Pintos Roll into Regular-Season Finale After 54-0 blanking of Hatch Valley

MORIARTY, N.M. — Devon Ortiz returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, setting the tone for an explosive, weather-delayed night as the Moriarty Pintos rolled to a 54-0 shutout over Hatch Valley on Friday.

Ortiz’s sprint down the field just 17 seconds into the contest gave Moriarty (7-2, 4-2) an immediate 7-0 lead following Frankie Romero’s extra point. After Hatch Valley (4-5, 3-3) came up empty on a fake punt pass, Mario Romero capitalized with a 25-yard touchdown run to push the advantage to 14-0 with 8:34 left in the first quarter.

Severe weather soon halted momentum, forcing an almost hour-long lightning delay late in the opening frame. The disruption did little to slow the Pintos, who returned to the field and continued to dominate in all three phases of the game.

“You always hope that they’re going to stay focused and remember what we’re here to do, and they did a good job of staying focused and coming out and playing,” Moriarty head coach Gabriel Romero said. “Senior night is an emotional thing. You have the good emotion of seniors just pumped up, but then you also have that thing of it getting close to the end. I thought they did a great job of handling all of those things tonight.”

Mario Romero added his second score early in the second quarter on a 6-yard run to make it 20-0. The Pintos’ defense held firm, stopping the Bears on downs at the Moriarty 17-yard line before Mateo Manley-Griego broke free for a 24-yard touchdown dash with 2:21 left in the half.

Moments later, Julius Taylor intercepted a Hatch Valley pass, and a botched snap on a Bears punt rolled out of the end zone for a safety, sending Moriarty into halftime with a commanding 29-0 cushion.

Moriarty extended the lead in the third quarter when Manley-Griego capped a drive with an 8-yard touchdown run. Manley-Griego struck again early in the fourth quarter, breaking loose for an 80-yard touchdown gallop to make it 42-0.

The Pintos refused to let up. After Hatch Valley failed to convert on fourth down deep in its own territory, Mario Romero found the end zone on a 3-yard run. On the ensuing possession, Mario Romero recovered a Bears fumble and capped his night with a 23-yard touchdown run to seal the 54-point victory.

In addition to the offensive outburst, Moriarty played disciplined football, committing only one penalty on the night.

“Moving forward and being in the playoffs, we’ve got to be able to play that way, penalty-free,” coach Romero said. “Defensively, we played lights out. We’re walking out of the locker room, and we’re not waiting for something good to happen. We’re coming out to make something good happen, and I think it’s showing.”

Moriarty closes out its regular season Friday when the Pintos travel to Roswell to face New Mexico Military Institute at 7 p.m.

The Moriarty Pintos’ senior roster includes Frank Bullard, Jayden Carlson, Jonas Cordova, Royce Dennisson, Angel Holguin, Jayden Leon, Mateo Manley-Griego, Angelo Montoya, Mario Romero, Brigham Schmutz, Hector Silva, Nathanial Tafoya and Jeren Torres.