SIX-MAN FOOTBALL: No title this time for NMSD

Lake Arthur tops NMSD in six-man football championship

James Barron | The New Mexican

11/10/2007 -

The pain finally was too much for Dustin Moulder to bear.

It was more than the throbbing in his left hand from taking a helmet on it. Or the sore ribs that jabbed at every breath the New Mexico School for the Deaf senior took in the second half. Or the pain in his groin after hitting Lake Arthur's 265-pound quarterback, Aarmon Guillen, near the goal line.

Moulder finally let the frustration of a scoreboard reminding him that a second straight six-man football state title was not to be get to him. He cried as he laid face-down on the sidelines while being tended to as the last few minutes of the six-man football state championship game ticked away at Santa Fe High's Ivan Head Stadium Saturday afternoon.

It would not be his lasting image as a 60-37 win by the Panthers (9-1) came to a close. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound quarterback/running back returned to the field with a final flurry — a 52-yard touchdown on a screen pass to cap the scoring with 61 seconds left followed by the recovery of the ensuing onside kick.

"I just wanted to play," Moulder said through interpreter Bonnie-Lyn Barker. "I wanted to get it together and get back on the field."

Once the final gun sounded, Moulder and his 13 teammates sobbed and wiped away tears. Being second-best wasn't quite what they wanted, but it wouldn't take away from a two-year run in which NMSD also celebrated its first state title in any sport after last year's championship game.

"I tried to tell the guys nobody expected us to be here," NMSD head coach Robert Huizar said. "I don't know if they listened, but I tried."

But the first three-and-a-half quarters belonged to Lake Arthur, and a new force in six-man took the stage. Moulder came in as the reigning six-man player of the year, but it was Panthers junior running back Gabriel Rubio who looked the part.

The 5-6 speedster had 208 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Five scores came on the ground, and one was a 72-gallop down the left sideline on the opening kickoff. Domingo Pisana's kick was good for the two-point conversion just 15 seconds into the first quarter.

"That's what (head coach Jose Porras) preached to us all this week — start off the game with no slacking," Rubio said. "Start off the game strong and we'll finish the game strong."

NMSD (6-3) responded on its first drive, as Moulder appeared to be up to his usual tricks. He sprinted to his right, and hit Christopher Barrett for a 59-yard touchdown pass. The point-after attempt failed, and the 8-6 score was as close as NMSD got.

Three of Lake Arthur's next four drives ended with Rubio touchdown runs of 3, 33 and 25 yards for a 30-12 lead to end the quarter. Guillen rumbled through three NMSD defenders on his way to a 40-yard touchdown to make it 38-12 at the 9:28 mark of the second, but it would take the Panthers 11 minutes to score again.

In between that time, the Roadrunners had the ball four times in Lake Arthur territory, but scored just once. Twice, drives were thwarted at the goal line as Danny Gachupin fumbled a snap that was recovered by Panther Angelo Rivera at the Lake Arthur 3-yard line. Rubio then intercepted a Moulder pass at the goal line with 2:24 until halftime.

Moulder hit just 2 off 11 passes and running for only 43 yards in the first half after gaining 666 yards of total offense in last week's semifinal win over Hondo Valley.

"I'm scratching my head, trying to think of what I did wrong," Huizar said. "Nothing clicked."

Something finally did for NMSD on its opening drive, capped by Moulder's 9-yard touchdown run for 38-19 at the 8:37 mark of the third. But Rubio responded with a 24-yard touchdown on the next drive for 44-19, and Guillen hit Stewart McNeil for a 53-yard TD pass with 7:35 left in the season for 52-19.

"I'm very thankful because I have a group of good guys," Porras said. "I've had them since they were eighth-graders, and just to go from 0-9 (in 2005) to 4-5 and then 9-1 — and then to have them all back — well, that's how you build a program."

While Lake Arthur is ascending, Huizar will try to keep NMSD near the top. Moulder and Barrett are major losses, but sophomore David Gloria, who had two touchdowns in the final 5 minutes, will be a building block for next year.

"Good thing for me he's a sophomore," Huizar said. "Maybe he can catch up to Gabriel."

Gloria's already got his standard bearer in Moulder. It's not a bad career to emulate.

Contact James Barron at 986-3045 or jbarron@sfnewmexican.com