Diamondbacks Outlast Gladiators in Homecoming Victory

MISSION — On a night filled with homecoming festivities, the Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks kept their composure when it mattered most, holding off the determined Roma Gladiators for a hard-fought win Friday night at Richard Thompson Stadium.

Head coach Eddie Galindo said the victory was especially meaningful, not only because it came on homecoming, but because he shared it with his son, quarterback Malakai Galindo, leading the offense.

“It’s a blessing — and it’s a challenge,” Coach Galindo said. “Out here, I’m coach. At home, I’m dad. I’m the two most important people in his life, and I don’t compromise one for the other. It’s special. I’ve been blessed to share this with him, and really, all these boys are like my kids.”

Malakai guided Pioneer’s offense with poise throughout the night, helping the Diamondbacks overcome several injuries to key players. The team was forced to make quick adjustments in the second half when sophomore running back Cole Scurlock went down, but the offense responded behind creative adjustments from Galindo and his staff.

“That’s our third running back,” Galindo said. “You’ve got to move the chess pieces around. I put Will in the backfield with Malakai, mixed some things up, and just let the athletes be athletes.”

Despite the challenges, the Diamondbacks’ defense remained the backbone of the team, delivering timely stops and big plays when needed. Junior cornerback Trey De la Garza anchored the secondary, making several key tackles during the final drive to secure the win.

“It was a really good game,” De la Garza said. “Coming in, we expected a hard fight, but they really came here to play. We just came out on top with the victory.”

The junior credited the team’s discipline and preparation for helping them handle a busy homecoming week, which included the traditional “Burning of the P” pep rally held just one night before the game.

“There were a lot of distractions this week — a lot of noise, a lot of food, a lot going on,” De la Garza said. “We just had to work past that and stay locked in.”

The matchup was a thrilling back-and-forth that kept Richard Thompson Stadium buzzing. Pioneer struck first on a Cole Scurlock run, but Roma answered behind two bruising scores from Ruben Garcia Jr. and a long burst from Rafael Ruiz, sending the teams to halftime tied 21–21. After the break, Jorge Tamayo’s option game helped spring Ruiz for another long touchdown and a brief Gladiators lead, only for Malakai Galindo to hit Aythan Calacuayo on fourth down to level it again. In the fourth, Galindo found Alejandro Mata—pressed into backfield duty after injuries—for the go-ahead score.

Late in the fourth quarter, Pioneer’s defense delivered the decisive stop of the night. De la Garza said that moment captured everything the team had worked for throughout the week.

“That last drive was really intense,” he said. “We knew we had to get that stop to win the game. Our offense came through, and our defense closed it out. It was just good coaching and effort all the way through.”

Galindo praised his defense for maintaining its identity and discipline during tense moments.

“Our defense has done a phenomenal job all year,” Galindo said. “That’s a tough offense to simulate in practice, but they stopped them when we needed to stop them. We scored when we needed to score, and we got the job done.”

Even with multiple starters sidelined by injury, Galindo said he was proud of how his younger players stepped up to fill key roles.

“Those injuries aren’t coming back,” he said. “We lost some key, pivotal players that are hard to replace. But young guys are getting their shot. When your number’s called, you’ve got to show what you’ve got.”

With the win, Pioneer heads into its bye week on a high note before preparing for the annual Snakeskin Classic against Sharyland High on Halloween Night, one of the Valley’s most anticipated rivalry games.

“We’re going to decompress, heal up some wounds, get fundamentally sound, and get ready for the Snakeskin,” Galindo said. “We’ll cross our T’s, dot our I’s, and be ready to go.”