74° and Moderate rain at times
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ALAMOGORDO — On a night set aside to honor its seniors and their families, the Alamogordo Tigers gave them plenty to cheer about.
Alamogordo scored four touchdowns in the first quarter and rolled to a 49-7 district win over Deming on Thursday at Tiger Stadium and Bob Sepulveda Track and Field at Alamogordo High School. The victory improves the Tigers to 5-4 overall and 4-2 in district play heading into the final week of the regular season.
Senior family night drew Tiger fans into the stands in black and gold, with splashes of pink throughout the crowd, on the sideline and on the field. Players wore pink sleeves and cheerleaders wore pink shirts and hair bows as the community turned out to celebrate the class of seniors playing their final regular-season home game
The Tigers wasted little time making it a memorable evening. Quarterback Nathanael Cereceres hit Tristan Bowman on a 70-yard touchdown pass with 11:42 left in the first quarter, and Russell's extra point made it 7-0.
Bowman found the end zone again at the 7:27 mark, this time on a 5-yard run, to push the lead to 14-0. Jayden Valdez followed with a 1-yard touchdown run with 3:10 left in the quarter. Cereceres then took matters into his own hands, scoring on a 5-yard run with 1:02 remaining. By the end of the first quarter, Alamogordo led 28-0.
The Alamogordo defense kept Deming off the board through the second quarter, and the offense added one more score before the break. Qymani Patterson ran in from 5 yards out with 1:37 left in the half. Deming blocked the extra point, but the Tigers carried a commanding 34-0 lead into the locker room.
Halftime brought one of the night's highlights, as the Alamogordo High School marching band took the field with an outer-space themed show. The performance featured a flying-saucer prop with a green alien, three large purple backdrops of futuristic cityscapes and color guard members dressed as aliens in green costumes and antennae. Seniors in the band wore pink sashes as part of the evening's recognition
The Tigers picked up where they left off in the third quarter. Rudy Wolfe threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Sean Piper with 9:00 on the clock, and Russell's kick made it 41-0. The score held through the end of the quarter.
Alamogordo's defense carried its shutout deep into the fourth quarter. The scoreboard still read 41-0 with 3:09 to play before Deming finally broke through. Richard Holguin connected with Jordan Milo on a 35-yard touchdown pass in the closing minute to get the Wildcats on the board
The Tigers answered on the very next play. Tanner Nowaczck (featured above with family) fielded the kickoff and raced 85 yards for a touchdown with six seconds left, and Russell added the extra point to seal the 49-7 final.
Russell handled kicking duties throughout the night, converting six extra points. Cereceres accounted for two touchdowns, one passing and one rushing, and Bowman scored twice, once as a receiver and once as a runner.
After the final whistle, Tiger players gathered in front of the student section and raised their helmets toward the stands. Seniors then joined their families on the track for photos, wrapping up a night that celebrated both a dominant win and the players who have given years to the program.
Alamogordo closes out the regular season next Friday, Oct. 30, on the road at Chaparral.
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