Monarchs rule the Panthers
Manzano overwhelms visiting Piedra Vista
The Piedra Vista Panthers got a lesson in the class system Saturday afternoon.
After getting through the first half of their season unscathed, the Panthers made their first serious foray into Class 6A football. It didn’t go well. Manzano (3-2) shellacked Piedra Vista 41-7 at Wilson Stadium, dealing the Panthers (5-1) their first loss. Manzano’s starters racked up 451 easy-looking yards in three quarters of work, and the first-team defense didn’t allow a point.
“Our defense and O-line both came out and did a spectacular job today,” said sophomore quarterback Dakota Powell, who enjoyed his best day of the year, throwing for 205 yards on just seven completions, with two lengthy touchdown passes.
Powell and Andrew Erickson hooked up on a 59-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and he threw a 48-yarder to Jordan Byrd in the third quarter.
“Our receivers do a great job getting open,” Powell said. “All I have to do is throw it up and they go get it.”
It sounds like he is oversimplifying, but that truly is what he did Saturday. The Monarchs’ team speed was obviously far too much for the Piedra Vista secondary, and Manzano repeatedly exploited that advantage.
But Manzano’s ground game was also efficient, gaining 246 yards and earning almost 6 yards a carry. Xavier Ivey-saud ran for 121 yards on 17 carries, with a touchdown. Alejandro Vallejos wasn’t used much in the backfield, but he scored two TDs on runs covering 1 and 13 yards.
Byrd caught five passes for 140 yards and also rushed for 55 yards on eight carries, although 46 of those yards came on a touchdown run.
“We just played as a team,” Byrd said. “The offense did their job, the defense did their job, and we came through as a brotherhood.”
Vallejos had the game’s first score from 1 yard out midway through the first quarter. Byrd ripped off his 46-yarder, and Vallejos added a 13-yard score, both in the second quarter as the Monarchs led 27-0 at halftime.
At the half, Manzano had 309 yards of offense to the Panthers’ 95.
“We’ve been talking about that,” Byrd said. “The whole offense has said we need to step it up a little going into district. We needed a little fire.”
All the Monarchs’ touchdownmakers — Erickson, Byrd, Vallejos and Ivey-saud — are, like Powell, underclassmen.
Piedra Vista, one of three unbeaten teams in 6A prior to Saturday, finished with just 184 yards of total offense; 70 of those came against Manzano’s secondstringers in the Panthers’ final drive, the only one that ended with points. DEL NORTE 50, RIO GRANDE 0: At Milne Stadium, Avery See rushed for 197 yards and two scores, and also returned an interception for a TD as the Knights (1-3-1) belted the Ravens (0-5) in a game stopped early in the third quarter by the 50-point rule.
Branden Call rushed for 128 yards, and QB Devante Garcia rushed for 134 yards and a pair of TDs. Rio Grande has been shut out in four of its five games.