2022 Team Preview: Grants Pirates
Grants 2022 Preview Head Coach: Brandon Hernandez Mascot: Pirates Twitter: @GrantsPirateFB; @CoachBranTheMan Colors: Red, Black and White 2021 Record: 1-9 Overview: His first season at the helm of the Grants Pirates produced a disappointing record, but Brandon…
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Continue ReadingGrants 2022 Preview
Head Coach: Brandon Hernandez
Mascot: Pirates
Twitter: @GrantsPirateFB; @CoachBranTheMan
Colors: Red, Black and White
2021 Record: 1-9
Overview: His first season at the helm of the Grants Pirates produced a disappointing record, but Brandon Hernandez and his players have now had an entire off-season together in the weight room and on the field, which should lead to more wins on the field. Junior Julian Padilla is pegged as the Pirates’ starting quarterback. He saw limited action last fall, quarterbacking the offense and playing receiver in the last couple of games. But an entire spring and summer of taking reps has accelerated his progress. Freshman DJ Chavez, an option QB, will likely be the backup. He has the potential to become one of the top 2026 prospects in the state. He’ll probably be the JV QB this season. But don’t rule out Chavez seeing action with the varsity and running the speed option.
Sophomore Andres Lazos was RB1 as a freshman in 2021. In fact, he played both sides of the ball, also lining up at safety. Freshman Christian Fernandez will be the backup, but he’s such a great athlete the Grants coaches are searching for ways to get him on the field. Junior Manuel Gonzales Manuel Gonzales 5'7" | 135 lbs | WR Grants | 2024 State NM headlines the wide receiver corps after enjoying a sensational camp season that drew raves from analysts. Gonzales will play the slot and looks ready for a breakout campaign. Junior Knight Long – definitely a contender for the All-Name team – will also play slot receiver on the opposite side. Sophomore JJ Horacek played varsity basketball as a freshman last winter and will bring his elite athleticism to the football team. Senior Matthew Valdo – one of the few seniors on the Pirates – anchors the offensive line at guard along with starting at nose tackle on defense.
Defensively, Gonzales and Long are the cornerbacks. Lazos, fearless in siding down and helping out in the run game, will play strong safety. The free safety job is up for grabs between sophomore Noah Lundstrom, a three-sport standout, and freshman Isaiah Ortega. Ortega impressed the Grants coaches during 7-on-7 season. Christian Fernandez will be one of the starting linebackers in addition to serving as the backup RB as a freshman. His speed allows him to stick with receivers in pass defense and blitz the QB. Freshman Douglas Mitchell – nicknamed ‘The Punisher’ – has huge potential at inside linebacker. He loves to hit people. Valdo anchors the defensive line. Sophomore Juaquine Rivera should also have a lively presence as a defensive end. He started all 10 games as a freshman last season and has shown the ability to set the edge and get after the QB.
Schedule:
Aug. 19 at Capital
Aug. 27 at Gallup (Sat.)
Sept. at Bloomfield
Sept. 9 MORIARTY
Sept. 16 HOPE CHRISTIAN
Sept. 24 KIRTLAND CENTRAL (Sat.)
Oct. 8 TAOS (Sat.)
Oct. 14 at Silver*
Oct. 20 VALENCIA* (Thur.)
Oct. 27 at St. Pius X* (Thur.)
* District Game
Top Storyline: How much progress will Grants make with a roster filled with freshmen and sophomores?
Final Thoughts: If you were going to buy stock as a long-term investment in a New Mexico high school football team, Grants would be high on your list. The roster is full of freshman and sophomores, which creates a short-term pain, long-term gain scenario for the Pirates. Expect Grants to improve on last season’s 1-9 record, but because they play in a rugged district with Silver, St. Pius X and Valencia, progress might better be measured in baby steps. But the Pirates are coming.
Coach’s Comments: “Compared to a year ago when I got here in July, we are light years ahead. Everybody is speaking the same language now. The players are much more comfortable. The standard has been set. It’s not all foreign to them. I learned that I need to lean on my coaches, players, parents and the community a little more and learn how to delegate and hand out some of the responsibility. We have plenty of talented assistants. One thing I learned about our team is we don’t quit. We were very young and got the snot kicked out of us a couple of times. We had a lot of freshmen an sophomores that played a lot of snaps. But from Game 1 to Game 10, we really improved. It was night and day. And the effort was 100 percent all the way through.” – Grants coach Brandon Hernandez.