Manley-Griego, Romero Power Moriarty Past Socorro, 59-6

MORIARTY, N.M. — Mateo Manley-Griego scored four touchdowns, Mario Romero added three more on the ground, and the Moriarty Pintos rolled to an emphatic 59-6 homecoming victory over the Socorro Warriors on Friday night.

Moriarty (5-1) overwhelmed Socorro (0-6) from the opening whistle, hanging 34 points on the scoreboard in the first quarter alone behind a dominant rushing attack and opportunistic defense.

“We talked a lot in the last couple weeks about executing better,” Moriarty head coach Gabriel Romero said. “These young men have set a very high standard for themselves. Tonight we played very good. We played up to the standard that they’ve set.”

Manley-Griego opened the onslaught midway through the first period, capping the game’s opening drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. After Socorro turned the ball over on downs, Manley-Griego struck again on a 12-yard scamper to make it 14-0 following Frankie Romero’s second extra point.

Another defensive stop by the Pintos led to a 10-yard scoring dash by Mario Romero. On the ensuing kickoff, Socorro coughed up a fumble, and Manley-Griego made them pay immediately with a 30-yard touchdown gallop to extend the lead to 28-0.

Mario Romero broke loose for a 62-yard score with 21 seconds remaining in the opening quarter, pushing the margin to 34-0.

Socorro found a brief spark early in the second quarter when quarterback Carlos Jacquezo connected with Jojo Barba for a 72-yard touchdown pass. The 2-point conversion failed, leaving the Warriors trailing 34-6.

Moriarty answered right back. Mario Romero broke away for a 47-yard touchdown run less than a minute later. After Socorro turned the ball over on downs at its own 34-yard line, Moriarty took to the air as Devon Ortiz hit Nathanial Tafoya for an 18-yard touchdown strike.

Following an interception by defensive back Cash Carpenter, Manley-Griego capped his stellar evening with a 38-yard touchdown run at the 2:52 mark of the second quarter, sending the Pintos into halftime with a commanding 53-6 advantage.

With a running clock in effect, Moriarty’s junior varsity unit took over in the third quarter. The reserves engineered a sustained drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown plunge by a junior varsity back, capping the scoring at 59-6.

“It was nice to get some of those younger guys in,” Romero said. “They moved the ball down the field and ended up putting it away. Our JV has been playing pretty darn good, and I think it was good for some of them to get a little taste of varsity play. That was a good way to finish it.”

The lopsided win came before a packed homecoming crowd that cheered the Pintos as they continued their strong midseason run.

“It’s good to see this type of crowd,” Romero said. “It’s good for these young men to know that they’re supported by the community, and I think it’s good for the community. It’s nice when you’re having a season like this and the community really comes out and shows support.”