GRANTS - On Friday October 11,2024 the ninth-ranked Grants Pirates were at home as they were set to take on the No. 3 Taos Tigers in a tough but good matchup.
Going into the game the Pirates were not expected to win, as the Tigers were the favorite based on their ranking. But the Pirates proved the naysayers wrong with a 21-19 upset of the Tigers, using a late, defensive goal-line stand to stop the visiting team.
A big part of the upset was Pirates quarterback Tristin Fernandez as he completed 7 of 14 pass attempts for 159 yards, a touchdown and a quarterback rating of 85.1. Right behind him was Andres Lazos, who had 18 carries for 140 yards, 7.8 yards per carry. On the defensive side Brandon Wheeler finished the night off with nine solo tackles and 1.5 half sacks.
The Pirates (4-3 overall) will be back in action Saturday, October 19 as they are set to take on the (3-4) Moriarty Pintos at home for the Pirates’ homecoming game. Despite the Pintos’ record they have lost to some good 4A teams: St. Pius (5-2), Bernalillo (7-0), Espanola (6-2), and Bloomfield (6-0).
The Pirates are in second place in District play behind Bernalillo and Bloomfield, who are tied for the top spot, but are set to face each other this weekend.
Saturday’s game time set for 2pm.
Tyrick Nelson - Angry Jack reporter