The Warriors (0-3) fell behind quickly, starting with a seven-yard touchdown run by Fernando Prieto to give Dexter a 7-0 lead at 6:35 in the first quarter. The Demons (2-1) then tacked on three more touchdowns before Fikany’s score with just 18 seconds left in the first half.
Whatever momentum was built up by that Warrior touchdown quickly dissipated in the third. Regalado, Granados and Adrian Ordonez each put the ball in the endzone to make it a 48-6 Demon lead and trigger the running clock with 10:09 left in the fourth quarter.
Fikany later threw to Anthony McAlister for a 5-yard touchdown at 3:25, temporarily staying the 35-point mercy rule, but Felipe Rangel later took it in from the 38 for Dexter to place an exclamation point on the victory.
“Coach McCraw actually coached me when I was at Eastern New Mexico University, and I attended his clinic last year,” said Dexter coach Sonny Duran. “I have a lot of respect for him and his program. I felt it would be tough.”
While Dexter made short work of the Warriors, Duran was full of praise for Fikany’s work.
“I have to give a shout out to Fikany,” Duran said. “He is a heck of an athlete, probably one of the best athletes we’ve played so far. We knew he would get his reps, but our defense did a great job.”
Fikany led all rushers with 152 yards on 13 carries, but that was a lions’ share of all the Ruidoso offense. Dexter gained 233 yards on the ground, led by Alexis Castro’s 56. Castro was also the leading receiver for the Demons, amassing 94 yards on just three catches. That included an 80-yard reception from Granados for Dexter’s second touchdown of the game.
Granados put up 202 yards passing to lead the game, and Dexter outgained the Warriors 435-237.
While the scoring onslaught was difficult to overcome, McCraw said things could have been different if his team had held onto the ball. Ruidoso had six turnovers – three interceptions and three lost fumbles – which stopped the Warrior offense in its tracks.
“You’re not going to do much with six turnovers,” McCraw said. “I think we turned it over every way we could tonight. When you do that, you’re not playing good football.”
Dexter is at Santa Rosa Friday at 7 p.m., while the Warriors are at home with a 7 p.m. contest against Hope Christian in their District 2-3A opener.
“They’ve got some good looking kids that play really hard, and we have to match up with them,” McCraw said of Hope. “If we can play harder, that can cover up some of the mistakes we’ve been making.”
Todd Fuqua is Sports Editor for the Ruidoso News and can be reached at 575-937-0344.
