Friday Night Football 2024 Week 14
Nov 22, 2024
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Teams are looking to clinch their spot in championship weekend while a new champion will be crowed in 8-man on Saturday. Here is a look at week 14 of Friday Night Football.
Cleveland: 56 — Centennial: 20
Loving: 13 — Santa Rosa: 47
St. Michael's: 46 — NMMI: 7
6A
In the other 6A semi-final game, #1 La Cueva will travel to #5 Las Cruces.
"Yeah, our guys are fired up," said Las Cruces head coach Mark Lopez. "We have been blessed to be this in this situation. I think seven out of the last ten years we have been in the semifinals and championship. So, we are not a stranger to the situation and yeah they have carried themselves and are really excited for the opportunity all week. So, we got some great energy in the building, our guys are excited to get the opportunity to go play in the semis and go play at home."
5A
Top ranked Roswell is hosting #4 Gadsden. In their previous meeting this seaosn, the Coyotes won 48-7.
"It's hard to play a team twice," Coyotes head coach Jeff Lynn said. "The last two seasons we have lost to a team in the playoffs that we have beat in the regular season. It's a tough deal. So, you know it's hard from a strategy standpoint to get away from something that works but you know they are going to make adjustments and so I don't feel real great about it to be honest with you. I shouldn't say I don't feel great about it, you are never real super comfortable."
In the other 5A game, defending champion and #2 Artesia will host #6 Mayfield. The Bulldogs are expecting a battle from a surging Trojans team.
"They are healthy, they have gotten better each week and they played Roswell tough and they beat Lovington," said Artesia head coach Jeremy Maupin. "They play a ton of guys on defense and so we got to kind of get after those guys and make sure that we are scoring, because we know their goal on offense is to hold the ball for a long time and get long drives and so we got to take advantage of everyone of ours."
4A
Undefeated and top ranked Bloomfield will host #4 Bernalillo. The Spartans is the only team to hold the Bobcats under 40 points this season. In their match in October, Bloomfield won 20-7.
"We are going to really have to focus on the process of each play," Bobcats head coach Mike Kovacs said. "We are going to have to dig down mentally, physically, and just have the strength and the knowledge of football... When you are in the semifinals trying to get to the championship, don't look ahead and we really stop them from looking ahead and we are just focused on the process right now; practice, pregame, and then we have our game."
"We respect their program, we respect coach Kovacs and his whole entire staff and what they are doing, said Bernalillo head coach John Cobos. "Number one, we need to be disciplined, and number two, we to execute and communicate, and number three, we need to bring effort. We need to bring undying effort and it's not going to be easy but we feel like we are a good football team and we got the task of playing them in the semifinals and we are looking forward to the challenge."
The other 4A semifinal game will feature #2 St. Pius and #6 Espanola Valley.
"To have success against a team like that first, you have to match their physicality," said St. Pius coach Curtis Flakes. "They are going to run the ball every single play, and they are going to take their shots when they take their shots. So, for us to have some success, our kids first have to be patient and not feel that sense of urgency to make a play, especially after they have their long sustaining drives. So, if our kids can just be patient, stick with the gameplan and don't play outside themselves, I feel like we will have a good shot."
Mesa Tractor Athlete of the Week
Kidzz Mechanical Return of the Week
3A
Class 3A's second semifinal match will feature No. 3 Robertson hosting No. 2 Dexter. That game will be played on Saturday at 1 p.m.
2A
#1 Texico and Eunice will battle for the second spot in the class 2A championship game.
8-Man
The 8-man title game will feature #1 Melrose and #3 Mesilla Valley Christian. The Undefeated Buffaloes will host the game at 1 p.m. on Saturday. In a previous meeting this season, Melrose won 56-12.
6-Man Championship Recap
The Logan Longhorns defeated Grady 54-14 in the 6-man championship last week. It is the first football championship in Logan's history.
"Yeah, everyone's pumped," said Logan senior Payson Nials. "Everyone's been congratulating us and the team and everything. It's been pretty crazy."
"I mean the town was supportive beforehand, and just the way the town got behind purchased fireworks, coming into the state championship game, it really brought the town together," head coach Dwyane Roberts said.