Ground Force: Moriarty Puts Triple Option to the Test at Silver

MORIARTY, N.M. — A clash of Class 3A contenders will open league play Friday when the top-ranked Moriarty Pintos travel to face the Silver Fighting Colts at Fighting Colt Stadium.

Both programs enter the contest seeking an early edge in a newly expanded, eight-team District 2 race. With seven district games on the schedule, Friday’s winner secures prime positioning alongside Hope Christian atop the league standings and takes an early step toward home-field advantage in the postseason.

Moriarty (3-0) comes in riding a dominant start, outscoring its first three non-district opponents by a combined 137-28. The Pintos rely on a clock-draining triple-option ground attack that has produced 1,014 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns behind an imposing offensive line.

Senior runningback Mario Romero spearheads Moriarty’s downhill rushing attack, leading the squad with 350 rushing yards (9.0 yards per carry, 116.7 per game) and seven touchdowns. Senior Mateo Manley-Griego adds explosive balance to the backfield with 289 yards (13.8 yards per carry, 96.3 per game) and four touchdowns. Senior Royce Dennisson rounds out the three-headed backfield punch, contributing 235 yards (11.2 yards per carry) and four touchdowns on the ground while leading the receiving corps with a 25-yard touchdown reception. Junior Devin Ortiz provides a change-of-pace spark, adding 122 yards and two rushing scores while averaging 15.3 yards per carry.

Defensively, Moriarty has suffocated opposing attacks by swarming to the football without surrendering second chances. Romero anchors the middle from his inside linebacker spot, pacing the defense with 21 solo tackles and two tackles for loss. Manley-Griego (15 solo tackles, one tackle for loss) sets the edge at outside linebacker, while junior linebacker Noah Wolf and senior defensive lineman Brigham Schmutz have been equally stout with 15 solo stops apiece.

Freshman Cash Carpenter has made an immediate impact with 14 solo tackles, and junior Tanner Denomme has recorded 12 solo stops and two tackles for loss. Up front, junior defensive tackle Trey Denomme (three tackles for loss) and junior Judah Sloan (three tackles for loss, one sack) anchor the interior trenches. In the secondary, Dennisson has notched eight solo tackles alongside multiple interceptions to command the back end.

Silver (2-1) counters with a balanced attack led by senior quarterback Josiah Madrid and sophomore standout Kingston Lee, who paces the Colts with 109 rushing yards per game and six total touchdowns. Madrid operates as a steady distributor, feeding wide receivers Danian Flores and Jeriah Figueroa on the perimeter while keeping defenses honest on option reads.

Stopping Moriarty’s ground machine will fall on a Silver defense that features plenty of production in the middle. Junior linebacker Ty Gonzalez leads the Colts’ defense with 27 total tackles (nine per game), three sacks, and a tackle for loss. Lee provides two-way playmaking from the secondary and outside linebacker spot, ranking second on the squad with 22 tackles, two tackles for loss, and three interceptions.

Colts sophomore defensive back Andre Oaxaca has added 19 tackles, while junior Jason Chadwick (16 tackles, two for loss) and senior middle linebacker Urijah Arrey (15 tackles, two for loss) provide the push required to slow down Moriarty’s dive option. Junior Cody Cooper (13 tackles) and defensive end Andrew Gnader (12 tackles) round out a physical front seven tasked with maintaining assignment football against Moriarty’s relentless misdirection.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at Fighting Colt Stadium.