Moriarty is 0-5 against Portales since October of 2016 but things could change on Friday. The Pintos will square off against the Rams at 7:00 p.m. Moriarty will be strutting in after a win while Portales will be coming in after a defeat.
Moriarty took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They blew past Kirtland Central 47-0. The Pintos might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by 47 points or more this season.
Mateo Manley-Griego
| 10/31/25 vs Kirtland Central | 2 |
| 08/29/25 vs Shiprock | 3 |
Moriarty's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Mateo Manley-Griego, who rushed for 156 yards and two scores on only ten carries. That's the most rushing touchdowns Manley-Griego has posted since back in August. Royce Dennisson was another major influence, as he rushed for 118 yards and ran in a TD.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Moriarty was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 411 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 153 rushing yards in 12 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, while it was all tied up 14-14 at halftime, Portales was not quite Chaparral's equal in the second half on Friday. They took a 33-28 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Lobos.
Moriarty will have to contain Kingston Lee as he made an impact in Portales' last game. He threw for 330 yards and four touchdowns. Slade Segovia was in the mix too, providing Portales with two TDs.
Moriarty's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 33.3 points over those games. As for Portales, their loss dropped their record down to 2-8.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Moriarty has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 265.3 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Portales, though, as they've been averaging only 92.5 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Moriarty suffered a grim 21-0 defeat to Portales in their previous meeting back in March of 2021. Thankfully for the Pintos, Baylor Diaz (who rushed for 120 yards and one score on only 12 carries, and also threw for 56 yards and one touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
