Cobos Bowl: Spartans complete the comeback against the Vikings

ALBUQUERQUE — The Bernalillo Spartans (1-0) opened up the 2025 football season with a comeback win against the Valley Vikings (0-1) at Community Stadium on Thursday night. Bernalillo 16, Valley 14.

For years now, the Spartan versus Viking rivalry has taken a new name as many refer to it as the “Cobos Bowl.” The Spartans’ head coach, John Cobos, is the nephew of the Vikings head coach, Billy Cobos.

“We knew we were going to be in a dog fight,” John Cobos said. “We knew they were going to punch us in the face, and they did. They’re bigger than us, they’re a 5A school, and a well-coached team.”

Like years past, the Cobos Bowl did not disappoint.

The Vikings came out firing on all cylinders, and senior quarterback Jose Jaramillo threw two first-half touchdowns.

A big weapon for the Vikings was receiver Gabriel Gonzales, who is one of the top prospects in the 2027 class. The talented junior opened his season with a receiving touchdown in the matchup.

The Spartans almost went scoreless in the first half until a great defensive stand forced a Vikings punt. On the punt attempt, Valley’s punter stepped on the backline of the endzone to force a safety.

At halftime, Valley held a 14-2 lead.

Then, in the third quarter, Spartan starting quarterback Anthony Willie went down with an injury that would sideline him for the rest of the game.

“It was a scary moment for our quarterback going down,” John Cobos said. “We just had to rely on our offensive line, our running backs, and our defense.”

In the next possession, Valley was threatening in Spartan territory. That was until senior linebacker/running back Mario Molinar scooped up a loose ball and returned it all the way for a defensive touchdown.

“We just needed a momentum changer, and I feel like that was the perfect opportunity,” Molinar said.

The Spartans’ defense continued to wreak havoc and finished the night with five turnovers, including three interceptions: two from defensive back Kenneth Saiz and one from safety Ivan Ruiz.

After the Saiz interception, the Spartans were set up with a short field and cashed in for six courtesy of a Molinar run.

“My dear Lord, I prayed to him at halftime, and he answered,” Molinar said.

The touchdown would end up being the game winner, and Molinar’s second of the night.

The Vikings responded with a nice drive into Spartan territory and lined up for a game-leading field goal, around 35 yards.

However, senior Josh Barajas had other plans and bolted from around the corner to block the kick from Valley’s William Bradford, who happens to be one of the best kickers in the state.

The grittiness and resilience from the Spartans are just another reason why they take pride in calling themselves the “Goon Squad.” The nickname is also a decal on the team’s helmets.

“The Goon Squad came through again tonight.” John Cobos said.

The Goon Squad Spartans will regroup and set their sights on their upcoming game against the Highland Hornets Aug. 28 at Milne Stadium. Kickoff time is 7:00 p.m.

“Coach Phillip Lovato, his staff do an excellent job over there. We’ve been playing them for a few years, and we know we are going to be in for another dogfight,” John Cobos said.

As for the status of Willie, John Cobos was able to share this:

“We wanted to bring him out, precautionary, just to make sure. He didn’t get hit in the head; it was the way he fell on the turf, the player fell on top of him…our trainer is great at what he does, he’ll make sure. If Willie is good to go, then he’ll play next week.”