www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2019/08/25/sports/clovis-topples-hobbs/162808.htmlby Kevin Wilson
Clovis topples Hobbs
CLOVIS — Without even having to put in a full night’s work, the Clovis High football team clearly showed its dominance Friday against Hobbs.
In a contest shortened 9 minutes and 5 seconds by relentless lightning and torrential rain, the Wildcats poured it on the rival Eagles, breaking open what had become a dicey game to notch a 42-16 victory at Leon Williams Stadium.
“It’s always good to win your first football game and get off to a good start in the win-loss record,” Clovis’ third-year head coach Cal Fullerton said. “Especially against Hobbs. The kids were fired up for it.”
Clovis High’s program tallied its fifth straight opening-night victory and its fourth-consecutive season-opening win against Hobbs.
20 unanswered second-half points Friday allowed Clovis to begin the 2019 season with a crackle, like the lightning that later flashed across the sky and halted the game early. Because weather forecasts predicted the monsoon-like storm would hang around awhile, and resuming the game would have likely meant it ended near midnight, Fullerton and Hobbs head coach Ken Stevens agreed about not trying to go any further.
“We both decided it was in the best interests for them to get back safe,” Fullerton said. “It was in both (teams’) interests for us to get it called.”
Before the storm moved in, Clovis was playing fairly well in all phases. The Wildcats’ offense, in particular, was able to glide up and down the field for most of the night.
“We moved it however we wanted, running it, passing it,” Fullerton said. “The only thing, we had minus-43 yards with bad snaps. If we play somebody good, that’s going to bite us if we don’t figure that out quick.”
Two of the bad snaps occurred on consecutive plays in the first half, pushing the Wildcats out of the red zone and, when followed by a penalty, forced them into a fourth-and-forever punting situation. Later, another errant snap rolled out of the end zone for a Hobbs safety.
Aside from those glitches, it was a good night to be wearing purple, especially for junior running back Jeston Webskowski, who rushed for 171 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries in less than a full 48 minutes. He also reeled in a one-yard scoring pass from junior quarterback Chance Harris.
“That’s five dang touchdowns,” Fullerton said. “He was a workhorse.”
Clovis’ coaching staff turned the primary rushing duties over to Webskowski this season, and is so far looking like a staff of geniuses for doing so.
“We expected it. We’ve known all along how good he was going to be,” Fullerton said. “He’s our guy running the football for sure.”
The Wildcats’ offense showed its effectiveness from the game’s first series. After a touchback on the opening kickoff, Clovis strung together a 17-play, 80-yard, 8-minute-and-51-second touchdown march that included seven first downs, among them two third-down conversions and one fourth-down conversion along the way.
Webskowski book-ended the drive — with some big pickups in between — starting it with an 8-yard run and capping it by slicing through the middle for a 6-yard score.
With two kickers unavailable because of a soccer commitment, the Wildcats attempted two-point conversions all night, and the first one was successful — a run by junior Blake Muscato to make it an 8-0 game with 3:09 remaining in the opening quarter.
During the second period, Clovis drove from its own 35 to the Hobbs 20 in just six plays, and on that drive’s seventh play, Harris looked left and passed to Malik Phillips, who was being covered well by the Eagles’ Presley Greenough. Phillips, though, managed to snare Harris’ pass just in front of Greenough at around the 10, then turned and bolted into the end zone.
After a two-point pass conversion attempt was incomplete, Clovis’ lead remained 14-0 lead with 3:35 to play in the half.
The Hobbs safety made it 14-2 with 1:09 to go in the second quarter, but Clovis managed to score before halftime thanks to help from the defense. With Hobbs facing a second-and-22 situation from its own 35, quarterback Jarren Lewis was picked off by Wildcats cornerback Brandon Mason at the Clovis 40. Mason then turned around and brought the ball all the way back to Hobbs’ 21 with roughly 30 seconds left in the half.
Just three plays later, Webskowski again sliced through the middle of Hobbs’ defense, scoring from three yards out this time to give Clovis a 20-2 advantage with 16.5 seconds to play before halftime. Webskowski also ran in the two-point conversion, allowing the Wildcats to carry a 22-2 lead into the locker room.
In addition to Clovis’ effectiveness on offense, the defense couldn’t be overlooked, after not surrendering any first-half points.
“Our defense did really well,” Fullerton said. “We’ve got to get better on our pass rush. ... We’ve got to get a little more pressure on the quarterback for sure. But the effort was good from pretty much everybody.”
The Eagles, however, were finally able to score off that defensive unit early in the second half, getting a 50-yard touchdown pass from Lewis to Tyson Trevino on their opening series of the third quarter. Damien Navarro’s extra point made it a 22-9 game.
Hobbs also scored late in the third, on a seven-play, 64-yard drive iced with a fourth-down, 16-yard touchdown pass from Lewis to Navarro, whose second extra point drew the Eagles within just 22-16.
“They cut it to six,” Fullerton said, “and then you start worrying.”
But not for long, because Webskowksi returned the ensuing kickoff 37 yards to the Hobbs 43. Then after changing the momentum, he helped make sure Clovis maintained it, beginning the Wildcats’ drive with a 14-yard run that, when combined with a 15-yard penalty, moved Clovis all the way to the Eagles 14. That was followed by nine- and four-yard Webskowksi runs, then a one-yarder by him for a touchdown. Thanks to Webskowski and good blocking, a one-score difference quickly became two, as Clovis went up 28-16 with 1:20 left in the third quarter.
A.J. Silva stopped Hobbs’ next drive with a fumble recovery at the Eagles 38, and four plays later, Harris and Webskowski connected on a one-yard touchdown pass that put Clovis up by 18 with 14.2 seconds remaining in the third.
The Wildcats began their next possession at the 50 following a Hobbs punt, and needed just three plays to score — the third and decisive play coming in the form of a 25-yard Webskowski touchdown run. Clovis added the two-point conversion when Harris threw to a leaping Ernesto Acuna in the end zone, giving the Wildcats a 42-16 lead with 10:47 to go in the fourth quarter.
1:42 later, the game was interrupted, and not long after that, it was called on account of the inclement weather. Clovis had earned an emphatic opening-night victory, but knew many challenges remained.
“It’s over now,” Fullerton said, already looking ahead to next week’s home game against Los Lunas (1-0). “Heck, they’ve got one of the best football teams in the state. They’ll be really good.”