The Questa Wildcats football team closed out their 2025 regular season Friday night (Oct. 25) with a 54-16 road loss to the Clayton Yellowjackets, finishing the year at 4-5 in a season that showed growth and grit from a young roster.

Despite the setback, the Wildcats have earned the No. 10 seed in the state playoffs and are headed to face off against No. 7 seed Lordsburg on Nov. 1.

Clayton (3-6) jumped ahead early and held the lead throughout, capitalizing on turnovers and big plays. Despite the loss, Questa’s season reflected steady progress from a team still developing under a largely underclassman lineup.

The Wildcats opened the year strong, posting back-to-back shutout wins— 60-0 over Navajo Pine on Aug. 23 and 54-0 at Dulce on Aug. 30. After a 20-6 loss at Sangre de Cristo in Mosca, Colo., Questa rebounded with a 56-6 win at Ramah on Sept. 20.

Questa was dealt losses in late September to Escalante with 46-12 and powerhouse Fort Sumner/House with 54-0, who went on to have an undefeated 8-0 season.

The Wildcats roared back Oct. 11 with a 68-14 rout at Cloudcroft (1-8) before falling in a close 40-30 home game to Menaul (6-3) on Oct. 18.

The Wildcats graduating this year will be offensive lineman and defensive tackle Joaquin Martinez, running back and defensive back Noah Rael, and running back, linebacker and safety Adam Gordon.

With most of the roster returning, Questa is expected to contend for a winning season next fall.
The team was coached by head coach Dwayne Ortega and assistant coaches Justin Martinez, Mark Ortega and Ernie Griego.