Eastern New Mexico University faced No. 8 Angelo State in a Lone Star Conference football matchup on Saturday night, experiencing both weather disruptions and a strong opponent.
"It was good to finish the game. Both teams had to deal with a lot of adversity with the rain and the lightning," said head coach Kelley Lee. "I thought we played extremely hard in the second half. Defense got several three-and-outs. Ultimately, we had some penalties that stalled our momentum and that hurt us."
The game included Military Appreciation Night, where ENMU welcomed hundreds of active-duty members from Cannon Air Force Base. Pregame events featured a tailgate sponsored by the Portales Military Affairs Committee, a special national anthem performance, an AC-130J flyover, and a presentation of colors.
Angelo State scored first with a 12-play drive ending in a rushing touchdown by Chad Pharies. Eastern New Mexico responded after recovering an ASU turnover, scoring five plays later.
Angelo State built their lead in the second quarter, entering halftime ahead 24-7. A significant lightning and rainstorm caused fans to leave Greyhound Stadium for safety, resulting in a three-hour delay before play resumed around 9:45 p.m.
After play restarted, Angelo State extended its lead while limiting ENMU’s offense on initial drives following the delay.
Despite the loss, Eastern New Mexico showed resilience against one of the top-ranked teams in Division II football. The defense forced eight non-scoring drives from Angelo State, including five that resulted in negative yardage.
Chad Ragle contributed 61 passing yards for ENMU after previously playing primarily as a slot back. Xavier Johnson led the team’s rushing attack with 103 yards on nine carries, including a 44-yard run.
Five players recorded receptions for ENMU; Gerry Gomez caught one pass for 11 yards.
The Hounds finished with 252 total rushing yards—a season high for the team.
On defense, nine players registered multiple tackles. Cyrus Moore made eight tackles—including one for loss—while Esaias Swindle and Aaron Warren each tallied 1.5 tackles for loss as part of nine total tackles behind the line of scrimmage by ENMU defenders.
Eastern New Mexico will travel to Wichita Falls next week to face Midwestern State.
