Clovis High running back Tristan Risley eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards on the season, found the end zone once and helped Clovis High to a 27-23 win against rival Clovis West. The Cougars reclaimed the Range Rider trophy for the first time since 2015.
“We took a group of young men, put them in a very stressful situation and they performed and executed a plan together. They picked each other up when things were tough and that’s a beautiful thing,” said head coach Rich Hammond.
Clovis High entered their locker room at the half down 20-14 and had just given up a 64-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown to Golden Eagles’ player Chris Shambourger.
After the Clovis High defense gave up a field goal to start the second half, Cougars’ quarterback Isaiah Robles responded by finding wide receiver Nate Johnson for a 64-yard touchdown reception that brought Clovis High back within one score. It was Robles’ second touchdown pass and added onto his opening drive 12-yard rushing touchdown.
Risley’s standout day would continue into the fourth quarter, however, as the sophomore running back factored heavily into the eventual game-winning drive.
“It’s probably an 18-play drive,” Hammond explained. “It’s so easy to make a mistake and that’s the part where I’m really proud of our guys,” Hammond added.
Clovis High continually put the ball into the hands of Risley, who was able to consistently find the yardage needed to keep moving down the field, often without needing more than two-downs to move the chains.
The drive culminated in a six-yard touchdown run from Risley — his first and only on the night. The score gave the Cougars their first lead since early in the second quarter.
Clovis High’s two-point conversion failed and they gave the ball back to the Golden Eagles who had four minutes on the clock and were in need of a touchdown. Clovis High would recover a fumble near the Clovis West sideline, though, giving them the chance to put the ball back into the hands of Risley who burned the remaining time off the clock.
Clovis West’s Bradley Stenneway threw two touchdown passes in a losing effort, one of which was a 57-yard pass to wide receiver Dewayne Benjamin. Two of Clovis West’s touchdowns came on plays longer than 50 yards, emblematic of the rarer big plays that went West’s way.
“You get down like that, down two scores, you can let doubt creep in. Our guys stayed focused and did the little things that it took for us to get the victory. I’m extremely proud of them,” head coach Hammond said.
With this win, Clovis High ends their league play with a record of 3-2 while Clovis West will end their regular season with a league record of 1-4.