SILVER CITY, N.M. — Saturday night, West Texas defeated Western New Mexico University 58-27 at Ben Altamirano Field, to open up LSC play.
West Texas quickly fired in the first quarter with a commanding 81-yard drive, with a touchdown pass from RJ Martinez to Trevin Edwards at 12:48.The Mustangs responded with
Gabriel Levy's (Tucson, AZ/Cienega High School) persistent rushing and
Connor Ackerley's (Tempe, Arizona/Corona Del Sol High School) pivotal 27-yard pass to
Davey Morales (Queen Creek, AZ/Queen Creek High), setting up a touchdown pass to
Deuce Zimmerman (Anchorage, AK/East Anchorage High School), narrowing the score to 14-7 with 1:32 remaining. WT quickly extended their lead with a 62-yard touchdown pass to Edwards, ending the quarter with a 21-7 advantage.
The second quarter began with Western New Mexico's determined drive as Ackerley connected with Morales for a 9-yard gain, securing an early first down. Despite the efforts, the drive stalled, resulting in a punt. The Buffaloes capitalized with a touchdown at 4:49 on the clock, and would extended their lead to 42-7 by the end of the half.
In the third quarter, Western New Mexico demonstrated resilience as Ackerley connected with Zimmerman for a crucial 29-yard completion at 11:16, setting up a scoring drive that concluded with Ackerley's 22-yard touchdown pass to
Anthony Flores (Casa Grande, AZ/Casa Grande Union High School). Despite WT's two touchdown passes, the Mustangs maintained their offensive momentum late in the quarter, as Ackerley's 13-yard touchdown pass to
Jacob Helt (Chandler, AZ/Corona Del Sol High School) with just four seconds left on the clock capped a determined 13-play, 75-yard drive.
In the fourth quarter, the Mustangs responded to the Buffaloes' early offensive efforts with a dramatic 76-yard touchdown pass from Ackerley to Zimmerman at 10:59, narrowing the scoring gap.
Deven Dyer (Albuquerque, NM/New Mexico State Univ) played a pivotal role on defense, forcing a fumble recovered by
Christian Nunnally (Phoenix, AZ/Saguaro High School) at the 11:11 mark, which set the stage for the touchdown. Despite a late push by WT, including a successful field goal and another attempt that missed, WNMU continued to press forward, with
Eli Wehbey (Red Bluff, CA/Shasta College) completing several key passes in the closing minutes, before falling short as the clock expired. This loss marked the third straight defeat for WNMU against the Buffaloes.
Ackerley completed 27 of 43 passes for 324 yards and four touchdowns, leading the offensive effort. Zimmerman added significant receiving yardage with five catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns. On defense,
Bradly Harris (Lancaster, CA/Mt Sac) led the team with seven total tackles.
Diego Diaz (Frisco, TX/Fullerton College) contributed defensively with six tackles, matching Dyer, who also forced a fumble.
West Texas A&M's offense was spearheaded by senior quarterback Martinez, who completed 19 of 28 passes for 388 yards and five touchdowns without throwing an interception. Senior wide receiver Edwards was a key target, hauling in seven receptions for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver C'ing Blanton also made significant contributions with two catches totaling 104 yards and two touchdowns.
On the defensive side, junior defensive lineman Jahmek Armstrong delivered an impressive performance with four tackles and two sacks. Junior linebacker Javin Cash led the team with seven total tackles, providing a solid backbone to the defense.
WNMU stands at 1-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play following the loss. The Buffaloes improved to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in conference competition after the victory.
The Mustangs will travel to San Angelo, Texas, to face Angelo State at LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field on Saturday, September 20. Kickoff is set for 5:00pm MT.
