Josh Franklin, The Roswell Daily Record—The Goddard Rockets will take on Piedra Vista in the NMAA 5A football playoff quarterfinal on Saturday.
The No. 7 seed Rockets beat No. 10 seed Highland 35-22 in the first round last Saturday at the Wool Bowl, but now travel to Farmington to face the No. 2 seed Panthers, a team Goddard hasn’t played since 2023.
In that game, Piedra Vista beat the Rockets 21-7, but that was in the regular season. This matchup is a win-or-go-home scenario, and Goddard coach Art Bolaños said his team needs to be as mentally prepared as they are physically.
“We’ve been working all season long, all summer long, all spring, on tackling and just doing certain things right,” Bolaños said. “But this one … as much as we need to be physical; it’s like the mental part of it is going to be huge for us.”
Another decisive factor will be whether the Rockets (5-6, 3-4 District 2-5A) can succeed on the ground against a fast, physical Panthers’ defensive front. Goddard running back Isaiah Montoya will return for this matchup after staying sidelined last week against the Hornets. Bolaños plans to pair him with Romeo Paiz, who stepped up to be the Rockets’ main back against Highland, rushing for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
“Both of them are really good,” Bolaños said. “Romeo’s running the ball really, really well, and Isaiah. We already know what we get with Isaiah. I mean, obviously, a good runner. He’s a solid blocker too.”
Piedra Vista (9-1, 7-0 District 1-5A) allowed just 69 rushing yards in its last game against Cibola, so for the Rockets, having two well-equipped rushers is important against a stingy Panthers defense.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Hutchinson Stadium.
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