Football Recap: Manzano Takes a Loss

Manzano suffered their biggest loss since August 23, 2024 on Saturday. They were beaten by the Albuquerque Academy Chargers 43-15. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Monarchs of the 57-26 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in October of 2024.

Despite the loss, Manzano saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Broden Price rushed for 87 yards and one touchdown on only ten carries, and also picked up 65 receiving yards and one score. Price's longest reception was for an impressive 60 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per catch total.

Don't try to pin the team's loss on the defense: they kept the trenches locked down and allowed a mere 3.4 yards per carry. The team can thank Justin Duran for the heroic effort on defense: he. Sadly, that's becoming something of a trend for Manzano; they were averaging 4.5yards per carry per game earlier this season, but in their last three games they've fallen to only 5.1 per game.

Manzano's defensive line didn't let William Braun, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for six sacks. Albuquerque Academy's QB won't forget Duran anytime soon given he sacked him twice.

Albuquerque Academy's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Braun, who threw for 208 yards and four TDs on only 19 passes. Braun has become a key player for the Chargers: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least three passing touchdowns, but 1-2 otherwise. Gage Conway was in the mix too, providing Albuquerque Academy with two touchdowns.

This is the second loss in a row for Manzano and nudges their season record down to 4-3. As for Albuquerque Academy, the win made it two in a row for them and also bumps their season record up to 4-3.

We've got plenty of inter-district action coming up soon. Manzano is set to face off against their familiar foe Valencia at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Meanwhile, Albuquerque Academy will challenge rival Silver at 3:00 p.m. on Friday.