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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2013 THE NEW MEXICAN
SPORTS UNM FOOTBALL
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College football: Chelf’s career day leads OSU past Baylor 49-17. Page D-4
PREP FOOTBALL LAS VEGAS ROBERTSON 22, ST. MICHAEL’S 13
Fresno St. rolls past Lobos
Left in the cold
UNM’s offense struggles without Gautsche, Carrier By Josh Dubow The Associated Press
FRESNO, Calif. — Derek Carr threw for 527 yards and a schoolrecord seven touchdowns in his final regular-season home game to help No. 15 Fresno State clinch a spot in the Mountain West title game with a 69-28 victory over Fresno St. 69 New Mexico on UNM 28 Saturday. Davante Adams had nine catches for 246 yards and four scores, and Josh Harper added 10 for 161 and three TDs as the Bulldogs (10-0, 7-0) gained a schoolrecord 820 yards and clinched first place in the West Division. They will likely host the conference championship game on Dec. 7 as long as they remain ahead of the Mountain Division winner in the BCS standings. The Lobos (3-8, 1-6) lost their 15th straight game against a ranked opponent as they struggled on offense without injured quarterback Cole Gautsche and running back Kasey Carrier and had no defensive answer to stop Carr and the Bulldogs’ bevy of playmakers. Fresno State scored touchdowns on five of its first six possessions to turn senior day into a daylong celebration that started with a ceremony for the departing players and ended with a division championship as the Bulldogs opened 10-0 for the first time since 1989.
Please see LOBOS, Page D-3
Detroit Lions’ Nick Pietrosante, left, and Wayne Walker stand during ceremonies honoring slain President John F. Kennedy before a Nov. 24, 1963, game. AP FILE PHOTO
Daniel Ortega of St. Michael’s is brought down by Robertson’s Kenneth Yara and J.R. Gonzalez during the first quarter of Saturday’s game at Christian Brothers Athletic Complex. For more photos of the game, go to http://tinyurl.com/qfvqj4b. PHOTOS BY LUIS SÁNCHEZ SATURNO/THE NEW MEXICAN
Cardinals advance to AAA semifinals after major upset By Will Webber The New Mexican
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oll on, Redemption Tour. On a mission to potentially avenge four of its five losses during the regular season, the Las Vegas Robertson football team pulled the biggest upset the state playoffs have seen in years with a stunning 22-13 win over previously undefeated St. Michael’s on a snowy Saturday afternoon at the Christian Brothers Athletic Complex. The ninth-seeded Cardinals (7-5) advance into next week’s Class AAA semifinals to face District 2AAA rival Taos (10-1).
The fifth-seeded Tigers won a postgame coin toss to determine home field advantage, meaning Robertson will visit Taos next Saturday at 1 p.m. Not even that could wipe the smile off Cardinals head coach Leroy Gonzalez’s face. As he gathered his players for an emotional postgame celebration, he was asked about how his team managed to take down mighty St. Michael’s (10-1). “That,” he began, “is how you punch somebody in the mouth!” Robertson held the potent Horsemen offense to just 197 total yards, including a pedestrian 129 in the rushing department. The Cardinals controlled
the game at the line of scrimmage, continuously shoving St. Michael’s off the ball while running backs Dominic Lucero (171 yards) and James Gonzales (123) sliced and diced their way through a Horsemen defense that had served as the backbone of the state’s top team for each of the last three seasons. “Heart and hard work,” Lucero said. “It’s determination. These guys got after us pretty good the first time and we knew, as a team, we were better than that. We showed we’re better than that.” In fact, they showed they were much better than perhaps anyone
Please see COLD, Page D-3
COMMENTARY
NFL plays as a nation mourns By Tim Dahlberg The Associated Press
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mericans grieved in front of their television sets on a brutally grim Sunday afternoon 50 years ago as a horse-drawn caisson took the body of President John F. Kennedy from the White House to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda. In Dallas, a nightclub operator named Jack Ruby further stunned the nation that day by shooting Lee Harvey Oswald to death in blackand-white images broadcast across the country. And in seven U.S. cities, men put on their shoulder pads, strapped on their helmets and took the field to play games that suddenly didn’t seem so fun anymore. As unimaginable as it might seem today — and did seem to many even then — the NFL played on despite the assassination of a president just two days earlier. “Everyone has a different way of paying respects,” Commissioner Pete Rozelle said that day at Yankee Stadium. “I went to church today, and I imagine many of the people at the game here did, too. I cannot feel that playing the game was disrespectful, nor can I feel that I have made a mistake.” Rozelle was wrong on both counts, something he would later admit when he called his decision to play
Please see MOURNS, Page D-5
St. Mike’s ends season, streak By James Barron The New Mexican
The tears were supposed to flow two weeks from now, not Saturday. The St. Michael’s Horsemen had a legacy to preserve. All Las Vegas Robertson had was vengeance in its heart. So when Joey Fernandez stood in front of his sullen, devastated group after the Cardinals landed a hay-maker of an upset with a 22-13 win in the Class AAA quarterfinals at Christian Brothers Athletic Complex, he talked in hushed tones as he tried to hold back tears. On a snowy, bitterly cold Saturday afternoon, the top-seeded Horsemen said goodbye to the 2013 season. And to a 23-game winning streak. And the chance to repeat as state champions. The loss more than stung. Armando Blea dropped his helmet to the ground after the team broke up its final huddle of the season. Sean Catanach cried as he was being consoled by the Horsemen faithful. Luke Sanchez, who missed the last 5 minutes of the game after getting his bell rung on a run, answered questions in hushed tones. “This will linger all the way ‘til next season,” said the senior. “I hope the juniors and the sophomores have that chip on their shoulder for next year.” All Fernandez could do was wax poetic about the premature end of the season — and hope the loss plants a seed for the 2014 edition that spouts into similar success. “It’s always got to end and you can’t always stay on top,” Fernandez said. “It’s good to be on top, but sometimes it’s better to cruise under the radar, lose a few games
Please see ENDS, Page D-3
Robertson’s James Gonzales III jumps over a swarm of St. Michael’s defenders during the second quarter Saturday. Robertson won after falling to the Horsemen earlier in the season.
NBA
Bulls’ Rose needs knee surgery, out indefinitely By Andrew Seligman The Associated Press
CHICAGO — Chicago Bulls superstar Derrick Rose is out indefinitely because of torn cartilage in his right knee that will require surgery, the team said Saturday. The former MVP has a medial meniscus tear, and there’s no immediate timetable for his return. Rose had an MRI in Los Angeles on Saturday after he was injured a night earlier at Portland. He won’t be with the team for its remaining four games on its six-game trip. The three-time All-Star sat out last season recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Now, it’s his other knee that’s injured. “It’s sad, knowing how hard he worked to get back,” said All-Star guard Chris Paul of the Clippers, who will host the Bulls on Sunday. Rose’s injury occurred in the third quarter against the Trail Blazers. He lost his footing while trying to change direction to get back on defense when Nicolas Batum stole a pass from Joakim Noah and started the other way. Rose limped across the court and couldn’t put any weight on his knee. After the Blazers scored, he came out of the game during a timeout. It didn’t appear there was any contact on the play. Rose was unable to return and was on crutches afterward.
Sports information: James Barron, 986-3045, jbarron@sfnewmexican.com Design and headlines: Stephanie Proffer, sproffer@sfnewmexican.com
“I feel bad for him,” said Clippers All-Star Blake Griffin, who tore his meniscus in college at Oklahoma and was playing a few days later. “The good news is it’s not nearly as bad as what he went through
“That helps that locker room because they know there’s a return date,” said Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who is close friends with Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. “With ACLs, there’s no return date.” The Bulls (6-5) were even eyeing a championship run for the first time Derrick Rose since the Michael Jordan-Scottie Pippen era. [before].” Now, there’s a big cloud hanging Even though the injury isn’t as seri- over the franchise. And once again, it ous as a torn ACL, losing Rose for centers on Rose. any chunk of time is obviously a huge The latest injury rekindled memoblow for a team expecting to challenge ries of the 2012 playoff opener against LeBron James and the Miami Heat for Philadelphia, when he crumpled to supremacy in the Eastern Conference the court near the end of the game with its franchise player back. with a torn ACL in his left knee.
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