After two consecutive district titles in 2007 and 2008, the 2009 season has been quite the opposite. The Raiders playoff hopes took a serious blow with a loss to the Canyon Eagles and the loss puts the Raiders in a must-win situation against Dumas.
In what would be the last home game for seniors, the Raiders and the Eagles were locked in a tight game in the first half, but due to costly turnovers by the Raiders paired with an explosive Eagles offense, the second half was all Canyon. Canyon would go on to win by a score of 48-24 and clinched the district 3-4A title. The Raiders now sit at 1-8, the school’s worst record since 1990.
“With Canyon being a big rivalry game, we wanted to make sure to go out playing our hardest and make the best out of the last home game for the seniors,” center Frankie Garcia said. “But we had a lot of mistakes and missed opportunities in general.”
The Raiders started the season with six consecutive losses, but showed signs of life after a big win over Palo Duro.
“I was hoping to turn things around after that win but we just haven’t been consistent,” head coach Bryan Wood said. “The kids [have been] playing hard, but we just can’t seem to put a full game together.”
The Raiders went on to lose both of their next two contests to Caprock and Canyon.
“Our biggest problem was not being consistent,” Garcia said. “One week the offense would be good and the defense was bad, and then the other way around.”
The Raiders next game against Dumas is a must-win if the Raiders want to have any hope of a playoff berth, but even still the Raiders need other teams to lose in order to guarantee a spot.
“We want to go out and approach this game like any other,” Garcia said. “But we need to be especially focused and determined if we want to make the playoffs.”
Despite having the school’s worst record in nearly 20 years, the Raiders said they still have hope for the future with a junior varsity team that is 4-0 in district and an undefeated freshman squad.
“The future is bright,” Wood said. “We will need to have a good offseason and really go to work on building speed, strength and relationships.”