Bernalillo survives clash with district foe

BERNALILLO- The Bernalillo high school Spartans (8-1) faced off with the Grants High School Pirates (5-4) Friday night, a tough bout which ended with a Spartan victory.

The final: Bernalillo 15, Grants 12.

Despite five turnovers by the Spartan offense, head coach John Cobos' "Goon Squad" found a way to win.

"Our offense pulled through at the end. We got some great defensive stops, turnovers, and we just played hard, " senior linebacker and running back Gabriel Trujillo said.

The Spartan defense held the visiting Pirates to only 12 points off of five turnovers.

"Hard-mouth football is what we do, and every play we give it all we got," senior linebacker and running back Mario Molinar said.

Having a big night for the Spartans was senior running back Nathan Encinias, who had 100 scrimmage yards and one touchdown on a pass from quarterback Uriel Castro.

Castro threw two touchdowns on the night: one went to Encinias, and the other went to junior wide receiver Ivan Ruiz.

"Y'all seen it. There is no quit in my brothers," Castro proudly said.

Ruiz, who also plays linebacker on the team, finished the night with three catches for 64 receiving yards and one touchdown.

The Spartans are a lock for the state tournament but will play their final regular season game on Nov. 1 at Taos (6-3). Kickoff is 6 p.m.