Grants savors homecoming win over Gallup

By Santiago Ramos Jr.
Special to the Times

GRANTS – The Grants Pirates made quick work of the struggling Gallup Bengals with a 56-0 mercy-rule homecoming win Saturday afternoon.

“It was a really good win,” first-year Pirates head coach Steve Brown said. “I’m really happy for our kids. It’s been a couple of years, three years to be exact since we’ve been able to win a game like this, in this type of fashion. So, I’m excited for our kids to feel what it’s like to get a statement win under their belts.

“Gallup is a longtime rival of ours so it’s not hard to get up for them because one, we have this trophy (Route 66 trophy) that we play for every year. We want that to stay in Grants,” added Brown. “And also they have a brand new coach that’s coached football. He came from the Hobbs area. He’s gonna have that program turned around before long so we have to stay ready for him.”

The Grants Pirates scored on each of their eight possessions as the field was littered with red-clad Pirate players bolting for the end zone every time they had the ball.

For Grants, it retained the Route 66 trophy for another year and stretched its domination over archrival Gallup with its 13th consecutive win since 2011 and its largest margin of victory ever over the Bengals.

The Pirates’ three largest margins of victory over Gallup has happened during their 13-game win stretch – with a lopsided 62-7 win in 2011, 50-0 in 2019 and 51-0 in 2020.

Grants now leads in its all-time series with Gallup with 35 wins, 33 losses and 1 tie dating back to its first meeting in 1955.

Even playing just the first half proved to be a long, long afternoon for the winless Bengals, who was able to generate just one first down with the help of an offsides penalty on Grants in the first half, as the Pirates were able to capitalize on numerous Bengal miscues. Gallup had four key turnovers – two fumbles and a pair of interceptions – with all four miscues leading to quick Pirate touchdowns.

“Turnovers didn’t help,” first-year Bengal head coach Robert Bornholdt said. “We’re a young team. That’s part of being a young team, understanding assignments. I started four freshmen today.”

Pirates junior running back Andres Lazos accounted for three of the scores. He scored Grants’ first TD on the second play of the opening drive as he unleashed a stunning 66-yard romp down the sidelines. Lazos found a big hole in the Bengal defensive line and rammed into the end zone from the 4-yard-line late in the opening quarter for his second TD. He came back to score his third TD of the game as he raced untouched from the 35.

Pirates’ sophomore running back Douglas Mitchell scored on a 3-yard run midway through the first quarter and sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Ortega caught a 21-yard pass from Pirate sophomore starting quarterback Dj Chavez in the first quarter. Chavez completed 5-of-8 passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns.

Leading 35-0 in the second quarter, Grants senior backup quarterback Julian Padilla took over and found the end zone from 18 yards out.

Pirate freshman cornerback Victor Chavira picked off a pass by Bengal senior wide receiver turned quarterback Jordan Stewart and ran it back 25 yards for a quick pick-6.

Late in the first half, backup Bengal quarterback Frank Martinez was intercepted by Pirate Ortega.

Grants QB Chavez closed out the mercy rule game with a 10-yard strike to sophomore receiver Isaiah Aldaz.

Grants junior kicker Noah Lundstrom was a perfect 8-for-8 on PATs for the Pirates.

Defensively Grants was led by senior outside linebacker Larry Meador with eight solo tackles and one assist. Grants sacked the two Gallup quarterbacks four times.

“We took advantage of opportunities that were given us which we didn’t do last week (against Capital),” Brown said. “Today we did.”

Bornholdt said it will be a gradual process trying to turn around a Bengal football program that has been winless three times, won one game four times, won two games five times, and won three games three times in the last 15 seasons.

“We’re going to take this job one day at a time,” the Oklahoma native said. “Build from bottom up. We’re basically building from the ground up. We’re starting four freshmen. Try to teach them the right way to do things, the right way to play football and it will just take gonna time. “After the game I just told my players it just takes a spark to get things going. Our kids are bought in. They’re positive in what they’re doing. We’ve got nine seniors with four of them they haven’t played since they were freshmen. So, it’s gonna take some time to build with the young kids,” Bornholdt said.

Grants (1-1) will entertain defending 4A state champ Bloomfield (2-0) Friday night in a major test for both teams. The Bobcats rolled past St. Pius X 41-20 in their opener before crushing Pojoaque Valley 50-0 this past weekend.

“They’re ranked No. 1 for a reason,” Brown said. “Coach Kovacs will have them ready to come to our house and play. We’ll be ready. We’ll give them the best game we can and hopefully we come out with that ‘W.’”

Gallup (0-2) will host in-town rival Miyamura (0-2) for homecoming Thursday night.

Both teams are coming off successive mercy rule losses. Gallup lost 50-0 to Moriarty in the season opener. Miyamura lost to a pair of football powers — 50-0 to Aztec and 53-0 to Silver.

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