ALAMOSA -- New Mexico Highlands jumped out to a 13-point, first-quarter lead and held off Adams State 23-21 in the Grizzlies' Hall of Fame game on Saturday at Rex Field.

Highlands improves to 2-1, 2-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. ASU falls to 1-4, 1-2 in conference play.

NMHU quarterback Gage Guardiola completed nine of 13 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. Quavon Beckford was on the receiving end of the scoring toss. He finished with a team-high six catches for 88 yards. 

Grizzlies' quarterback Marckell Grayson was 15-for-34 for 214 yards and two touchdowns. One went to Elijah Harper, who finished with five catches and 88 yards. The other went to Kentrell Petite.

Shawnty Mills gained 163 rushing yards for the Cowboys. tops on the squad. He also scored a first-quarter touchdown. Will McDaniel added a pair of first-quarter field goals for NMHU.

ASU got on the board in the second quarter after a 90-yard, 14-play drive. Grayson and Petite connected on a 10-yard scoring play. McDaniel added a third field goal, this one from 47 yards, to close out the first-half scoring.

Grayson and Elijah Harper finished the opening drive of the second half by connecting on a 57-yard scoring play. It pulled the Grizzlies to within nine points. Guardiola threw a 35-yard TD pass to Beckford late in the third period to give the Cowboys some breathing room.

ASU clawed its way back into the game when Daylen Boddie scored from a yard out with 12 seconds left in the game. The Grizzlies' Ramon Ortega recovered the onside kick the following kickoff. But NMHU's defense held Adams State to 10 yards on the Grizzlies' last four plays from scrimmage despite two deep passes toward the end zone in the final seven seconds.

Chris Calhoun and Fernando Herrera led NMHU's defensive effort with seven total tackles. The Grizzlies' Daniel Mendoza recorded a game-high 10 tackles, four of which were unassisted. 

Boddie ran for a team-high 89 yards for ASU. Harper caught five opasses for 88 yards and a touchdown. Dequan Hopkins finished with three catches for 63 yards.

Total offense for both teams was about even. The two teams gained almost 750 combined yards, The Cowboys' strength was in the rushing game. They ran the ball twice as many times as did Adams State and gained 80 yards more than did the Grizzlies.

Adams State hosts Colorado State University-Pueblo at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8. Read Full Article