The New Mexico School for the Deaf Roadrunners will head out to square off against the Grady Bronchos at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in New Mexico School for the Deaf's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season.
New Mexico School for the Deaf took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. They took down Oklahoma School for the Deaf 63-45.
Santiago Lopez continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, picking up 113 receiving yards and three TDs, while also rushing for 67 yards and a pair of scores on only six carries. He also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, picking up two sacks and making 17 total tackles. Zion Holmes also helped with two touchdowns in total.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: New Mexico School for the Deaf was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 220 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Santiago Lopez
| 09/20/25 vs Oklahoma School for the Deaf | 2 |
| 09/11/25 @ Roy/Mosquero | 2 |
| 09/04/25 vs Elida | 2 |
| 08/28/25 vs Floyd | 2 |
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to New Mexico School for the Deaf's defensive line and their four sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Alex Gonzalez-Lopez and Lopez, who racked up all four sacks between them. Lopez is also crushing it when it comes to rushing touchdowns: he's punched in at least two every time he's taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Grady). They blew past Roy/Mosquero 66-12 on Friday. The Bronchos' win was nothing new given the team hasn't lost yet this season.
New Mexico School for the Deaf better keep an eye on Trey Rush. He was instrumental in Grady's win, rushing for 224 yards and four scores on only 11 carries, while also throwing for 66 yards and a pair of TDs on only five passes. Those 224 rushing yards gave Rush a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Zander Ciancio, who picked up 118 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Grady didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The team can thank two different players for their defensive prowess: Gavin West and Trell Foote, who each picked up one interception apiece.
The victory got New Mexico School for the Deaf back to even at 2-2. As for Grady, their record now sits at 4-0.
New Mexico School for the Deaf was taken down by Grady 56-6 in their previous matchup back in September of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Ciancio, who threw for 93 yards and a pair of TDs on only eight passes, and also caught one score. Now that the Roadrunners know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
