By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multimedia
The “Boys of the Fall” took the field again as Raton hosted the Tohatchi Cougars for not only the season opener, but also the home opener on a warm Friday night at the Jungle, and boy, what a Raton game it was, as the defense held firm and kept the Cougars from scoring a point until the final buzzer.
The Cougars drove five and a half hours to Raton to face what was described as a very young and inexperienced offense, as Elliot Logan is the only returning player on the Tigers’ offensive line this year. Senior Cannon Walton moved from running back to the QB position this year. The defense returned several players and it showed as Raton forced the Cougars to a 41-0 shutout.
Raton won the coin toss and elected to take the ball and face the wind in the first quarter, which proved to be a problem, especially when Raton was forced to punt the ball away on its first series of downs. The punt went just nine yards and Tohatchi took over at the Raton 31. It was four out for the Cougars and then Cannon Walton kept the ball on the first play and ran 80 yards for Raton’s first point of the game. Logan Elliot kicked the extra point to make the game 7-0 with 8:28 left in the first quarter.
The teams traded back and forth for the remainder of the first quarter and into the second until Raton recovered a Tohatchi fumble on the Raton 34-yard line. Two plays later, Joseph Saenz took a pitch from Cannon Walton and ran 74 yards for another score for Raton. Elliot missed the PAT, leaving the score 13-0 with 6:32 left on the clock.
The Raton defense holds Tohatchi to four more points and takes the ball at the 10-yard line after a bad snap rolls into the end zone, where punter Titus Francisco picks it up and carries it to the 10. Three plays later, Cannon Walton rolls left and around the line for six points. Raton attempts the 2-point attempt and manages to make it 21-0 despite a batted ball caught by Wyatt Berry in the end zone with 3:12 left in the second quarter.
Two plays later, Camron Edmondson intercepts a pass from Tristen Begay and gives Raton the ball on the Tohatchi 33. Four plays later, Walton throws a ball from the Tohatchi 15-yard line to Elijah Kenney for a six-and-out. Elliot adds the PAT to make it 28-0 with 1:30 left in the first half.
The second half of the game starts slowly, then Tohatchi intercepts a pass from Cannon Walton and they bring the ball into the red zone, but the Raton defense holds up and even intercepts a pass that Luciano Castillo takes over 100 yards for six yards, which is called back for a pass interference penalty. Tohatchi loses the ball on one down at the Raton 11.
Eight plays later, Walton to Walton, Cannon passes to Cale for a 55-yard pass to make it 6-0. Elliot shoots wide right to make the score 34-0 with 5:49 left in the third quarter.
Tohatchi brings the ball into the fourth quarter and loses it on a down at the Tohatchi 47-yard line. With some help from the bench, it takes Raton six plays to move the ball inside the 10-yard line. Three plays later, it’s a four-yard pass from Cannon Walton to Wyatt Berry for six yards. Elliot adds the PAT to make it 41-0 with 8:16 left on the clock and the running clock begins to run.
Raton puts the finishing touches on the game with a Gage Alford interception, giving him the ball at the 50-yard line where they can run out the clock and start the season with a point in the win column.
Next week, the Tigers will host the Lamar Thunder at 7 p.m. in the Jungle. Lamar plays in Division 2A in Colorado.
