Roma is 2-8 against Pioneer since October of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Gladiators are taking a road trip to face off against the Diamondbacks at 7:00 p.m. This will be Roma's first chance to prove their worth in the conference.
Last Friday, Roma beat Port Isabel 14-7. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Gladiators.
Jorge Tamayo
| 10/03/25 @ Port Isabel | 44 |
| 09/05/25 vs Palmview | 36 |
| 08/29/25 @ Rio Grande City | 31 |
| 09/19/25 vs Zapata | 18 |
| 09/12/25 vs Grulla | 15 |
Roma can attribute much of their success to Jorge Tamayo, who rushed for 133 yards and one TD on only 15 carries. The dominant performance also gave Tamayo a new career-high in passing yards (44).
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Roma was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 297 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Port Isabel only rushed for 157.
Roma's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB three times. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Alejandro Ramirez, Raul Ramirez, and Omar Beltran, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Meanwhile, Pioneer strolled past Alice with points to spare on Thursday, taking the game 31-14.
A big part of Pioneer's victory came down to the chemistry between Malakai Galindo and his top target William Goodloe. Galindo threw for 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 81.8% of his passes while Goodloe gained 123 total yards and two touchdowns. Goodloe showed off some serious burst, connecting on a big catch for 51 yards.
Roma's record is now 4-2. As for Pioneer, their record now sits at 5-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Roma has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 350.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Pioneer struggles in that department as they've been averaging 250.3 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Roma might still be hurting after the 35-14 defeat they got from Pioneer when the teams last played back in October of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Goodloe, who rushed for 142 yards and two scores on only 12 carries, and also threw for 272 yards and three TDs on only 16 passes. Now that the Gladiators know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
