Bloomfield, through the rain and the slop, ends Bernalillo's unbeaten streak

BLOOMFIELD — The shutout streak might be over, but Bloomfield’s run at No. 1 in Class 4A football is not.

Bernalillo on Friday night became the first team to score on the Bobcats’ vaunted defense since August, but ultimately, Bernalillo’s inability to cash in red zone chances proved costly as Bloomfield, sparked by a huge night from junior running back Peyton Duncan, beat the second-ranked Spartans 20-7 on a cold, rainy — not to mention turnover- and penalty-plagued — evening in the Four Corners.

It was, interestingly enough, homecoming night for Bloomfield.

“We practiced in this same weather on Wednesday,” Bobcats coach Mike Kovacs said, “and we thought, if we get into a game like this, we’re gonna have to run the ball. And I thought the line did a fantastic job.”

Duncan rushed for 243 yards on 24 carries, and it was his terrific 31-yard touchdown scamper midway through the fourth quarter that gave the Bobcats (7-0, 5-0 in 1-4A) the final margin over the Spartans (7-1, 4-1).

Bloomfield scored two touchdowns in the first nine minutes of the game. Standout quarterback Blake Spencer hit Kaleb Hutchens midway through the quarter from 11 yards out, and three minutes later found a wide open Kaden McCown running free down the middle of the field for a 25-yard score and a 13-0 lead.

That aside, Bernalillo’s pass defense was excellent all night against the prolific Spencer and this high-scoring Bloomfield offense.

The Spartans forced three first-half turnovers, but it was their inefficiency that cost them.

In fact, on consecutive possessions in the second quarter, Bernalillo reached the Bloomfield 4, and then the 8. And didn’t score a point on either drive.

A fumble ended the first threat, an interception the second.

“At the end of the day,” Bernalillo coach John Cobos said, “kids gotta execute.”

His Spartans finally got on the board with 86 seconds to go in the third quarter, as quarterback Uriel Castro hit Joseph Duran on a 31-yard touchdown pass. Duran outleaped two Bloomfield defensive backs, and it was the first catch of the night for Bernalillo’s most dangerous receiver.

With the PAT, Bloomfield led 13-7 headed to the fourth quarter.

Field position became the issue that led to the Bobcats’ insurance score.

Bernalillo got pinned on a possession with about 7 minutes left, and was forced to punt from its end zone. Bloomfield came after the kick, and got a hand on it, and started its drive at the Spartans 26. After a false start, Duncan made a couple of impressive moves to score.

“I just saw my wide receiver, (Hutchens) block for me, and I knew I was gone after that,” Duncan said.

“Peyton picked up the slack in a big way for us,” Kovacs said.

It began to rain pretty steadily, and sometimes hard, during the middle portion of the game, and created some unpleasant conditions. Some fans who were there for the first half did not return for the second.

In the rain, while Bernalillo did a fine job slowing Spencer, the Bobcats turned to Duncan.

“They had great coverage, and they also had good run support, but we were able to hold our blocks and I was able to get to the hole,” Duncan said.

Duncan was probably more pleased to talk about that Bobcat defense, which had five consecutive shutouts coming into Friday.

“We have the best defense in the state,” he said. “I say it in practice every day. Nothing proves us wrong.”

This was arguably the most important regular season game Bernalillo has ever played.

“(Bloomfield’s) a great football team, and we knew that going in,” Cobos said. “But I think we have a lot of meat left on the bone. This game wasn’t the state championship, we hope to see them again.”

Bloomfield buries Bernalillo in battle of unbeaten teams: Photos