MULESHOE – Brought to life by baseball legend Yogi Berra and made into a song by Lenny Kravitz, the phrase “it ain’t over until it’s over” holds plenty of credence. You could ask both the New Home Leopards and the Muleshoe Mules, who could easily confirm that statement.
Even though the visiting Leopards held a 20-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter of a nondistrict contest held on Friday at Benny Douglas Stadium, the Mules were within the grasp of a comeback.
With 6:44 left in the game, Muleshoe junior running back Josue Sigala followed his offensive line for a two-yard touchdown. Following a two-point conversion from senior receiver Johnny Hernandez, the Mules trailed by six at 20-14.
All Muleshoe needed was to stall out the visiting side. New Home had other plans.
Down the stretch, the Leopards responded with big plays, scoring two late touchdowns via senior wideout Colby Cook and junior slotback Lincoln Preston, while senior lineman Haden Brumley recovered a fumble in between.
Due to the strong finish, the Leopards downed the Mules by way of a 34-14 decision.
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“We talked about it at halftime that this was going to be a four quarter game,” said Jon Ward, head coach for New Home. “(Muleshoe) is a big, physical and strong football team. We just talked about finishing the fight and responding in a positive way whenever things are going good or when things are going bad.”
Preston helped pace the Leopards, rushing for 69 yards and two touchdowns on four carries and pulling down four catches for 111 yards and one touchdown. The junior averaged 17.3 yards on the ground and 27.8 yards per reception.
According to Preston, it was redemption. Last season, New Home dropped a 22-13 contest against Muleshoe at home.
“It feels uplifting,” said Preston, following his performance. “We lost to them last year, so it makes (this win) even better.”
Even though the Mules couldn’t quite notch the home victory, first-year head coach Bo Dickinson knew his team battled until the final horn.
“Effort is the number one thing that we talk about, followed by discipline, belief and pride in what we do,” Dickinson said. “Those are things that our kids embody every day, and it’s what we talk about every day. Our kids have really bought into that, but we need to make sure we stay on top of that in the game. Whether we’re up by 100 or we’re down by 100, we just want to play hard.”
Sigala was proverbial engine for Muleshoe, rushing for 154 yards and two touchdowns while catching four passes for 32 yards. On defense, Sigala recovered a fumble for the Mules.
“(Sigala) is a dynamic athlete,” Dickinson said. “The best part is just how good of a kid he is. He works his butt off and he tries to do all of the little things right. When the ball is in his hand, you just don’t know what’s going to happen. Our offensive line is a really good unit, and they open up a lot of things for him. They really help us out.”
Muleshoe dropped to 2-1 on the season.
The Mules will have a big test on the horizon, hosting Canadian next Friday at Benny Douglas Stadium. The Wildcats (3-0) outlasted Dumas in a 40-35 nailbiter on Friday at Chris Koetting Field at Wildcat Stadium in Canadian.
As an alumnus, Dickinson understands Canadian’s methods quite well. However, he wants his team to focus on its continued improvement.
“I told them this after the game, that it doesn’t matter who we’re playing,” said Dickinson. “All we should focus on is us and us being better. It doesn’t matter who we play at the end of the week, we’re going to focusing on us, but man, I’m excited to get in it with those guys.”
New Home rattled off its second straight win, moving to 2-1 so far on the season.
The Leopards embark on their third road trip in four weeks, traveling south and west to face Denver City next Friday at Mustang Stadium in Denver City. The Mustangs (1-2) were shut out by Trinity Christian, 35-0, on Friday at Archie Warwick Memorial Stadium in Lubbock.
To keep things going, Preston preached comradery and refinement.
“We just have to keep loving on each other,” said Preston. “As long as we keep growing and thanking the Lord every day, I believe we will be in good shape.”
New Home jumped ahead in the opening stanza, with senior quarterback Brayson Beck connecting with Preston. The junior then skirted alongside the sideline, and sprinted into the endzone for a 65-yard touchdown at the 10:20 mark.
“I went out on a corner route,” Preston said of his first score. “I see it, I go and then there’s a guy doing an angle pursuit on me. So, I just started running. I was going as fast as I could, and I got it.”
The PAT failed, leaving the Leopards with an early 6-0 lead.
Muleshoe answered with a methodical drive, which was aided by a Leopard penalty. From six yards out, Sigala powered his way into the paydirt.
The Mules’ PAT attempt was unsuccessful, tying the game up at 6-6. That score would hold until 42 seconds before intermission.
This time, Beck targeted his pass for the middle of the field, which ended up in the hands of senior slotback Parker Liles. Liles then turned on the jets, completing a 41-yard scoring play.
At the break, New Home held a 13-6 lead.
The Leopards would then extend their lead late in the third quarter. With 2:56 remaining in the period, Preston took a rush up the middle for a 26-yard touchdown run.
The seven points provided the Leopards with a 20-6 cushion heading into the final stretch.
Muleshoe narrowed their deficit, thanks to Sigala’s two yard score and a successful two-pointer from Hernandez. With 6:44 left, the Mules had plenty of time to complete their rally.
New Home answered by driving down the field, and converted a third and long with a pitch and catch from Beck to Cook. The Leopards committed a holding penalty a moment later, but saw Cook cut to the outside for a 24-yard touchdown run with 3:07 left.
With time winding down, Muleshoe saw their deficit return to double digits. Moments later, things went from bad to worse for the Mules, when senior quarterback Brayton Butler coughed up the football deep in Muleshoe’s own territory.
Brumley recovered the pigskin, which led to Preston’s 17-yard touchdown with 2:45 to go.
“The defense stepped up really well,” Ward said of the sequence. “We got the turnover and score on the next play. I believe that sealed the deal a little bit.”
Preston felt relief when the momentum swung in his team’s favor.
“I was at safety when I saw (the fumble recovery),” Preston said. “It felt nice.”
To Dickinson, the final score was a little deceptive. Up until the closing stretch, the Muleshoe defense kept the entire team within victory’s reach. Now, it’s about getting the passing game to develop, as Butler finished with 12-of-23 for 125 yards.
“I believe our defense has really taken over the last couple weeks,” said Dickinson. “We’re really good against the run. We still have some to work on in our passing game. I give credit to (assistant coach Jay McCook), he’s done a good job defensively. All of our assistant coaches on the defensive side have done phenomenally with our kids, and it’s just something that we do every single day.”
Beck was solid for New Home, going 13-of-19 for 273 yards and two touchdowns. The performance was good for a 154.1 quarterback rating. Beck also rushed for 56 yards on five carries.
Cook produced four catches for 79 yards and rushed twice for 35 yards and a touchdown. Liles contributed nicely with 83 yards on five catches.