Trailing 22-13 with less than five minutes to play in the third quarter of their season-opening game against the Snowflake, Lobos, the Mingus Marauders special teams lined up to receive a punt that would likely give them good field position and a chance to get back in the game.
After a slow start both offensively and defensively, the Marauders had wrestled the momentum away from the Lobos on the strength of a pair of touchdowns by quarterback Micah Nevarez — a one yard run just before halftime and a 14-yard run to cap off a 65-yard drive on their first possession of the third quarter.
The Lobos had put the Marauders in a big hole, scoring 22 first-half points behind a prolific running game led by quarterback Ty Reidhead.
But the Marauders defense had clamped down on the Lobos in the third quarter, and on fourth down and long Reidhead, who also serves as the Lobos’ punter, lined up to punt the ball away. But the punt never came.
Instead, Reidhead faked the punt and sprinted around the right side of the line for 12 yards and a first down, keeping the Lobos drive alive.
Six plays later, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Snowflake’s Levi Caldwell sprinted 22 yards for a touchdown, giving the Lobos a 29-13 lead and the game’s momentum back.
“Snowflake, they just came out with more intensity than we did — that was pretty evident,” Mingus head coach Bob Young said. “Toward the end of the second quarter the offense started figuring it out, so we did a good job after that.”
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Sept. 4, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
