The Goddard Rockets football team (1-2) opens district play against the Chaparral Lobos (3-0) at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, at the Wool Bowl.
The Rockets earned their first win of the season last Friday, rallying past the Los Lunas Tigers 28-23 at Willie Chavez Athletic Field. Chaparral, meanwhile, most recently defeated the Santa Teresa Desert Warriors 47-26 at home.
Slowing the Lobos begins with discipline for the Rockets. Goddard head coach Art Bolaños said his defense will have to know its assignments and make good tackles because of the talent Chaparral possess.
“Offensively, Chaparral is a fast football team,” Bolaños said. “They have some speed on that team and they do a pretty good job at stretching the field with that speed.”
Bolaños said quarterback Nate Vazquez and kicker Braden McDaniel will be important in the district opener. Vazquez has handled the kicking duties over the past two games while McDaniel suited up for the soccer team. With McDaniel back, Vazquez can turn his full attention to quarterback, while McDaniel gives Goddard a fresh leg on special teams.
Chaparral’s early-season offense has revolved around quarterback Saul Contreras and running back Raul Lopez. Contreras has thrown for 468 yards and three touchdowns against just one interception. Lopez has been productive on the ground, piling 540 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 43 carries.
Friday’s matchup carries more weight than opening district play with a win. For Goddard, it’s a chance to build its momentum and string together consecutive victories for the first time this season. For the Lobos, it’s an opportunity to remain unbeaten.
Bolaños said the key to victory for this contest and the rest of the season starts with the ground game.
“I’m really looking for our run game to get established,” Bolaños said. “If we’re going to make it pretty far in our classification, our run game must be really good, so I’m expecting that to get better.”
Marshall Mecham can be reached at (915) 232-1793 or on X @mecham_marshall. Mecham serves with the New Mexico Local News Fellowship, which places emerging journalists in newsrooms across the state. Learn more at www.newmexicolocalnewsfellowships.org.
