JIM THOMPSON/JOURNAL Cibola

JIM THOMPSON/JOURNAL
Cibola’s Brent Jorgensen (1) races down the sideline for a score in front of Hobbs’ Daniel Lopez during the Cougars’ win on Saturday.

Sunday, November 19, 2006
Class 5A Football: Cougars Stay Alive In Playoffs

Journal Staff Writer

    Judge Chavez didn't need a long-winded halftime speech Saturday. He just needed a wristwatch to use as a prop.
    "We just told the kids, 'Your season is over in 24 minutes unless you do something about it.'"
    Chavez's Cibola Cougars trailed visiting Hobbs 6-0 at halftime of their Class 5A first-round playoff game at Milne Stadium. The Cougars weren't ready to call it a season.
    Jonathan Mader ran for a touchdown and passed to Brent Jorgensen for another as Cibola (9-2) rallied for a 15-12 victory over the Eagles (5-6).
    Cibola advances to meet Highland in a Friday quarterfinal at Milne Stadium. It will match Chavez against a Hornets team he coached for 11 years through 2005.
    "I know everyone wanted to see that game," Chavez said. "It's not that big a deal to me. Those (HHS coaches) are friends of mine and there are kids I coached. We're not trying to beat Highland High, we're trying to win a state championship."
    The Cougars' offense accomplished precious little in the first half. Their first four drives netted three punts and an interception, while Hobbs got 40- and 42-yard Adam Richards field goals and had a third potential scoring drive stall at the Cibola 1.
    Inexplicably, Cibola's players seemed to lack the fire necessary for playoff success.
    "I wouldn't say we were really flat," Jorgensen said. "But it didn't seem like we were into the game."
    Despite their coach's abbreviated speech, the Cougars found an "on" switch at halftime.
    "We were just yelling at each other, trying to get ourselves fired up," said Cibola running back Chase Bennison.
    The self-motivation tactics seemed to pay off. The defense opened the third quarter by forcing a Hobbs three-and-out. The offense then needed one play to score.
    Mader tossed a quick swing pass to Jorgensen, who turned upfield and outran the defense for a 77-yard touchdown. Cibola led 7-6 less than 90 seconds into the third quarter.
    "We just put that play in a couple weeks ago," Jorgensen said. "We ran it for 15 yards in the first half and I just made a bad break. On the second one, Damien Lujan made a great block. All I had to do was run."
    Hobbs responded on its next possession. Quarterback Teron Bolton lobbed a high sideline pass on a third-and-28 play from the Eagles' 48. Receiver Daniel Lopez leaped and took the ball away from two Cibola defenders and jogged into the end zone to complete the 52-yard touchdown pass. A bad snap foiled the extra point and Hobbs led 12-7.
    Bolton proved tough for the Cibola defense to handle, passing for 244 yards and rushing for 66 more.
    But the Cougars had the final answer, turning to their power rushing game. Bennison ran for 99 of his 122 yards in the second half, and sparked a 14-play, 80-yard scoring drive.
    Mader also made his presence felt on the drive, twice passing to Junior Oyeyemi for a total of 40 yards. Mader capped the impressive series with a 10-yard rollout run around left end for a touchdown. The junior quarterback then passed to Joe Lehocky for a two-point conversion and a 15-12 lead.
    Hobbs moved from its 20 to the 41 on its final drive but no further. Corey Roybal knocked down one Bolton pass and added a third-down sack. Bolton's fourth-down lob fell incomplete with 25 seconds remaining.
    CIBOLA 15, HOBBS 12
    1st Downs: H 16; C 15. Rushing: H 19-58; C 41-237. Passing: H 17-32-1--244; C 6-14-1--143. Total Off.: H 302; C 380. Fumbles-Lost: H 0-0; C 2-1. Punts-Avg.: H 2-52.5; C 3-31.0. Penalties-Yds.: H 7-57; C 7-57.
    Hobbs 0 6 6 0-- 12
    Cibola 0 0 7 8-- 15
    Scoring: H, Adam Richards 40 field goal; H, Richards 42 field goal; C, Brent Jorgensen 77 pass from Jonathan Mader (Cameron Cannady kick); H, Daniel Lopez 52 pass from Teron Bolton (kick failed); C, Mader 10 run (Joe Lehocky pass from Mader). Rec.: C 9-2; H 5-6.

High School Football: Highland out for revenge against former coach Chavez

Daniel Yurcisin's goosebumps weren't alone.

They arose, likely beside those of countless other fans at Milne Stadium, after Cibola's comeback playoff win over Hobbs.

"We were excited when they won," said Yurcisin, one of several Highland players watching the Cougars' 15-12 victory on Saturday afternoon. "It gave us chills."

It wasn't the dramatic rally, however, that pebbled Yurcisin's skin.

In part, it was what that win meant: Highland versus Cibola in the Class 5A playoffs.

But on a more personal level, Friday's quarterfinal squares the Hornets against their old coach - first-year Cougars headman Ralph "Judge" Chavez.

For Yurcisin, a senior wide receiver and kick return specialist who transferred from Menaul to Highland after his sophomore year, it's a chance to prove his worth as a Class 5A player.

"When I showed up (at Highland), he (Chavez) looked me up and down and told me, `You're a running back,'" the fleet-cleated and undersized Yurcisin said. "We started to pass last year when the Wing T didn't work. If I dropped a pass (in practice) or anything like that, he would say it was because I was from (Class) 2A. I just felt like he looked beyond me. I want to show him what I'm capable of."

He won't be the only Hornet out to prove something to the team's former coach.

Yurcisin said Sunday the opportunity to face Chavez in the playoffs "helps motivate us a lot."

While he relishes this week's motivation, Yurcisin is quick to note it shouldn't flood the Hive's preparation.

"We have to stay focused, not on Judge," Yurcisin said, "but on the task ahead."

Highland coach Gary Sanchez should like that last statement. He, too, understands the emotion involved. Sanchez worked on Chavez's staff for several years and the two men have remained friends since Chavez left for Cibola in February. But Sanchez notes there are more important aspects to Highland's preparation.

"My first approach is that we haven't played in three weeks, all right," Sanchez said. "So I'm worried about that. We have to get them ready to play and play hard. I don't want the kids to think they have to beat Judge Chavez. Our goal is to get into the semis."

In an attempt to get there, Sanchez won't crank up the motivational speeches that star Chavez as the bad guy.

But he also won't go out of his way to quell any fires already burning.

"If (a player's) motivation is to beat Judge Chavez and they can play well, it helps," Sanchez said. "But they've got to be able to get their assignments. Coach Chavez isn't part of their assignments."

Certainly Jon Mader and Chase Bennison will be targets.

As they have been all season, quarterback Mader and tailback Bennison were crucial to the Cougars' win Saturday.

Bennison earned 101 of his 126 rushing yards in the second half against Hobbs.

Mader shook a poor first half - 2-for-7 with one interception - and executed Cibola's game-winning drive. He accounted for 58 yards on the final march, the last 10 coming on a run into the end zone.

The gritty Hobbs spread offense amassed 306 yards, but Cibola made enough defensive plays to hold them to a single touchdown. Besides a goal-line stand and an interception deep in their territory, the Cougars sacked Teron Bolton four times in the second half.

Corey Roybal, who notched the final sack on Hobbs' next-to-last play, was one of several Cibola players who said the Hornets vs. Chavez aspect of Friday's game doesn't affect him.

"Highland's a good team," Roybal said. "We just want to step up and play at that level and get into the next round."

Chavez was just as business-like when talking about the matchup, which might surprise those that knew him as a devoted Highland guy for more than a decade.

The same man who, at one time, had blue and gold bathroom tile and a truck of the same Highland colors said playing his former team was "no big deal."

"Once I decided to make the move," Chavez said, "that was it. If they're up next, so be it. We're trying to win a state championship."