PORTALES, NM – The Eastern New Mexico football team fell 66-24 to Central Washington University in the 2021 season opener on Thursday night in Greyhound Stadium.

Central Washington jumped out to an early 21-7 lead by the end of the first quarter and never looked back on the way to victory.

The highlight of the night for the Greyhounds came from Justin Manyweather, who had a 95-yard pass reception from Nathan Valencia for a touchdown in the third quarter.

As for the Wildcats, quarterback JJ Lemming, threw for 322 yards and four touchdowns and ran one into the end zone himself throughout the contest.

NOTABLE STATS

• ENMU's Valencia finished the game with 183 passing yards.
• Manyweather paced all receivers in the game with 144 yards.
• Aseli Finau was credited with a sack in the contest.
• On defense for the Hounds, Cameron Santa Cruz had a team-high eight tackles, while Camron Pitcher Jr. was close behind with seven. Those were career highs for both defensive backs.
• Cooper Hamilton was 3-for-3 on extra point kicks and also had a 39-yard field goal.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Tonight's contest was the first in program history between the Wildcats and Greyhounds.
• Tonight's game was the first for ENMU in over 600 days, dating back to the end of the 2019 season.
• Manyweather's 95-yard pass reception is the second longest in program history. The longest was a 97-yard reception by Michael Matthew against Angelo State University on October 1, 2011.
• The Greyhounds will look to bounce back next week when they host Adams State University on Saturday, September 11 at 6 p.m.