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Thursday, August 28, 2008

Moriarty Kicks Off Against Pius

By Harold Smith
Mountain View Telegraph
          The Moriarty High football team will kick off the 2008 season against formidable rival St. Pius.
        "(The Sartans are) going to be a good ball club again," said the Pintos' 5-6, 145-pound junior quarterback Nick Gonzales. "The Moriarty-St. Pius matchups are always tough. They run the same offense as us so we've got an idea of what they might do."
        The two teams, which rotated the District 5-4A title and runner-up positions in 2006 and '07 with the Pintos winning in '06, play Saturday evening at Milne Stadium. It's now a nondistrict game because the Sartans have moved to District 6-4A.
        "We're pretty confident," Gonzales said. "We're pumped up. But there's always a little jitters."
        Moriarty was 7-5, 3-1 last year. The Pintos fell in the state quarterfinals to eventual-champion Artesia after beating Los Alamos in the first round.
        "We should be a better team than we were last year," Moriarty sixth-year coach Bob Allcorn said. "We've got some good athletes. But we'll see how we do when we're put in a real game. I do think we're looking good, but we definitely have some things to work on, like you always do at this time of year."
        Individual linemen sometimes get lost in the fray.
        "I just do it because I love the game, and I like to hit," said the Pintos' 5-8, 210-pound senior offensive guard and defensive end Joe Stidham. "And with our team, we know if the running back is doing good, the team is doing good. We've always had a running team so we're hoping we can suck them in with the run and then hit them with some passes."
        Moriarty senior running back Taylor Allcorn, the coach's son, may see limited playing time versus Pius.
        "He might not play much," Bob Allcorn said. "His shoulder popped out and then popped back in. But it should be just for the first game. He'll definitely play against (Santa Fe) Capital (at home on Sept. 5)."
        Stidham is ready.
        "My goal is be a state champion in football and baseball," he said.
        Manzano
        The Monarchs, in one of the earliest games to be played in the infant season, will meet West Mesa in an Albuquerque Public Schools East-West Clash at Wilson Stadium this evening.
        Look for Carnuel's Jordan Llamas to carry the pigskin for the Purple Pride.
        "All I know, from what the coaches tell us, is they're a good team," said Llamas, a 6-1, 185-pound junior running back. "They will play with a lot of heart, and they're not afraid to get after it. It'll be a challenge."
        Senior Nick Linden of Tijeras is expected to start at receiver. Senior Seth Maisano's role is still to be determined.
        "I will be playing some," said Maisano, a Tijeras resident who underwent knee surgery in December. "I do know I will be the PAT holder. I might get some playing time at the slot, but I'm not too sure yet."
        Estancia
        The Bears travel to Tierra Amarilla, the Rio Arriba County seat, to take on Escalante on Saturday. New EHS coach Dusty Giles guided the Lobos for two years before taking his current gridiron job.
        "But it's just another game," said John Torres-Jaquez, Estancia's 5-8 1/2, 154-pound senior quarterback. "We're just going to go for it."
        The spread will be the Bears' bread and butter.
        "We used it last year (under former coach Richard Walker), but not as much as we are this year," Torres-Jaquez said. "The spread lets athletes be athletes. It lets the fast guys run and catch the ball. We're passing a lot more and the line has been doing a good job."
        Mountainair
        The Mustangs, the 2007 eight-man champions, start off with a bang. They open, under the lights of their new outdoor athletic complex, against the Dora Coyotes on Friday night.