Tigers’ Comeback Falls Short on the Road as Clovis Holds On, 28-20

Clovis N.M. — After a lightning delay pushed kickoff back Friday night, the Clovis Wildcats struck fast and often in the opening quarter, then withstood a furious Alamogordo rally to escape with a 28-20 victory over the Tigers.

The game got off to a late start after lightning in the area forced officials into a weather delay, with teams not permitted back on the field until 7:30 p.m. and kickoff following shortly after.

Once play began, Clovis wasted no time. Quarterback Beau Clements connected with Andy Fenstermaker on a 49-yard touchdown pass, and a successful two-point run gave the Wildcats an 8-0 lead with 8:36 remaining in the first quarter.

The Wildcats kept the pressure on. Bentley Lukkar punched in a 3-yard touchdown run, and another two-point conversion made it 16-0 with 5:19 to go in the opening frame. Before the quarter ended, Clements found Ethan Gutierrez on a 3-yard scoring strike — the two-point try failed — and Clovis carried a commanding 22-0 lead into the second quarter after scoring on the last of its three first-quarter possessions with 1:11 on the clock.

Alamogordo finally answered in the second quarter. Qymani Patterson barreled in from 3 yards out to put the Tigers on the board, though the two-point attempt was unsuccessful, cutting the deficit to 22-6 with 6:36 left in the half. That score held into halftime.

The Tigers kept chipping away after the break. Leyton Niland’s 3-yard touchdown run trimmed the margin to 22-12 with 5:06 remaining in the third quarter, though the two-point try again came up empty.

Alamogordo’s rally reached full steam in the fourth when Rudy Wolfe hit Sean Piper on a 10-yard touchdown pass, and Wolfe found Patterson for the two-point conversion to pull the Tigers within striking distance. But Clovis answered with a score of its own to push the lead back to 28-20 with 3:24 to play, and the Wildcats closed out the win from there.

The loss drops Alamogordo to 1-1 on the season. The Tigers return to action next Saturday on the road at Organ Mountain.

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

• CLO — Beau Clements 49-yard TD pass to Andy Fenstermaker (2-pt run good), 8:36 — Clovis 8, Alamogordo 0

• CLO — Bentley Lukkar 3-yard TD run (2-pt try good), 5:19 — Clovis 16, Alamogordo 0

• CLO — Beau Clements 3-yard TD pass to Ethan Gutierrez (2-pt try no good), 1:11 — Clovis 22, Alamogordo 0

Second Quarter

• ALA — Qymani Patterson 3-yard TD run (2-pt try no good), 6:36 — Clovis 22, Alamogordo 6

Third Quarter

• ALA — Leyton Niland 3-yard TD run (2-pt try no good), 5:06 — Clovis 22, Alamogordo 12

Fourth Quarter

• ALA — Rudy Wolfe 10-yard TD pass to Sean de Piper (2-pt pass good, Wolfe to Patterson) — Clovis 22, Alamogordo 20

• CLO — Touchdown, 3:24 — Clovis 28, Alamogordo 20

Final: Clovis 28, Alamogordo 20

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