Texico routs Eunice, wins third straight 2A title

Nov. 29—Some early-season turbulence proved beneficial in the long run for the Texico Wolverines.

Texico lost three of its first four games. The Wolverines in the season opener watched as their starting quarterback was felled with an injury, leading to an extended absence. The team, in the heat of the late summer, was in a bit of a tailspin.

"This bunch was so gritty and tough-minded early," Texico football coach Bob Gilbreath said. "And we went through our lumps. But it battle tested (us)."

The top-seeded Wolverines (9-3) dominated rival Eunice from the very beginning in their Class 2A final on Saturday afternoon, and Texico, led by the fantastic running of sophomore Cross Figg, clinched a third consecutive state championship with a 42-7 victory over the visiting, third-seeded Cardinals (9-3).

Figg, who quarterbacked this team most of the regular season before the late return of Bennett Wahlen, was over 200 yards rushing with three touchdowns to lead Texico to yet another title. Without the loss of Wahlen, "we might not have stumbled into Cross the way we did," Gilbreath said.

And having both on the field at the same time, he said, was, schematically, a plus.

"We put in some formations that gave them fits, and we were able to run the ball at will, really," said Gilbreath.

The Wolverines tried to keep Eunice guessing, sometimes going empty with just Figg or Wahlen in the backfield.

The result was a first half that was decidedly sharper than the regular-season game the district rivals played on Oct. 17, when the Cardinals put up 28 points in the first half before Texico rallied for a 42-34 win that ultimately clinched 2A's No. 1 seed.

"In the first game, I felt like we didn't play very well at all in the first half," Gilbreath said. "(But) I felt like our kids were prepared for (this) game, game plan-wise, and our kids were so prepared for the moment."

That the Wolverines had experience with championship game situations, he added, was invaluable.

"Our kids were loose, they were prepared," Gilbreath said.

The proof was easy to spot, as Texico led 28-0 early in the second quarter with repeated scoring drives on a windy day on the Eastern plains.

"We were able to be aggressive from the get-go and got them in a big hole," Gilbreath said.