The Roswell Coyotes football team will face the Chaparral Lobos at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, at the Wool Bowl.
The Coyotes (4-1, 2-0 District 2-5A) enter the matchup fresh off a 48-12 rout over the Deming Wildcats (1-4, 0-2) on Sept. 18 at Memorial Stadium. Chaparral (3-2, 0-2), meanwhile, is searching for a response after a 58-7 loss to the Mayfield Trojans (1-4, 1-1) at the Field of Dreams in Las Cruces.
Despite the lopsided victory over Deming, Roswell head coach Jeff Lynn said his team did not play great. The message this week is simple: start fast, establish control and keep the pressure on.
“We’ve got to get on them pretty early and play much better than we did against Deming,” Lynn said. “We’ve got to bring more intensity, focus and maturity to the game.”
One bright spot for Roswell has been the continued development of quarterback Andruw Fuentez. Against Deming, he completed 14 passes for 265 yards and five touchdowns without throwing an interception.
Lynn said Fuentez has the ability to make the right play when the Coyotes need it.
“Fuentez has done a really good job at making the right decision and getting the ball to the right people,” Lynn said. “He’s got weapons and the offensive line has been playing really well. I thought the offensive line played their best game against Deming.”
For Chaparral, quarterback Saul Contreras and running back Raul Lopez led the way early this season. Through the Lobos’ first four games, Contreras threw for 485 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. Lopez has been the centerpiece of the ground game, rushing for 641 yards and seven touchdowns on 65 carries.
Lynn said containing Lopez will be a challenge Friday night. But the Lobos can make life difficult in more ways than one, particularly with a defense that shifts between different fronts.
“Lopez is a really good running back,” Lynn said. “Defensively, Chaparral plays a couple different schemes, so that’s always a challenge. They play an even and odd front, so that’s what we’re game planning for. We also can’t have missed assignments on offense.”
For Roswell, Friday is another opportunity to build on an unbeaten district start and continue the momentum it has created through the first five games. For Chaparral, it’s an opportunity to reset after a blowout loss and chase its first district victory.
Marshall Mecham can be reached at (915) 232-1793 or on X @mecham_marshall. Mecham serves with the New Mexico Local News Fellowship, which places emerging journalists in newsrooms across the state. Learn more at www.newmexicolocalnewsfellowships.org.
