Mayfield drops opener to Los Lunas

Tayson Gaxiola took the opening kickoff back for a touchdown, and Los Lunas never gave Mayfield much time to settle in during the first quarter Friday night. 

By the end of the opening period, the Tigers had built a 17-0 lead at the Field of Dreams. Mayfield found its footing from there, but missed opportunities and mistakes kept the Trojans from completing the comeback in a 23-13 loss to open the season. 

Los Lunas struck immediately behind Gaxiola, a senior wide receiver who turned the opening kickoff into the game’s first touchdown. Senior kicker Nathan Martinez later added a field goal to push the advantage to 10-0 before the Tigers connected on a deep touchdown pass late in the quarter. 

Mayfield had chances to respond during the fast start. The Trojans reached the Los Lunas 7-yard line on an early possession but came away without points, one of several drives that moved into scoring territory without producing a touchdown. 

The Trojans began to settle in during the second quarter. Their defense stopped Los Lunas near the goal line after a long completion put the Tigers at the Mayfield 2. Later, senior Isaac Zuniga recorded a sack that helped force another Los Lunas punt, part of a defensive stretch that kept the Tigers off the scoreboard for the rest of the half. 

Mayfield finally broke through behind junior quarterback Angelo Martos. A long completion to senior Nathaniel Dominguez helped move the Trojans deep into Los Lunas territory before Martos found senior Israel Cabanas for an 11-yard touchdown with 2:41 remaining in the second quarter. 

The extra point cut the deficit to 17-7, where the score remained through halftime. 

Neither team scored in the third quarter as both defenses continued to create stops. Mayfield had opportunities to make it a one-score game but could not capitalize. One drive ended with a missed field goal, while another stalled on downs.  

That continued early in the fourth quarter when the Trojans moved inside the Los Lunas 5-yard line but again came away empty. A dropped pass in the end zone, penalties and pressure on Martos contributed to an offense that showed it could move the ball but struggled to consistently finish drives. 

Los Lunas broke through again with 7:16 remaining. Gaxiola hauled in a pass and found room along the edge for his second touchdown of the night, extending the Tigers’ lead to 23-7 after a failed two-point conversion. Mayfield answered quickly. 

Martos moved the Trojans back into the red zone before connecting with sophomore Marcus Dominguez for a touchdown with 5:28 remaining. Mayfield’s two-point attempt failed, leaving the score at 23-13. 

The Trojans did not score again, and Los Lunas closed out the final minutes to secure the season-opening victory. 

Despite the loss, Mayfield held the Tigers scoreless throughout the second and third quarters and continued creating scoring chances after falling behind by 17. 

Mayfield begins the season 0-1 and will remain at home next week when it hosts Organ Mountain on Friday, Aug. 28. The Knights enter the matchup 1-0 after opening their season with a 46-14 win over Deming.