'That’s all you can expect from a rivalry'

But from the first quarter to the last, the Española Valley team stuck to where they were the best and ran the ball. The Sundevils slowly pushed their offense inch-by-inch under the dark Taos night and created holes in their host’s defense. Española’s running game was effective and drained the clock, making it harder for Taos' to mount a counterattack.

Española Valley burned nearly nine minutes off the first quarter to score its first touchdown against the Tigers and would keep scoring a touchdown each quarter to extend their lead.

Taos’ offense did what it could with its possession. Tiger quarterback Evan Salazar connected with his cousin, senior Mateo Salazar, and junior receiver Roman Quintana. However, the Sundevils stopped the Tigers as their guests tipped their passes, blocked their punts and caused turnovers by downs or fumble recoveries.

Defensively, the Tigers could only slow the Sundevils’ advance in the first half as they struggled to knock the ball out of their opponents' hands. The visitors repeatedly punched through the Tigers' defensive line, allowing their carriers to get first downs or touchdowns. 

Coming into the second half, the Sundevils stayed true to their style of play, barrelling through the Tigers' defense to make way for their ball carrier. Española Valley head coach Tylon Wilder said he was proud of the team’s effort and execution of their game plan to secure their first quarterfinal win for the program.

“This [win] is important,” Coach Wilder said. “This team has never won a quarterfinal playoff game ever. This is something that they wanted to achieve, and we knew that Taos was a great football team. They played hard, and we knew we would play hard.”

Despite starting the second half with a fumble and a turnover, the Tigers had their best try against the invaders in the third quarter. The home offense slugged and fought the Sundevil defense for 14 plays. 

Taos’ junior Manuel Maes and senior wide receiver Jaiya Valdez helped their team get to within 2 yards of their opponent’s goal. However, the Tiger offense failed to get those final yards for a touchdown and turned the ball over to the Sundevils. With the clock on their side, Española Valley ran the clock on Tigers and controlled the tempo through the rest of the night.

Despite the tough loss, Taos defensive coordinator Jeremiah Burke was proud of the team for pushing through adversity all season.

“We got punched in the face a few times, and we fought back,” Burke said. “We played through injuries, though weather, both mental and physical. They’ve pulled it together all season long. Española is a great football team. They are disciplined. They know how to run the ball. They came with it tonight, but we didn’t show up. It’s that simple. We came with the first game, and the second game was theirs. That’s all you can expect from a rivalry.”

Tigers lick their wounds, Española looks ahead

With this loss, the Tigers ended their season with a 7–4 overall record and a 5–2 district campaign. According to the MaxPreps rankings as of the writing of this article, they finished second in their district and sixth at 4A District 1.

Meanwhile, coach Wilder said Española intends to win through “brilliance in the basics.” The Sundevils will travel to Albuquerque at the Nusenda Community Stadium this Saturday (Nov. 23) to play St. Pius X in the semifinals at 1 p.m. at 1601 Arroyo Vista Boulevard, North-West. 

“It was just a hell of a year, honestly,” Mateo Salazar said after the game. “We came in with a new coaching staff and didn’t know what to expect. We came out and got the three seeds. That’s really good. I wish we could’ve finished it, but God has other plans.”

Senior right tackle Diego Lorea was emotional after the game’s end and left a final message to his teammates.

“I just want to tell them to work hard and not take anything for granted,” Lorea said. “Your senior year goes by fast. I know that every senior says that. I didn’t believe them until right now. Just stick together. Love each other like you're brothers because they’ll protect and fight with you. Grind it out. Sometimes it’s hard, and you just want to quit, but I assure you, it’s worth it.”

Olguin could only praise his team for a great season but promised never to prevent losses like this from happening again. He also said the offseason can cure their deficits in the season.