SILVER CITY, N.M. – After starting the season on the road for two consecutive weeks (1-1), the WNMU Football team finally played their home opener, and fans were not disappointed.  The Mustangs welcomed in-state rival NMHU to town for the annual La Batalla Bowl.  In a tough fought game, the Mustangs and Cowboys traded scores throughout the entire game until late in the fourth quarter with the Mustangs scoring late and their defense stopping the Cowboys on a last chance drive to secure the victory, 36-33.

"I loved how our guys battled and played unaffected by the scoreboard. Throughout the game we felt like anytime that we struggled it was self-inflicted, so executing cleanly down the stretch was huge," said Head Coach Billy Hickman. "We must continue to grow. We are very close in some spots to being very good. In some other areas, we have a lot of work to do to improve and mend the deficiencies we saw tonight, or we will really struggle against Lone Star opponents."

Jamon Chambers (Federal Way, WA/Stadium High School) lead the Mustangs ground attack for a second straight week with 29 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns (TDs), making that a total of five TDs in a two week span.

Mustangs Quarterback Josh Magana (Dinuba, CA/Dinuba High School) had his best game of his WNMU career, completing 17 of 36 passing for 300 yards with three TDs and was sacked once.

Davey Morales (Queen Creek, AZ/Queen Creek High School) lead the Mustangs receiving corps on the night, catching seven passes for 98 yards and two TDs. Edwin LaCrosse (Los Alamitos, CA/Los Alamitos High School) also contributed four catches for 53 yards and one TD.
  
Cole Lalama (Queen Creek, AZ/Queen Creek High School) had a stellar night defensively for the Mustangs, finishing the night with 15 tackles, including 12 solos.  Preston Helu (Reno, NV/Ironwood Ridge High School) and Stephen Nagbe (Willingboro, NJ/) had four solos and one assisted tackle on the night. Ryan ten Hulscher (Rijswijk, Netherlands/) had the lone sack on the night for the Mustangs.

First Quarter:
 
WNMU scores first with a 13-yard pass from Josh Magana (Dinuba, CA/Dinuba High School) to Davey Morales (Queen Creek, AZ/Queen Creek High School). The extra point is good, making it 7-0.

Second Quarter:
 
NMHU ties the game with a 4-yard pass from Joey Cave to Jacob Ledesma. Extra point makes it 7-7.

WNMU regains the lead with a 2-yard run by Jamon Chambers (Federal Way, WA/Stadium High School). Extra point is good, 14-7.

 NMHU ties the game again with a 22-yard run by Joey Cave, making it 14-14 after the extra point.

Third Quarter:
 
 WNMU takes the lead again with a 1-yard run by Jamon Chambers (Federal Way, WA/Stadium High School). Score is 21-14 after the extra point.

NMHU responds with a 13-yard run by Mason Peterson, tying the game 21-21.

WNMU scores with a 6-yard pass from Magana to Morales, making it 28-21.

Fourth Quarter:
 
NMHU narrows the gap with a 17-yard pass from Jeliun Carter to Mason Peterson. After a missed extra point, the score is 28-27

NMHU takes the lead with a 21-yard pass from Jeliun Carter to Nathan Lopez, making it 33-28 after another missed extra point.

WNMU seals the win with a 6-yard pass from Josh Magana (Dinuba, CA/Dinuba High School) to Edwin LaCrosse (Los Alamitos, CA/Los Alamitos High School), followed by a successful 2-point conversion. 
 
Final score: 36-33 in favor of WNMU.

The Mustangs will host Angelo State, Saturday September 21, 2024 at 6 p.m. MT, at Ben Altamirano Filed.