Timberwolves Edge Pintos 2-1 in Route 66 Rivalry Clash

MORIARTY, N.M. — Class 3A No. 1 East Mountain preserved its unbeaten record Tuesday, rallying from an early deficit to secure a 2-1 victory over Class 4A No. 17 Moriarty in a tightly contested Route 66 rivalry match.

Separated by just 26 miles, the two neighboring programs brought playoff-level intensity to the pitch in a contest featuring athletes who grew up competing with and against one another.

Moriarty (3-4) struck first at the 28:43 mark of the first half when Jonah Buck capitalized on a breakaway, utilizing his speed to put the Pintos ahead 1-0.

East Mountain (7-0) answered midway through the frame. Josh Sanchez netted the equalizer at 19:34, leveling the score at 1-1. The Timberwolves claimed the lead for good at 15:49 mark of the second half when Zavier Hawkins served a ball into the box, finding Kaamez Hataburda for a header into the net.

From there, East Mountain leaned on possession to protect the margin, while its defense adjusted to limit further Moriarty counterattacks.

“We spent a lot of time talking about just staying composed. That was our big word tonight,” East Mountain head coach Colton Oord said. “They’ve all been friends with them for the last 10, 15 years, and it’s one they always look forward to on the calendar. So come out and play our style, and have fun with it, but we’ve got to play hard. It felt like a district match.”

Oord noted that after Buck’s early breakaway, his back line adapted quickly.

“We wanted to possess the ball, we wanted to knock the ball,” Oord said. “We know that their striker is ridiculously fast, and you saw that’s how they got their goal away. Our center backs did a really good job of adjusting to that and started playing a little stacked instead.”

Despite the loss, Moriarty head coach Jordon Allcorn praised his squad’s competitive effort against the top-ranked team in 3A.

“I was extremely proud with the way we competed,” Allcorn said. “Credit to them, they’re a damn good team. But I wouldn’t trade our team’s heart for anything. You could tell they wanted it. I think maybe they had a little more quality on the technical side, but my boys competed their butts off. They obviously wanted to win this game, and they pushed from the brink.”

Allcorn believes the narrow battle against high-caliber competition will pay dividends moving forward.

“If we bring that competitive fire against any of our upcoming opponents and add a little bit more composure on the ball and patience, I think we can compete with anyone left on our schedule,” Allcorn said.