Socorro County Football - Socorro and Magdalena win at home

Friday, Oct. 24, saw both Socorro County football teams that were playing win.

The Socorro Warriors picked up their first win of the season in a dramatic game, and the Magdalena Steers extended their winning streak to seven. It was a week off for the Alamo Cougars as they waited for their playoff picture to be announced.

Magdalena Steers are playoff bound

The last regular season game for the Magdalena Steers was at home against the Carrizozo Grizzlies.

The game was all Steers, and it was looking as though they would mercy rule the Grizzlies by halftime.

However, with 5:52 on the clock in the second quarter, an injury for the Grizzlies led to them forfeiting the game. The Grizzlies had a small team already, with only seven players at the start of the game.

The final score was 38-0. The Magdalena coaches did talk to their players after the game about some improvements that will be needed as they head into the playoffs, as the team had two fumbles in the game.

“We’re district champs. We worked hard for that. We’re a good team. We’ve got to make sure that we’re prepared for whoever we face next week.” Head Coach Danny Daniels said. “Proud of these boys. They work hard, those seniors. We’re going to miss those seniors. They do a lot for us. I appreciate them.”

It was also Senior Night for the Steers, and after the game they honored the four seniors playing on this year’s team: Michael Young, Ky Stephens, Matthew Lopez, and Noah Guerro. The seniors shared some thoughts about heading to the playoffs after the win.

“It’s definitely a big challenge for us. I think we’re going to be up there with all the other guys, and I think we have a really good chance this year.” #22 Lopez said.

Other seniors echoed the confidence.

“I feel good. I feel like we are going to have a good playoff year. We have a chance of being state champs. We really work to it, and we push each other in practice.” #21 Young said.

#27 Stephens even had a few words to share this time.

“I feel like we have a pretty good chance.” Stephens said.

They were also just feeling happy and excited.

“I feel pretty good, just excited to play in the playoffs.” #88 Guerro said.

The Steers finished at first place in their district with a 3-0 record and will have a rematch at home against the Mountainair Mustangs on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m. The regular season game between the Steers and the Mustangs was a very competitive, back-and-forth game in which the Steers barely edged out the Mustangs 28-25.

Socorro Warriors battle Cobre Indians for their first win of the season

It was a football day that had a little bit of everything. Back down in Socorro, it was also Senior Night for the Warriors, the spring 2025 NM state champs from SHS girls golf team received their rings on the field, Socorro assistant coach Chuck Zimmerly was knocked out (briefly) on the sidelines when a player was pushed out of bounds in his direction, the young cheerleaders joined the SHS cheer team out on the field, Charisma Blues danced at halftime, the lights went out at exactly 10 p.m. but the game was still going, and the Warriors got their first win of the season.

Despite the rain, the Socorro Warriors honored their seniors just before kick-off: Jaquavis Brawley, Jacob Angel, Kyle Berger, and Miguel Montano were suited-up to play that day. Jaxon Griffith did not play due to an injury, but was still on the sideline cheering on his team. In addition to the players, SHS honored seniors Sienna Bunning and Serenity Montoya of the Charisma Blues dance team, as well as two former student managers for the football team, Mariana and Iliana Perez.

The game itself was defined mostly by defense and yellow flags. The first quarter went scoreless, then Cobre Indians scored a touchdown and an extra point early in the second quarter to go up 7-0.

Socorro answered by scoring a touchdown with 2:31 left in the second quarter. It was the third time in the endzone on that drive that finally counted. #2 Nazario Silva’s first TD catch looked good but was ruled out of bounds, then a TD by #22 Brendan Reichenbach was called back due to a penalty. Silva’s second TD catch of the drive was definitely in bounds, and the Warriors had six points on the scoreboard. Kyle Berger’s extra point tied it up 7-7.

Halftime, the third quarter, and most of the fourth quarter passed with the score remaining the same. With only a few minutes remaining in the game, a Warriors drive took them into the redzone. An interception by Cobre in the endzone with 2:58 left on the clock seemed to kill the momentum. However, intended Warriors receiver #6 Jacob Angel was blocked in the back while pursuing the Cobre player who made the interception. The blindside block penalty in the endzone resulted in a safety, giving the Warriors two points and forcing Cobre to kick to the Warriors. The Warriors were up 9-7.

The excitement wasn’t over yet though. The Indians got one more possession in the game, starting at their own 36 yard line with 1:30 on the clock. Cobre was threatening when Warrior #17 Leland Padilla, a freshman, stopped the drive with a pick. The ball passed through his arms heading towards the ground, but a quick reaction by Padilla pinned the ball to his legs as he fell to the ground, securing the interception.

“My team and I went out there and fought hard, and that’s all that matters. It was fun. I did this with my team, and that’s a win for me…after all those losses we had. And go Warriors.” Padilla said.

The 1-8 Warriors play their last district game on the road versus the 7-1 Dexter Demons on Friday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m. Socorro is now 1-4 in its district, while Dexter is undefeated in the district with a 5-0 record. They will be the underdogs, but Socorro Head Coach Derek Smith and the Warriors are hoping to keep this bit of momentum they have going.

Alamo Cougars rest up for playoff game

The Cougars finished up their regular season on a three game winning streak to go undefeated in their district at 3-0. They had no game the week of Oct. 24, and were able to rest up, practice, and focus on their upcoming playoff game.

Their playoff game was announced over the past weekend. The Alamo Cougars will be traveling to Tierra Amarilla, NM, to face off against the Escalante Lobos on Friday, Oct. 31. The Lobos finished their season 7-3 overall and 4-1 in their district. So, Alamo will be going up against a tough team, but the Cougars have been on a hot streak and will be ready for the game.

“It’s going to be a long drive getting there, but we are excited that our hard work has finally paid off by winning district champs. We are going to keep that motivation and momentum going as we head to Escalante.” Cougars Head Coach Wyatt Billy said.

Notable stats from the last game against Ramah, on Oct. 17, include eight receptions for 123 yards and a TD by senior Andy Pino, plus four other receptions by teammates for 44 more yards. Senior QB Scotty Guerro threw for 167 yards. The Cougars also had 29 carries for 189 rushing yards and a TD in that game, making for a total of 356 offensive yards.

Alamo was 3-5 overall for the season, but 3-0 in the district where it really counts for them.