Franklin Romero, Sports Correspondent
“Winning isn’t easy, so you have to be sure to enjoy it when you do,” said an elated Brandon Hernandez, the Grants High School head football coach, of the 34-0 defeat of Gallup High School this past Saturday. The young Pirate football team triumphed with their first win of the season over the Gallup Bengals in the I-40 rivalry on a crisp Saturday evening at the Angelo DiPaolo Stadium. “We couldn’t seem to get any serious traction in the first half,” said Hernandez as the Pirates had only scored on touchdown and extra point, 7-0. Fielding a young team led by first time starting freshman quarterback, Tristan Fernandez, the first half was lackluster for both teams. That wouldn’t last. Hernandez told his players at halftime, “The message [is] simple— Make a Statement” And a statement they did make. Fernandez and company came alive in the second half as the Pirates had three players score four touchdowns, with the extra point attempts along with two interceptions, all while containing the Gallup Bengals defensively to zero points.
“We felt that our team needed to see that they could compete and win,” added Hernandez. Hernandez was pleased with the leadership he saw from his young “signal caller” as he calls him. “Tristan isn’t afraid of the moment and he’s able to get the job done on the ground as well as through the air,” said Hernandez of his Fernandez and his debut game. “He is still developing and learning how the offense works—we couldn’t be happier with what we’ve seen so far— he’s a leader and a fiery competitor.” Notables in the game were freshman Douglas Mitchel scoring three touchdowns on the ground in three different quarters along with Julian Abeyta who also scored a touchdown on the ground in the second half. Fernandez landed his first career touchdown pass as he threw for 30-yards to find sophomore receiver John “JJ” Horacek for his first career touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Noah Lundstrom had two interceptions with four made extrapoint kicks.
Hernandez was definitely satisfied with so many players getting involved offensively and defensively.
“We are pleased with the way we performed,” said Hernandez. “We know we must take it up a few notches as we head to take on Bloomfield---we are in for a test—we’re ready to see how we stack up.”
The Pirates who are currently 1-1 will travel to the four corners this Friday to square off with the Bloomfield Bobcats (2-0). The Bengals dropped to 0-2 after losing the home opener to the Pirates.
Cibola County Finish Line The Lady Pirate Volleyball Team was defeated 3-9 by Miyamura High School on August 25 (25-18, 28-26, 25-17). Previously, on August 23, the Lady Pirates hosted the Lady Wingate Bears and defeated them in three sets. (25-19, 25-18, 25-19). The Lady Pirates are currently 1-1 headed into their next game which will be at a tournament in the four corners this upcoming weekend.
The GHS boys’ soccer team is 1-3 after 4 recent games. Moe recently they lost to Miyamura High School 5-0 on August 23. They defeated Aztec High School on August 19 by a score of 2-1. They lost to Farmington High School 10-0 and Bosque Prep High School 5-0 on August 20.
The Lady Pirates soccer team are 1-3 after a 2-1 loss to Miyamura High School on the road on August 23rd. They were defeated by Miyamura 2-1 also on August 20. Previously they were defeated 9-2 by Kirtland Central High School and a 6-0 loss to Aztec High School on August 19.
The Laguna-Acoma football team is 0-2 after a 32-12 loss to Newcomb High School on August 26. The Lady Hawk volleyball team is 2-0 after sweeping Crownpoint High School on August 25t, 3-0. Previously they defeated Tohatchi High School by a score of 3-0 on August 23.