<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2sF9Ku_1H11VsKC00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2sF9Ku_1H11VsKC00" width="1058" height="604" ></figure>It’s what high school postseason football is all about, especially when your team comes out on top. Belen and Valencia each staged fourth quarter rallies at home, finally nailing down victories with just seconds left in their opening round contests in the 4A playoffs. <h2>Belen Eagles</h2>In rainy Belen, a stunning fourth-quarter comeback Friday by the Eagles (8-3) against Grants (4-7) was capped with 3.6 seconds left when Luke Gallegos booted a 30-yard field goal to eliminate the Pirates 17-16. “I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I’d be,” said Gallegos, who is playing his first year of football. However, Gallegos was jittery after the kick, as he watched the ball start to curve. “It had me sweating a little bit. It went right, around the post and came in to the left,” for the game-winning points. The No. 6 Eagles had to be sweating when they were down 16-7 with less than four minutes to go. That’s when quarterback Chalito Cano heaved a pass toward the end zone that a Grants defender seemed to have a bead-on. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2DipTV_1H11VsKC00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2DipTV_1H11VsKC00" width="960" height="548" ><figcaption>Chalito Cano evades a Grant's defender during Belen's 17-16 victory.</figcaption></figure>But his leap for an interception was misjudged, allowing Ramon Martinez to haul the pass in for a 41-yard touchdown. “I looked up and it barely cleared his hands. I caught it right in the basket,” was Martinez’ description of the touchdown. From there, skill and a bit of luck carried BHS the rest of the way against 11th-seeded Grants. With wet conditions after a steady rain in the first half, the ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Eagles. As time was winding down, several Pirates had a chance to recover a Belen fumble inside the 5-yard line but couldn’t secure the ball. A short time later, Gallegos booted the dramatic field goal. “What a game,” said Kevin Peña, BHS head coach, shortly after the final buzzer. “It’s exciting to get a win no matter what, but in the playoffs it sure is a lot nicer.” The victory sets up a rematch with three-seed Portales, which defeated the Eagles 34-27 Oct. 2. This time the game is in Portales, at 7 p.m. Friday. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1fn17W_1H11VsKC00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1fn17W_1H11VsKC00" width="2032" height="1160" ><figcaption>The Valencia Jaguars celebrate a touchdown Saturday during their 19-14 victory over Espanola Valley in the first round of the 4A playoffs.</figcaption></figure><h2>Valencia Jaguars</h2>After two-lopsided losses at home to end the regular season, No. 8 Valencia (6-5) turned things around Saturday afternoon with a 19-14 victory against ninth-seeded Espanola Valley (5-6) in the first round of the 4A playoffs. A 3-yard touchdown run with about nine minutes left in the fourth quarter by Santino Mares, who missed the previous game with an ankle injury, put VHS ahead for good. “It changed our offense a lot,” said LeDarrius Cage, VHS head coach, about having Mares back in the lineup. “He still wasn’t 100 percent, but you could tell he was out there fighting.” Malachi McCoy and Aiden Farless scored first half touchdowns for Valencia. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1Oosyi_1H11VsKC00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1Oosyi_1H11VsKC00" width="960" height="548" ><figcaption>Danny Cristan, No. 14, Abel Cisneros, No. 54, and Austin Jaramillo enjoy Valencia's playoff victory over Espanola Valley.</figcaption></figure>“He started the tone off pretty well from the beginning,” Cage said of the performance by Farless.The win wasn’t sealed until an interception in the closing seconds by linebacker Santiago Perea. “I feel we can hang and bang with these kids up there in Bloomfield,” Perea said of the Jaguars quarterfinal opponent.To have a chance against the top-seeded Bobcats (9-1), the Jaguars will need to eliminate turnovers, which were a problem against Espanola Valley. “That type of stuff we’ve got to fix for a team like Bloomfield,” Cage said. Bloomfield will host VHS at 1 p.m. Saturday. <h2>Los Lunas Tigers</h2>It will be a battle of Tigers Saturday afternoon, when No. 5 Alamogordo (7-4) visits fourth-seeded Los Lunas in a 5A quarterfinal matchup.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3WbmvF_1H11VsKC00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3WbmvF_1H11VsKC00" width="960" height="548" ><figcaption>The Los Lunas Tigers host Alamogordo at 9 a.m., Saturday in the 5A quarterfinals</figcaption></figure>LLHS (7-3) enjoyed a first-round bye while Alamogordo routed Chaparral 54-0 in the first round. LLHS coach Stephen Johnston says that Alamogordo is very disciplined, with good size, a physical defense and running game. “It’s going to be a fun opportunity,” he added. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. Saturday.</div></body>

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It’s what high school postseason football is all about, especially when your team comes out on top. Belen and Valencia each staged fourth quarter rallies at home, finally nailing down victories with just seconds left in their opening round contests in the 4A playoffs. Belen Eagles. In rainy Belen,...

Last second heroics for Eagles, Jaguars

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It’s what high school postseason football is all about, especially when your team comes out on top. Belen and Valencia each staged fourth quarter rallies a

Last second heroics for Eagles, Jaguars

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