The Manzano Monarchs will be playing in front of their home fans against the Albuquerque Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Manzano's six-game losing streak came to an end on Thursday. They breezed by Del Norte at home to the tune of 63-8. The victory was just what Manzano needed coming off of a 48-9 defeat in their prior contest.
Manzano relied on the efforts of Josh Nieto, who picked up 115 receiving yards and four touchdowns, and James Vautier, who threw for 242 yards and six touchdowns while picking up 12.1 yards per attempt. Tony Paulson was in the mix too, providing Manzano with two touchdowns.
Manzano's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB five times. The heavy lifting was done by Xavier Talley and Paulson who racked up four sacks between them.
Albuquerque fell on hard times earlier this season, but after back-to-back wins it seems like their luck might finally be changing. They took down Santa Fe 28-12 on Saturday.
Manzano's win bumped their record up to 2-7. As for Albuquerque, their victory bumped their record up to 3-6.
Manzano took a serious blow against Albuquerque in their previous matchup back in October of 2022, falling 55-20. Will Manzano have more luck at home instead of on the road?
