Prep Roundup: Aug. 26-Sept. 27

The Look Ahead (Sept. 19-27)

FOOTBALL

New Mexico versus Texas. It’s a big week for the city of Rio Rancho as the Storm (3-1) head to El Paso to face the Pebble Hills Spartans (1-2), and El Paso, in turn, sends the Eastlake Falcons (1-2) to take on the Rams (2-2).

On Aug. 31, the La Cueva Bears went into Flagstaff, Arizona and beat the Pinnacle Pioneers (3-1) 39-32 in double-overtime. It was a major victory for New Mexico Prep football, which is often sold short, being between supposed football hotbeds, Texas and Arizona.

La Cueva did their job. Now it’s on RRHS and Cleveland to take the fight to Texas. No pressure or anything.

The Rams defense will have its hands full with a fast-paced Eastlake team that tends to lose high scoring battles or win in blowout fashion. The RRHS QB, whether that’s Arellano or Takahashi, should be able to move down the field with relative ease, but West Texas football is no joke and if Coach Pino and crew can’t put points on the board early and often, it might be a long night. That said, the Falcons have conceded 94 points over three games so far this season and they may struggle to stop an angry Rams team who took a tough loss in Las Cruces last week.

On the Storm side, a long road trip on a bus to play a football game at the end of it is always a tough proposition, especially when it’s at the end of a three-game road trip, as is the case for Cleveland.

Pebble Hills is like Eastlake in that they have the same 1-2 records, and the Spartans also tend to lose close games or win blowouts. The key will be stopping Pebble Hills’ star running back Zereian Quarles. If the Storm can contain him like they contained Las Cruces’ Daniel Amaro last week, the Spartans will need to lean on their quarterback play, which has been spotty so far this season.

After a well-deserved Bye week, the undefeated Bernalillo Spartans head Espanola to face division rivals, the Espanola Valley Sundevils. BHS hasn’t just been winning, they’ve been dominating, boasting a +90 point differential. The Sundevils are no pushovers though. They are also undefeated with a +52 point differential. Two potent offenses are ready to go head-to-head as District Play enters week two.

Schedule

Sept. 20 – RRHS vs. Eastlake (El Paso, TX), 7 p.m.

Sept. 20 – CHS @ Pebble Hills (El Paso, TX), 7 p.m.

Sept. 20 – BHS Bye

Sept. 27 – BHS @ Espanola Valley, 6 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER

The RRHS boys team is rolling. After a two-game dip at the end of August, the Rams have gone on a tear, winning their last four matches with a goal differential of +18 (20 goals for and 2 against). That includes a morale-boosting win over hometown rivals Cleveland in double-overtime. The Rams will take on Atrisco Heritage before beginning district play versus the Farmington Scorpions (2-6). The Scorpions are on a six-game losing streak and haven’t picked up a win or draw since Aug. 24 (7-0 vs Aztec).

The CHS boys have been the recipients of some bad luck lately, including that double-overtime loss to the Rams. But they will look to set themselves back on track against a floundering Cibola (2-4) team as district play kicks off.

Schedule

Sept. 19 – RRHS @ Atrisco Heritage, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 19 – BHS vs Moriarty, 6 p.m.

Sept. 25 – RRHS vs Farmington, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 25 – CHS @ Cibola, 4 p.m.

Sept. 25 – BHS @ Hope Christian, 4 p.m.

Sept. 26 – BHS vs Del Norte, 5 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER

After a three-game skid, the Rams girls soccer team is off the schneid, defeating Capital 5-0 last week. This week, they look to stay right against Atrisco Heritage before entering District play. Their first district match will be against a formidable Farmington squad that is 7-2 on the season and defeated Cleveland 4-4 on penalties earlier this month. Even more intimidating, the Scorpions have a staggering +37 goal differential, meaning they score in bunches. But they also tend to allow goals in bunches on occasion. The Rams will look to exploit the Scorpion’s tendency to allow multiple goals once the first one goes in.

Cleveland also got right last week after a four-game losing streak. Though, that number can be deceiving. Two of those losses came on penalties during tournament play. And it bears noting that their “get right game” against Carlsbad was not a nail-biter. The Storm crushed the Cavegirls 8-1.

CHS opens the district play with a home match against Cibola (4-3-1). Cibola has been inconsistent to say the least. They have one blowout loss (6-1 vs Volcano Vista, Sept. 5), but two blowout wins immediately following (10-0 vs West Mesa, Sept. 10 and 10-0 vs Del Norte, Sept. 12).

Schedule

Sept. 19 – RRHS vs Atrisco Heritage, 6 p.m.

Sept. 19 – BHS @ Moriarty

Sept. 25 – RRHS @ Farmington, 6 p.m.

Sept. 25 – CHS vs Cibola, 5 p.m.

Sept. 25 – BHS vs Hope Christian, 4 p.m.

Sept. 26 – BHS @ Del Norte, 4 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL

It was a tough week for volleyball in Rio Rancho, but it turned out well. The Storm won the Metro Championship, and the Rams won the Silver Bracket at the Metros. This week will be a well-earned break for the teams who don’t hit the court again until Sept. 24.

It may be a long night for Sandia (1-7) facing off against the Metro champs from Cleveland. The Matadors will be looking for their first win since Aug. 31 (3-0 vs Atrisco Heritage), but the Storm are just hitting their stride.

The Rams will have the other side of the coin. They will be taking on Albuquerque Academy (6-1) who haven’t lost a game since their season opener, a 5-set defeat to Eldorado.

Schedule

Sept. 19 – BHS vs Belen, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 24 – RRHS vs Academy, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 24 – CHS @ Sandia, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 27-28 – RRHS @ Rio Rancho Bash Invite, TBD

CROSS COUNTRY

The cross country world centers on the City of Vision this weekend as Rio Rancho High School opens its course for the Rio Rancho Jamboree. Most of the Metro teams will be there, as will the Cleveland Storm and the Bernalillo Spartans.

Of specific note this week is the return of Rams cross country champ Charlie Vause, who made his season debut at the UNM Invite last week.

Schedule

Sept. 21 – CHS, RRHS, BHS - Rio Rancho Jamboree @ RRHS, 8 a.m.

The Look Back (Sept. 5-16)

FOOTBALL

Scores

Sept. 6 – BHS 14, Portales 7

Sept. 6 – Las Cruces 34, RRHS 21

Sept. 6 – CHS 54, Clovis 0

Sept. 12 – CHS 35, Las Cruces 25

Sept. 13 – Centennial 43, RRHS 27

Sept. 13 – BHS 42, Moriarty 0

6A-1 Standings

Team W-L-T PCT PF PA Streak

Volcano Vista 3-1-0 0.750 90 58 3

Cleveland 3-1-0 0.750 172 67 3

Farmington 3-1-0 0.750 136 71 1

Rio Rancho 2-2-0 0.500 152 92 2

Piedra Vista 1-3-0 0.250 103 107 3

Cibola 1-3-0 0.250 53 116 3

4A-1 Standings

Team W-L-T PCT PF PA Streak

Bloomfield 3-0-0 1.000 157 34 3

Bernalillo 4-0-0 1.000 122 32 4

Taos 3-1-0 0.750 107 78 3

Espanola 4-0-0 1.000 90 38 4

Grants 1-3-0 0.250 60 108 3

Aztec 0-3-0 0.000 22 131 3

Moriarty 2-2-0 0.500 111 107 2

Kirtland 1-3-0 0.250 83 117 1

BOYS SOCCER

Scores

Sept. 4 – RRHS 3, Volcano 1

Sept. 4 – CHS 3, Highland 0

Sept. 6 – RRHS 2, CHS 1 (2OT)

Sept. 7 – Artesia 4, BHS 1

Sept. 7 – BHS 4, Ruidoso 3

Sept. 9 – BHS 5, Aztec 0

Sept. 10 – RRHS 5, Capital 0

Sept. 11 – BHS 3, West Mesa 2 (OT)

Sept. 12 – CHS 1, Capital 0

Sept. 13 – Academy 3, CHS 0

Sept. 14 – Hobbs 2, CHS 2 (CHS loss in PK)

Sept. 14 – BHS 4, Robertson 3

5A-1 Standings

Team W-L-T PCT GF GA Streak

Piedra Vista 6-2-0 0.750 28 7 1

Rio Rancho 6-2-0 0.750 28 9 4

Cleveland 5-4-1 0.550 15 14 2

Volcano Vista 2-4-2 0.375 10 17 1

Cibola 2-4-0 0.333 10 15 2

Farmington 2-6-0 0.250 20 23 6

4A-6 Standings

Team W-L-T PCT GF GA Streak

Hope 5-0-1 0.917 25 5 1

Academy 7-2-0 0.778 27 10 4

Del Norte 3-2-2 0.571 24 15 1

Bernalillo 5-4-0 0.556 29 24 4

Valley 2-7-0 0.222 10 57 2

GIRLS SOCCER

Scores

Sept. 5 – Sandia 2, RRHS 2 (Sandia win on PK, 4-2)

Sept. 6 – Eldorado 2, CHS 1

Sept. 10 – RRHS 5, Capital 0

Sept. 11 – East Mountain 2, BHS 0

Sept. 12 - Los Alamos 3, CHS 3 (CHS loss on PK)

Sept. 13 – Farmington 4, CHS 4 (CHS loss on PK)

Sept. 14 – CHS 8, Carlsbad 1

5A-1 Standings

Team W-L-T PCT GF GA Streak

Farmington 7-2-0 0.778 48 11 2

Piedra Vista 6-2-0 0.750 17 12 1

Volcano Vista 5-3-0 0.625 47 11 2

Cibola 4-3-1 0.562 24 10 1

Rio Rancho 4-4-0 0.500 14 8 1

Cleveland 5-5-0 0.500 24 19 1

4A-6 Standings

Team W-L-T PCT GF GA Streak

Hope 7-0-0 1.000 34 2 7

Academy 7-2-0 0.778 31 6 6

Bernalillo 3-4-1 0.438 23 12 2

Valley 3-4-0 0.429 18 35 2

Del Norte 0-4-1 0.000 1 36 4

VOLLEYBALL

Scores

Sept. 5 – BHS 3, Espanola 2

Sept. 6 – Bosque 3, BHS 2

Sept. 7 – Las Cruces 3, CHS 1

Sept. 7 – CHS 3, Centennial 0

Sept. 7 – RRHS 3, Gadsden 0

Sept. 7 – RRHS 3, Silver 1

Sept. 7 – BHS 3, East Mountain 0

Sept. 7 – BHS 3, Thoreau 1

Sept. 10 – Grants 3, BHS 1

Sept. 12 – RRHS 3, West Mesa 0

Sept. 12 – CHS 3, St. Pius 1

Sept. 12 – BHS 3, Moriarty 1

Sept. 13 – RRHS 3, Eldorado 0

Sept. 13 – CHS 3, Abq. High 0

Sept. 14 – RRHS 3, Rio Grande 1

Sept. 14 – CHS 3, La Cueva 0

5A-1 Standings

Team W-L-T PCT SW SL Streak

Piedra Vista 7-1-0 0.875 21 8 5

Cleveland 6-2-0 0.750 21 7 4

Rio Rancho 5-2-0 0.714 16 8 5

Volcano Vista 5-2-0 0.714 18 9 1

Farmington 6-3-0 0.667 19 13 1

Cibola 4-3-0 0.571 14 13 1

4A-6 Standings

Team W-L-T PCT SW SL Streak

Hope 7-1-0 0.875 21 5 1

Academy 6-1-0 0.857 20 4 6

Bernalillo 6-5-0 0.545 23 21 1

Del Norte 3-3-0 0.500 11 10 1

Valley 4-4-0 0.500 19 12 1