Portales is a perfect 5-0 against Moriarty since October of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Rams will face off against the Pintos at 7:00 p.m. Portales has given up an average of 30.1 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Portales is headed into Friday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight games on Friday. They were five points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 33-28 heartbreaker at the hands of Chaparral. The contest was a 14-14 toss-up at halftime, but the Rams couldn't quite close it out.
Kingston Lee
| 09/26/25 @ Valencia | 24 |
| 08/29/25 @ Lovington | 33 |
| 09/05/25 vs Bernalillo | 88 |
| 09/12/25 @ West Las Vegas | 128 |
| 09/19/25 vs Manzano | 142 |
Despite the defeat, Portales saw an underclassman step up: freshman Kingston Lee threw for 330 yards and four TDs. Those 330 passing yards set a new season-high mark for Lee. 118 of Lee's passing yards were hauled in by Jacoby Bamforth, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Meanwhile, Moriarty got themselves on the board against Kirtland Central on Friday, but Kirtland Central never followed suit. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Broncos 47-0. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Pintos' offense, which had struggled in the games prior.
Moriarty's win came from a few key players Portales will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Mateo Manley-Griego, who rushed for 156 yards and a pair of scores on only ten carries. What's more, he posted two rushing touchdowns, the most he's had since back in August. The team also got some help courtesy of Mario Romero, who rushed for 137 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.1 yards per carry.
Moriarty was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 411 rushing yards. They are 4-2 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
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 defensive effort, having only surrendered 6.0 points on average over those games. As for Portales, their record now sits at 2-8.
Friday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Slade Segovia and Romero. Segovia just won't slow down this season and has run in 8 touchdowns while averaging 83.3 rushing yards per game. Romero has been a dominant force too and has run in 13 touchdowns while averaging 118.7 rushing yards per game.
Everything went Portales' way against Moriarty when the teams last played back in March of 2021, as Portales made off with a 21-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rams since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
