Ryley Padilla cuts loose with a pass for Albuquerque in its victory.
Photo courtesy of Marcus Villarose
Media members have descended upon
Albuquerque (N.M.) football coaches and players this week following their historic 47-8 victory over Highland (Albuquerque) on Friday night.
Unaccustomed to much outside attention, the Bulldogs are basking in the limelight after snapping a state-record 43-game losing streak. During the last two seasons close, to half of the Bulldogs' games had been ended either at halftime or early in the second half due to the state's 50-point rule.
"I've done four or five interviews and people still are calling," first-year head coach Curtis Flakes told MaxPreps.
Ryley Padilla, Albuquerque
Photo courtesy of Marcus Villarose
Everything is new this year at Albuquerque, the state's oldest high school.
Flakes explained, "We have a new staff that believed in them. They've got to play complete games this year and it's just been a buildup. It was not even close early because we made some key plays - an interception on the first play."
Sensing this was their night, the Albuquerque fans stood up and cheered during the entire game.
Senior wide receiver
Rodrigo Lopez, who had never been in a winning game, dropped to his knees at the end.
The 5-foot-10, 163-pound senior, who had four catches for 91 yards and one touchdown, recalled, "It's been really tough. Every weekend we'd have more people quit. It was hard to keep up. I was just hoping that one day we'd come out, play together and get the 'W'. This year it's very different. This coach teaches us about discipline, to act more mature and handle situations. The coaches seem to care a lot more. It's a lot different now. Everybody seems to be on board."
The margin of victory was somewhat unexpected since both teams had 0-4 records.
Lopez admitted, "I was a little surprised, but we had been working really hard all year. It seemed a little bit too easy. It was a great feeling to be on the other side of the stick."
Lopez received plenty of support from his running mate at wide receiver, junior
Jonathan Martinez (5-9, 165), who snared touchdown passes of 18 and 16 yards. Doing most of the passing was another junior,
Ryley Padilla (5-9, 160), who completed 9 of 17 for 161 yards and two touchdowns. He also used his quickness to run 12 times for 85 yards and another pair of touchdowns.
Flakes calls Padilla "one of those guys who turns in on Friday nights. He's definitely a leader."
Pacing the defense was still another junior,
Raymond Cole (6-5, 270), who made five solo and four assisted tackles.
Albuquerque Athletic Director Doug Dorame has missed just two football games during his six-year tenure, but he missed the big one over the weekend while visiting his daughter at Yale University.
He did, however, hear from officials throughout the game.
"I knew it would be close," he said. "I was getting texts from the athletic trainer every 10 minutes. I was getting texts every five minutes from the statistician. They are going to win a few more games this year. This isn't the end!"
