Last week in their final regular-season game, the New Mexico Military Institute Bronco football team proved they could play on every side of the ball – whether it was offense, defense, or special teams – with a convincing 30-point win against Trinity Valley, a team that was ranked No. 4 in the nation earlier in the season.
This week, in their first game of the postseason, the Broncos again dominated every aspect of the game, shutting out visiting Blinn College, 48-0, in the first round of the Southwestern Junior College Football Conference playoffs.
Sophomore quarterback Diego Pavia and the NMMI offense put together another awesome performance, racking up 7.5 yards per play and 540 total yards; sophomore defensive back Joseph Norward picked off two Blinn passes and the Black Swarm defense forced and recovered three Buccaneer fumbles; and on special teams the Institute blocked a Buc field goal, freshman Lemario Larry had a punt return for 50 yards, and freshman kicker William Testa was 2-for-2 on field goals from 29 and 31 yards out.
NMMI scored on their opening possession of the game, Pavia airing one out to his wide-open wide receiver Malik Phillips for the 62-yard TD strike. The two would connect once again before the quarter ran out, this time for a touchdown of 33 yards.
Seventeen more unanswered points occurred in the second.
Sophomore defensive lineman Christian Sunu'i recovered a Blinn fumble on the NMMI 39, setting set up Testa's first FG, after an 11-play, 49 drive faltered at the Blinn 12.
A fumble recovery by freshman linebacker Josh Beaird resulted shortly after in a 3-play 60-yard TD drive, capped by a 38-yard keeper by Pavia.
Norwood's first interception then precipitated another 60-yard Bronco scoring drive, this time in six plays, finished with a 19-yard TD rush by sophomore running back Anthony Grant.
The second half was more of the same: the NMMI defense forcing turnovers, which the offense then turned into points.
Larry's 50-yard punt return – back to the Blinn 20 – triggered the Institute's first touchdown in the third quarter. Freshman slotback Terrance Moore took a pair of handoffs down to the three, then Pavia completed his third and final TD pass to soph tight end Logan Compton.
A final TD in the third came on NMMI's next offensive series. Freshman running back Montahj Joseph did the lion's share of the work in the 10-play, 75 yard drive with six carries for 48 yards; sophomore quarterback Mason Myers did the rest with a 22-yard pass to junior tight end Jordan Mendoza and three keepers, including the final eight-yard endzone plunge.
NMMI's final points of the game came on a 31-yard Testa field goal a little over midway through the fourth.
"Credit goes to our guys and our coaching staff for putting in the time and work to get the win," said head NMMI coach Kurt Taufa'asau. "Last week we emphasized the need to play hard on every single play. That's our slogan: grindhouse football. The guys put in the preparation again this week and were eager to get after it today – you gotta give them the praise and recognition."
With the win, the Broncos move to 9-1 on the season and advance to the championship match of the SWJCFC playoffs. They'll take on the Apaches in the title-tilt at the Wool Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 20, with an expected kickoff time of 2 pm MST. Tyler Junior College won on the other side of the four-team bracket, outlasting Kilgore College 34-31.