The Roswell Coyotes face the Rio Rancho Rams at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, at the Wool Bowl.
Roswell (1-1) is coming off a 50-37 loss to the Randall Raiders of Amarillo, Texas in its first road game. Rio Rancho, meanwhile, defeated the Los Lunas Tigers 48-20 at home in their last contest. The matchup against the Coyotes will be the Rams’ first road test.
Roswell head coach Jeff Lynn said the challenge starts with containing Rio Rancho quarterback Micah Takahashi and improving on defense.
Lynn pointed to defensive tackle Miguel Borrego and linebacker Michael Herrera as players who have stepped up on defense for the Coyotes.
“We need to make sure Takahashi doesn’t beat us offensively, and we’ve got to eliminate the big plays,” Lynn said.
On the offensive side of the field, Lynn said he is confident. Quarterback Anduw Fuentez completed 28 of 34 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns against Randall. Wide receiver Danny Castro hauled in eight passes for 124 yards, while running back Ezequiel Barrientos rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown on just two carries.
Friday’s matchup gives both teams an opportunity to build on their respective starts. Roswell has a chance to get back into the win column, while Rio Rancho can carry the momentum from its 28-point victory over Los Lunas into its first away game.
Lynn likes his team’s chances but said it’s not going to be easy.
“Defensively, they’re going to bring pressure so we’ve got to do a good job keeping our eyes up and picking up their blitzes,” Lynn said. “We also need to take care of the ball and handle pressure well. Our kicking needs to continue to be good as well. I think that’s been a bright spot in the first two games.”
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.
