Bernalillo falls to Bloomfield; Home winning streak comes to an end

BERNALILLO — The Bernalillo Spartans football team (6-2) were defeated by the visiting Bloomfield Bobcats (7-1) 16-60 at Spartan Stadium Oct. 18. The loss ended a two-year home winning streak for the Spartans; the last time they lost at home was against Los Alamos Sept. 29, 2023.

"Tonight definitely didn't go the way we wanted it to go. We played a championship team," Spartan head coach John Cobos said. "You can't beat yourself, and we beat ourselves tonight."

There's a reason Bloomfield won the state championship last year and was the favorite to repeat as the 4A state champions this year.

So far, Bloomfield has played five 4A teams, and they have outscored opponents 297-36 in those games.

Despite the lopsided score, the Spartans dominated the first quarter and put the Bobcats on their heels.

"I thought we gave them hell in the first quarter, and they adjusted well in the second quarter," Cobos said.

The scoring started when Bloomfield's Manuel "Peanut" Chavarria connected with receiver Gavin Pecotte for six points.

On the ensuing possession, Bernalillo drove the ball down the field which included a deep shot to star Mario Molinar. The drive ended with a rushing touchdown courtesy of Spartan quarterback Ulisses Castro.

The game was tied 7-7 and experienced some ping-ponging possessions.

Molinar would come up big on special teams, blocking a Bobcat punt, which was recovered by Bernalillo's Josh Barajas.

However, the Bobcats' Peyton Duncan would intercept a Castro pass in the red zone.

Molinar would come up big again on a defensive fourth down stop, resulting in a short field for the Spartans. The Goon Squad was able to get a field goal off the boot of kicker Ryan Mortensen.

At this point, the Spartans held a 10-7 lead.

That's when Chavarria, New Mexico's leading passer in both yards and touchdowns, would go off. Chavarria scored on a rushing touchdown and threw a touchdown to Duncan before the conclusion of the first half.

The Bobcats also garnered some extra possessions through a successful onside kick and by way of an interception snag from Bryce Lance.

At the half, Bloomfield was up 25-10.

The Bobcats would start the second half with another onside recovery, and it led to another Chavarria passing touchdown to Kaleb Huchens.

Things got a little chippy on a Bernalillo punt that ended with several flags thrown and two players ejected from the game (one from each team). Coaches from both sides gave their respective teams talks to avoid any further escalation.

The Chavarria-led offense would continue firing and added three more touchdowns to the scoreboard: touchdown passes to Caleb Carruth and Deasyl Priddy, and a Ducan rushing touchdown.

"We've been through a lot of adversity this season, especially PV, but we came back stronger, and that's it," said Chavarria, referring to the Bobcats' early-season loss to Piedra Vista. The Bobcats had previously been on one of the longest win streaks in New Mexico.

At the end of the game, Chavarria had six total touchdowns. On the season, Chavarria now has 40 total touchdowns (33 passing, seven rushing)

"We started off a little slow, but that happens with traveling. That's always going to happen, but we put it together, and that's all that matters," Chavarria said.

The Spartan offense was able to put together a nice possession that saw an unreal catch from senior Joseph Duran, who high-pointed a ball while being sandwiched by two Bloomfield defenders.

Throughout the game, Duran had three big-time catches of more than 25 yards, and each snag displayed his elite concentration and acrobatic ability.

On the next play, Castro would connect with Kenneth Saiz for six points. On defense, Saiz also had his fair share of pass breakups.

At the final whistle, the Bobcat crowd (who had packed the visitors' stands) erupted as Spartan fans consoled their squad.

The Spartans will play another 4A contender, but this time on the road. On Oct. 24, the Goon Squad will travel to Grants for a date with the Pirates (5-3). Kickoff time is 7 p.m. and will have big implications for the 4A playoffs and seeding.

"We have got to have short term memory. 4A is going to be a dogfight, and we understand that. So, we have to make a quick turnaround and get ready for Grants," Cobos said.