Turns out, there was no reason for concern.
Aztec put the finishing touches on its third consecutive District 1-4A title Friday night at Fred Cook Memorial Stadium, putting up 515 yards of offense on just 38 plays from scrimmage in an impressive 62-21 win over Piedra Vista.
"It feels amazing," Aztec's Jeremiah Hickman said. "We went through a hard time at the beginning of the season. "Coach (Brad Hirsch) told us when we were 1-3, we're going 7-3, no matter what.' He put the confidence in us, and we just said, we'll do it for you, Coach — it's our time.'"
The Tigers (7-3, 3-0 District 1-4A) didn't spend much time with the ball on offense, but that's because Aztec wasted almost no time at all putting points on the board. On the Tigers' first play from scrimmage early in the first quarter, running back Justin Watkins found a huge hole through the right side and sprinted 69 yards untouched for Aztec's first points of the game.
Aztec's defense went to work and forced the Panthers (2-8, 1-2) to punt, giving the Tigers the ball back on Piedra Vista's 47-yard line. Five plays later, the Tigers' big-play ability showed up again, as a seemingly innocent screen pass from Brycson King to Jake Espinoza turned into a 30-yard touchdown with a few jukes after the catch.
Ty Hirsch capped
Another three-and-out by PV led to another touchdown for Aztec, as King took advantage of good protection to find Espinoza over the middle for a 52-yard scoring pass. However, from there, both teams took turns lighting up the scoreboard.
Valdez, who took over at quarterback for PV after starter Richard Gonzales was injured on the game's initial possession, found Morgan McCasland for a 39-yard touchdown with 2:14 to go in the first half, making it a 35-7 game. The Tigers found an immediate answer, as Hickman scooped up the ball at the 2-yard line on the ensuing kickoff and raced 98 yards for a score, picking up a number of key blocks along the way.
"It was about 180 yards going back and forth across the field," Hickman quipped.
PV's Ryan Thurstonson followed Hickman's long return with one of his own, bringing the ball to Aztec's 45-yard line. After a 16-yard run by Valdez, McCasland caught his second TD pass in a span of 47 seconds to close the gap to 41-14.
"We had a tough thing happen to us with losing our quarterback," PV coach Jared Howell said. "I thought that Dominic came out and our offense did a hell of a job. I was very pleased."
The Panthers seemed to have the Tigers right where they wanted them after King was called for intentional grounding on the first play of Aztec's next drive, backing the Tigers up to their own 4-yard line. But Watkins showed why the Aztec offense is one of the most feared in the state on the next play, using his speed to rumble 96 yards for another touchdown.
Howell, who serves as Piedra Vista's defensive coordinator, put the blame on himself for the number of big plays the Panthers allowed.
"They had a better game plan than we did and executed it better," he said. "Sixty-two points is embarrassing for me as the coordinator. I'm not embarrased because of the kids. I'm embarrassed with myself because it felt like I let them down. I've got to do a better job there."
Watkins, who finished with 196 yards on just seven carries, added his third TD run of the evening on a 22-yard scamper early in the third quarter. PV's Dakota Standley had a 12-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter, and Espinoza capped the scoring with a 67-yard touchdown with 9:35 left in the game.
As the final whistle blew and the teams shook hands, the Tigers came to their sideline in front of their fans holding up three fingers in honor of their third straight district title. Meanwhile, the Panthers gathered in the south end zone, lamenting the end of their season before each of the seniors was carried off the field by a PV coach, in honor of their service to the program.
"This is the toughest part of the job," Howell said. "It doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter if you win all the games or you don't win a game. The worst part is always saying goodbye to the kids that you've watched grow up, coached and gone through the good times and bad times with."
Aztec earned District 1-4A's automatic bid into the postseason, and will learn where it falls in the bracket when the seeding committee convenes today in Albuquerque.
Aztec 62, Piedra Vista 21
Piedra Vista 0 14 0 7 — 21
Aztec 14 34 7 7 — 62
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
A — Justin Watkins 69 run (Killian Carey kick) 8:16
A — Jake Espinoza 30 pass from Brycson King (Carey kick) 2:55
Second Quarter
A — Ty Hirsch 5 pass from King (Carey kick) 8:57
A — Cornelius Shorthair fumble recovery in end zone (run failed) 8:03
A — Espinoza 52 pass from King (conversion good) 4:42
PV — Morgan McCasland 39 pass from Dominic Valdez (Jesse Wood kick) 2:14
A — Jeremiah Hickman 98 kickoff return (run failed) 1:53
PV — McCasland 29 pass from Valdez (Wood kick) 1:27
A — Watkins 96 run (Carey kick) 1:06
Third Quarter
A — Watkins 22 run (Carey kick) 9:45
Fourth Quarter
PV — Dakota Standley 12 run (Wood kick) 9:54
A — Espinoza 67 run (Carey kick) 9:35
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: PV — Valdez 23-148. A — Watkins 7-196; Espinoza 2-87.
Passing: PV — Valdez 8-15-84-2-1. A — King 13-20-191-3-0.
Receiving: PV — McCasland 5-77. A — Espinoza 5-112; Hirsch 5-59.
TEAM STATS
PVHS (2-8, 1-2) AHS (7-3, 3-0)
First Downs 10 10
Rushes/Yds 37/189 18/324
Comp/Att/Yds/Int 8/17/84/1 13/20/191/0
Penalties/Yds 7/60 6/36
Fumbles/Lost 2/1 1/1
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