Spartans end successful season

BLOOMFIELD, NM (Nov. 23, 2024) — Two of class 4A’s best teams clashed once again, this time for their season lives, as the 10-2 Bernalillo Spartans traveled to Bloomfield to face their district rivals, the 12-0 Bloomfield Bobcats.

The 4-seed Spartans fought hard, but it was the Bobcat’s overwhelming size and speed that won the day, earning 1-seed Bloomfield a 65-14 victory by Mercy Rule, and a ticket to the NMAA 4A Football State Championship game where they’ll face the St. Pius Sartans.

“We knew Bloomfield was a good team, and we gave it our all, I promise you,” said Spartans head coach John Cobos.

Bernalillo dominated Bloomfield, but only for 52 seconds. That’s how long it took Spartans QB Uriel Castro to drive down the field on the opening drive. Though it was Castro’s arm that started the matriculation, the TD was actually scored on a 40+ yard rush from Spartans senior running back Nathan Encinas.

The Bernalillo defense held up and forced an immediate punt from the Bobcats, but the Spartans fumbled it right back.

After that, it was all Bobcats.

Bloomfield QB Blake Spencer and his squad, riding high on the sudden momentum shift, quickly evened up the score with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Deasyl Priddy.

The scoring didn’t slow down for the Bobcats either. Spencer threw for five touchdowns in the first half, including a 60-yard bomb to receiver Peyton Duncan with three minutes left in the first quarter.

A stunned Spartans defense was unable to breach the massive Bobcats offensive line and Spencer used his arm to punish Bernalillo all afternoon.

The Spartans tried to find a rhythm with big swings. Castro dropped a bomb to Kenneth Saiz up the left seam at end of the second quarter, which resulted in a touchdown and put the score at 31-14. That would be Bernalillo’s final touchdown for the 2024 season.

The Bobcats kept their collective foot on the gas all through the third quarter and the 50-point-mark required for the mercy rule to kick in crept closer and closer.

Finally, with 9:52 left in the game, Bobcat’s running back Logan Gosnell took the ball straight up the middle and into the endzone for a 5-yard rushing touchdown. The TD put Bloomfield ahead 65-14, and the game ended.

“We overcame our issues; we had some flags, but we shut our mouths and did what was asked,” said Bobcats head coach Mike Kovacs. “And that’s the proudest moment of a coach’s life, when the kids respond to what your coaching, and I’m pretty proud about that.”

The Spartans season ends with Bernalillo’s most successful playoff run to date.

“I can promise you, we’ll be back,” said Cobos. “We were one week shy of our goal, but we know what we gotta do. We’ll get back to work and be back next year.”

Bloomfield moves on to the championship, which takes place Nov. 30 @ 1 p.m.