The Mules traveled to Roosevelt to play the team of a former coach and won, 41-16.  Roosevelt coach and athletic director Greg Poynor was one of Coach Wood’s assistant coaches back when the Mules went to the semi-finals in 2001, so how do you prepare when the opposing coach knows all your plays? Well, for one thing, you dispense with the audibles and work from plays numbered and listed on cards given to each player. That different dynamic of the game may have been why things were a little up and down for the Mules. This reminded me of ;the 1968 Cotton Bowl when Gene Stallings and the Texas Aggies beat Bear Bryant and the Crimson Tide, a classic case of the student learning well from the master. Only in this case, Coach Wood was still the master. But I digress. The Mules start out in typical fashion with a touchdown by quarterback Caleb Woods with 7:18 on the clock, and the score is 7-0. Roosevelt can’t move the ball and when we get it back, Austin Ross fumbles the punt, which they recover in the end zone for their own touchdown and tie the game. Roosevelt seems to have the momentum at this point. The ball changes hands a few times, Wood throws an interception, and the first quarter ends at 7-7. The second quarter sees Roosevelt kick a field goal; we answer with a Joel Regalado touchdown run, and the score is 14-7. Roosevelt manages to score again, 14-16. The ball changes hands a couple of times, and by the end of the quarter on their last possession, Roosevelt runs down the play clock and calls three time-outs to try to keep us from getting possession, which we do anyway and Wood takes it down the field, throws a pass to Austin Ross, and we score. But not without controversy over the touchdown, the time on the clock and a Roosevelt coach earning an unsportsmanlike conduct call, and the half ends with the score 21-16. In the second half the Mules start to play a more solid game, but not without a few mistakes as well. Ray Martinez runs in a TD, Baca runs in a TD, and the score at the end of the third quarter is 35-16  The fourth quarter sees Joel Regalado run in another one, and Ignacio Elizalde kicks his only failed PAT of the night, and game ends Muleshoe 41, Roosevelt 16. Next week is Homecoming against Alpine. It should be a good game, if Alpine is willing to travel so far to play us. Come early for the pre-game meal of barbecue brisket and watch the Mules win. Go Mules!