Moving on! Bernalillo wins playoff thriller against Manzano

BERNALILLO — The Bernalillo Spartans (7-4) grinded out a tough playoff win at Spartan Stadium against the Manzano Monarchs (5-6) Nov. 7 with a final score of 31-28.

Friday night lights, packed fan bases on both sides of the stands, a marching band courtesy of Manzano, and a back-and-forth game to kick off the postseason.

“Just a phenomenal job by my coaches making some halftime adjustments, kudos to my offensive coordinator, Blake Miller, who did a phenomenal job calling the game,” Spartan head coach John Cobos said.

With the playoff win, the Spartans end their three-game losing streak in a nail-biter.

“We had a three-game drought coming into the playoffs, but it’s great to be back in the win column,” Spartan quarterback Ulisses Castro said.

It was scary early on as the Monarchs scored two first-quarter touchdowns thanks to the cannon of senior quarterback Bodi True, who connected with receiver Aiden Erickson and tight end Vince Varela.

The Spartans were able to punch back as the offense capped off a nice drive with a Castro touchdown. On the ensuing offensive possession, Castro was able to hit receiver Kenneth Saiz for a deep shot that ended up being a 60-plus-yard touchdown.

Manzano would continue to utilize their sophomore "wide back" Broden Price, whose vision and wiggle caused headaches for the Spartans. Wide back is a position popularized by pro player Deebo Samuel, who played receiver, slot receiver and running back.

After a 30-yard-plus run from Price, the Monarchs found themselves in the rednzone, and were able to cash in for six when True bulldozed his way past the goalline.

The Spartan offense responded with another touchdown, this time from contested catch monster Joseph Duran, who snagged a jump ball thrown by Castro.

The play of the game was made on the defensive side when Spartan safety Ivan Ruiz jumped a route to make a diving interception.

“They came up clutch when we needed them,” Castro said of the defense.

The turnover gave the Spartans a short field, and Castro was able to connect with Saiz for another receiving touchdown; the score gave Bernalillo their first lead of the day.

The Spartans defense came back on the field with the same savviness and forced a turnover of downs as the Monarchs were at the Bernalillo 5-yard line.

Just when you thought the Spartans would pull away, the Monarchs were given a gift on the next play.

While the Spartans offense was in shotgun formation, the center-quarterback exchange led to a loose ball on the turf. That’s when Manzano freshman Aiden Nieto scooped up the ball in the end zone for a game-tying touchdown.

Despite the miscue, the Spartans offense marched back on the field and pounded the rock. Earning some tough yards for Bernalillo included Castro, running back Mario Molinar and Josh Barajas.

With six minutes left to go in the fourth quarter, Spartan kicker Ryan “Bubba” Mortensen drilled the go-ahead field goal, which would eventually earn the Spartans their seventh win on the season.

“We put a lot of work into the kicking game. Bubba is huge for our game plan,” cCobos said.“I figured if we could get points on the board, I would put it on my defense.”

The Spartans will advance in the 4A state playoffs and hop on the road to face off against No. 1 seed Bloomfield (9-1) at 1 p.m. Nov. 15. It'll be the second time this season that both teams meet.

“To be a champion, you’ve got to beat the champion. Bloomfield is that right now. Coach Kovacs and his staff do a phenomenal job in preparing their team,” Cobos said.