Can the Goddard Rockets beat the Mayfield Trojans on Friday?
The short answer is yes, but it may be closer than fans think. During an interview with Goddard head coach Art Bolaños last week, he pointed to several reasons the Rockets and Trojans look like an even matchup.
“I do expect to be kind of close throughout,” Bolaños said. “I think they’re probably a little bit bigger than us all across the board. As far as speed goes, I think we might be probably fairly equal. Again, when I look at the matchup, I’m going, ‘Man, everything just kind of looks the same, almost.’ So that’s why I’m pretty excited for the game. I think it’s gonna be a pretty good football game.”
Goddard (4-3, 2-2) boasts the third-best scoring offense and defense in the district, while Mayfield (2-5, 2-2) is fourth in both categories. But the Rockets have scored 12 more points and allowed 47 fewer against the same district opponents.
Outside district play, Goddard earned a 28-23 win at Los Lunas in Week 3 — a team Mayfield fell to 23-13 at home in Week 1.
Bolaños had high praise for the Trojans’ offense.
“They’re a team that’s … got a quarterback that throws the ball really well, and he just makes stuff happen,” Bolaños said. “Good-looking kid. … He’s got big boys up front that block freaking pretty good. … I see a lot of similarities in a sense where their record says otherwise than what they are.”
But if Mayfield’s strength is its offense, Goddard’s is its firepower.
Rockets quarterback Nate Vazquez ranks third in Class 5A with 1,455 passing yards, just 20 behind Artesia’s Lucas Atkins. Vazquez has also made plays with his legs, rushing for 150 yards this season.
He has plenty of targets, too. Wideouts Jose Porras and Bryant O’Mera both rank in the top 10 in receiving yards; Porras is second with 606, while O’Mera sits at 10th with 378.
On the ground, running back Isaiah Montoya has run for 527 yards, good for ninth in Class 5A, and has scored five rushing touchdowns without a fumble. While he is not a major threat in the passing game, Montoya has made the most of his seven catches for 77 yards.
With Vazquez throwing, Porras and O’Mera stretching the field and Montoya controlling the ground game, Goddard has enough firepower to make Friday’s 7 p.m. Wool Bowl matchup one worth watching.