Holbrook easily pushed past visiting Red Mesa on a cold Friday night at Roadrunner Stadium. Playing on a wet field, the Birds had a 13-0 lead before their first offensive play. Simeon Shaw returned back-to-back punts for touchdowns to start things off for the home team. His first return covered 35 yards, and moments later the second came from 38 yards and the route was on.
Holbrook’s defense held Red Mesa repeatedly setting up short fields for their own offense. The third score of the night came on a 15-yard run by Matthias Montijo which capped a three-play, 39-yard drive.
With the ball quickly back in the offense’s hands, Holbrook put together their longest drive of the night. Darren Justman connected with Daniel John on a short five-yard pass capping a seven-play, 59-yard drive. Baler Reidhead’s PAT pushed the margin to 26-0.
The next points came on a short field as well. Following a Red Mesa fumble, Holbrook scored in three plays when Shaw found paydirt from five yards away, extending the lead to 33-0.
Justman picked off a Red Mesa ariel, setting up his own 13-yard run midway through the second. Reidhead’s point after boot increased the lead to 40-0.
The final points of the half came on a 25-yard run by Shaw who has quickly become Holbrook’s primary offensive weapon. Reidhead’s boot made the score 47-0 at the half.
Playing with the large lead some offensive linemen got into the scoring column in the second half. Victo Saiz scored on a 10-yard run moving the lead to 54-0. John scored the game’s final points on a short run making the score 61-0.
Justman completed nine of 11 passes for 137 yards, with three touchdowns. John had six receptions for 44 yards. Shaw had two for 65 yards, and Manny Rico had one 28-yard catch.
On the ground, Matthias Montino had a big night rushing with a touchdown. Justman helped out, carrying five times for 57 yards scoring once.
With the win, Holbrook improved their record to 5-3. This week they travel out to Pinon to take on the Eagles who were ranked 14th heading into Friday’s game. Their 7-1 record is misleading due to the quality of their overall schedule to this point. Holbrook won this match-up last year 42-0 and Roadrunner fans can expect a similar outcome this year.
