Pirates sail into town and seize victory over Taos
Tigers finish regular-season segment, prep for districts
The setting: a blustery, Friday evening in Northern New Mexico under stadium lights. The scene: a wildly entertaining football game between two stout programs with long-term memory issues. The stakes: pride.
In past meet-ups in the Abreu era between the Grants Pirates and the Taos Tigers, the stakes were definitely higher. However, the energy and intensity levels on the playing field were palpable, making the game at Anaya Stadium on Oct. 6 — and the final score of 28-27 in favor of the Pirates — one for the history books.
In their first clash back in 2018, the Tigers and Pirates were in the same district and were both unbeaten at 5-0 heading into a week-7 showdown in Grants on Oct. 5. Taos was able to squeak by with a nail-biting 20-19 victory, and would eventually march on to claim the class 4A state title. The following year, the Pirates would answer the loss with a huge 49-19 triumph over the Tigers at Anaya Field as they would cruise to a 10-2 overall record in 2019.
After a three-year hiatus — partly due to COVID-19 restrictions, and not being on each other’s schedules — the Grants versus Taos discord continued in 2022. And under the leadership of quarterback Dameon Ely, the Tigers throttled the Pirates 44-0 on their turf. Thus, the trend did not favor the home team in this simmering rivalry, and it played out accordingly with Grants able to squeak by with a nail-biter of their own on Taos’ turf.
With the loss, the Tigers fall to 2-5 heading into district play, which begins with another home game against the Española Valley Sundevils this coming week. The game is the last home game for Taos and is scheduled for tonight (Oct. 12) as opposed to a Friday or Saturday game. Española is coming to Anaya Stadium with a 4-3 overall record. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
Fans are reminded to dress warm for the game, and to stay within the stadium grounds during the game to avoid being charged to reenter.