Wildcats overcome two-TD deficit for blue trophy
Nov. 28—Class 4A: LOVINGTON 41, RUIDOSO 21
Lovington certainly looked like Class 4A's best team in the abbreviated spring season, although the Wildcats had no viable way to prove that.
There were no such constraints in the fall.
The top-seeded Wildcats (10-3) spotted visiting Ruidoso (8-6) a two-touchdown lead, but roared back on Saturday afternoon to win the 4A state football championship 41-21 over the sixth-seeded Warriors on Brian Urlacher Field.
It is Lovington's first football title since 2011.
"This is the process that's taken five years," Wildcats coach Anthony Gonzales said. "And every single group that we've had come through here and leave as seniors, they've left this program better than they found it."
Ruidoso, coming off road wins at No. 3 St. Pius and No. 2 Bloomfield, continued that momentum by converting two early Lovington turnovers into touchdowns, and a 13-0 lead.
"Our kids never wavered," Gonzales said.
Indeed, Lovington answered with 28 points in a row to establish control, led by junior quarterback Ashton Aranda, who rushed for two touchdowns and threw for three more scores in the victory.
"We just kept true to what the plan was," Gonzales said. "Coming in, they were going to take away us throwing the ball vertically, so our kids did a good job adjusting. ... Ashton did a great job, and rallied our team up."
Lovington led the game 21-13 at halftime and stretched out to a 28-13 lead midway through the third quarter.
But the Warriors scored late in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 28-21.
Lovington re-established a two-touchdown lead two minutes into the fourth quarter.
"Not only did we finish, but we were more physical than they were in the second half," Gonzales said.
Ruidoso was trying to win its first championship since 2017.
