Preview: Albuquerque Bulldogs vs. Manzano Monarchs
The Albuquerque Bulldogs will head out on the road to face off against the Manzano Monarchs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in New Mexico (Albuquerque is ranked 40th, while Manzano is ranked 59th).
Albuquerque fell on hard times earlier this season, but after back-to-back wins it seems like their luck might finally be changing. They enjoyed a cozy 28-12 win over Santa Fe on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Manzano had to endure a six-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They blew past Del Norte, posting a 63-8 win at home. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 50-8.
Manzano's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Josh Nieto, who picked up 115 receiving yards and four touchdowns, and James Vautier, who threw for 242 yards and six touchdowns while picking up 12.1 yards per attempt. Tony Paulson made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Manzano's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB five times. The heavy lifting was done by Xavier Talley and Paulson who racked up four sacks between them.
Their wins bumped Albuquerque to 3-6 and Manzano to 2-7.
Everything came up roses for Albuquerque against Manzano in their previous matchup back in October of 2022 as the team secured a 55-20 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Albuquerque since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
