LITTLEFIELD — If things go as hoped for Ropes football coach Beau Riker, the team still has four games ahead.
It’s understandable, then, that Riker doesn’t want the Eagles to peak just yet.
If Friday wasn’t Ropes’ peak, then the team certainly has a shot to end its season in AT&T Stadium.
The Eagles controlled every facet of a 67-0 thumping of Farwell in a Class 2A Division II area playoff at Wildcat Stadium. Ropes forced eight turnovers, including six interceptions, and racked up 455 yards of offense.
The Steers, who lost their starting quarterback and running back early to injury, managed 109 yards.
“We don’t want to peak too soon,” Riker said, “but we want to continue to climb the mountain. That pinnacle, that state championship’s four weeks down the road. We want to continue to get better. We don’t want to peak early. We want to play at our best each and every week now as we move forward in the playoffs.”
Kaden Riker had a pick-six on the second play from scrimmage, and the Eagles were off to the races. It was rewarding for Beau Riker to see his son make an impact after an injury-riddled junior season. Kaden made his second appearance last week in a limited role and continues to work his way back.
The 19-yard return after Riker read a screen pass lit up the Ropes sideline less than a minute into the game.
“Kaden’s been out for a little bit, so seeing him fired up, it really fires all of us up,” junior Zayden Pittman said. “Just starting the game so hot, it’s just amazing. You got to start hot, or you’re gonna get beat by a team, because there’s no bad teams left in the playoffs.”
Pittman had half of the team’s interceptions. One play after his second pick, Ryland Kieth rumbled 51 yards to put the Eagles up 32-0 late in the first half. He finished with a game-high 156 rushing yards and three total touchdowns.
“Ryland’s a physical ball-carrier,” Coach Riker said. “That’s our mentality, when we’re on offense or on defense, we want to mash the ball.”
Kieth, too, is getting back to full strength after an injury. The overall improved health of the team is a big reason Ropes is “hitting on a lot of cylinders” and “playing at a high level,” Coach Riker said.
Farwell (7-4) got the brunt of it, but with underclassmen in key roles — including freshman quarterback Kolson Allen and sophomore running back Coy Miller — first-year Steers coach Derrick Shelton hopes to build off the experience.
“We’ve played some really, really good teams,” Shelton said. “Stratford and Gruver and Ropes, teams that one day we want to be up there in the same realm as those guys. Where we get put in the same category as them. Where we’re a team that teams in the Panhandle look up to and feel challenged to be.”
The Eagles (11-1) will get their shot at one of those programs in the third round. Gruver (10-2), which eliminated Ropes in the regional final last year, is next on the docket.
Pittman said he didn’t want to make a potential meeting with the Greyhounds their “Super Bowl,” but now that the matchup is set, the team can focus on avenging the 2024 loss.
“Last year, I don’t think Ropes had ever been that far,” Pittman said, “so it was all kind of new and it was all really cool. It was just an experience. Now we want to go down there on a business trip to Canyon, and hopefully win. We just have a lot more experience in the playoffs, so I think that will help us out this year.”
CLASS 2A DIVISION II AREA
Ropes 67, Farwell 0
Ropes 12 20 14 21 — 67
Farwell 0 0 0 0 — 0
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
ROP — Kaden Riker 19 interception return (run failed), 11:12
ROP — Ryland Kieth 1 run (pass failed), 1:54
Second quarter
ROP — Kieth 17 pass from Kade Franklin (Franklin kick), 10:57
ROP — Zayden Pittman 31 pass from Franklin (kick failed), 10:37
ROP — Kieth 51 run (Franklin kick), 1:35
Third quarter
ROP — Franklin 21 pass from Pittman (Brayden Saldivar kick), 6:29
ROP — Pittman 16 pass from Franklin (Saldivar kick), 1:50
Fourth quarter
ROP — Franklin 20 pass from Pittman (Saldivar kick), 11:10
ROP — Jaivyth Cruz 15 run (Saldivar kick), 9:24
ROP — Britton Mitchell 69 run (Saldivar kick), 1:21
TEAM STATISTICS
First downs: (R) 19; (F) 9
Rushes-Yards: (R) 34-265; (F) 21-17
Passing: (R) 190; (F) 92
Comp-Att-Int: (R) 14-17-0; (F) 5-17-6
Punts-Avg: (R) 1-20; (F) 0
Fumbles-Lost: (R) 1-0; (F) 2-2
Penalties-Yards: (R) 11-115; (F) 4-35
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Ropes, Ryland Kieth 21-156, Britton Mitchell 1-69, Jaivyth Cruz 3-28, Isaiah Acosta 4-9, Kade Franklin 1-6, Zayden Pittman 2-0, Armando Melton 1-0, Team 1-(-3). Farwell, Kyler McClaran 8-30, Coy Miller 7-5, Team 1-0, Tak Miller 3-(-2), Kolson Allen 2-(-16).
PASSING: Ropes, Franklin 11-14-0—126, Pittman 3-3-0—64. Farwell, Allen 5-13-3—92, C. Miller 0-2-1, T. Miller 0-2-2.
RECEIVING: Ropes, Pittman 4-58, Kolter Dockery 3-45, Kieth 3-36, Franklin 2-41, Branson Simental 1-6, Mike Williams 1-4. Farwell, Andrae Pullen 2-29, Javier Olmos 1-35, McClaran 1-19, C. Miller 1-9.
RECORDS: Ropes 11-1; Farwell 7-4.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Ropes football continues climb toward ‘peak’ with smothering win over Farwell
Reporting by Stephen Garcia, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
