Prep Roundup: Sept. 25-Oct. 9 - What happened and what’s next in prep sports

Football

Last week...

Both the RRHS Rams and the CHS Storm were on bye this week, getting some much-needed rest and time to heal.

BERNALILLO 21, ESPANOLA 20 (OT)

Española Valley (Sept. 27, 2024) - Bernalillo was down two touchdowns midway through the fourth quarter of their crucial District 1-4A showdown at Española Valley.

But No. 2-ranked Bernalillo rallied to force overtime, scored first in the OT for its first lead of the game, and then the Spartans defense held the third-ranked Sundevils short of the goal line on a 2-point try moments later as Bernalillo left Española with a thrilling victory.

Quarterback Uriel Castro scored from the 10 for Bernalillo (5-0, 2-0 in 1-4A) on its overtime possession.

Española Valley (5-1, 2-1) responded immediately with a touchdown of their own, and the Sundevils rolled the dice by going for 2 points and the win.

The attempt fell inches short of the goal line.

This game also included a lightning delay with the Sundevils leading 14-7 with just under five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

This week...

It’s Homecoming Week for the RRPS schools so the Friday night games are sure to be packed.

The Storm (4-1) face off against Farmington (3-2), who are on an unlucky streak of facing teams during their Homecoming games. The Scorpions got pummeled by La Cueva 45-13 during the Bears Homecoming two weeks ago. Now they face the #3-ranked Storm in Lightning Bolt Stadium.

The Rams (3-2) are coming off a huge win in their home stadium versus Eastlake out of El Paso, Texas. Their quarterback issues have recently turned into a gift, with sophomore QB Micah Takahashi cutting up opponents with his legs and senior QB taking the top off defenses with his monster arm. They’ll have their work cut out for them on Friday, however, when they take on Cibola (2-3) in their first district game of the year.

Bernalillo (5-0) will look to remain undefeated when they take on Kirtland Central (1-4) at BHS on Friday night.

Schedule

Oct. 4- CHS vs Farmington, 7 p.m.

Oct. 4 – RRHS vs Cibola, 7 p.m.

Oct. 4 – BHS vs Kirtland Central, 7 p.m.

Volleyball

Last week...

Cleveland and Rio Rancho high schools partnered to host VolleyBash 2024 this last week. 16 of the state’s best teams competed. See the full story at rrobserver.com.

This week...

The Storm (10-2) will look to continue their dominant season on Saturday when they face off against Centennial (6-4) in preparation for the start of District play on Oct. 8, which begins with a home match versus Cibola. CHS is ranked first in the state, but Centennial is no slouch, sitting at an impressive 8th place in the statewide rankings.

The Rams (7-4) had a tough week at Volleybash and are looking to get right with a trip south to face two Las Cruces opponents. First, RRHS faces Organ Mountain, who have been struggling lately. Next, they head over to Las Cruces High School to take on the Bulldawgs. Las Cruces is undefeated and despite the Storm’s first-place ranking, the Dawgs are widely considered the top team in New Mexico. It will be a tough test going into district play for the Rams.

The Bernalillo Spartans have a tough game on Oct. 8 against Hope Christian, who sits in fourth place in 4A according to the MaxPreps rankings.

Schedule

Oct. 1 – BHS @ Highland, 6 p.m.

Oct. 4 – RRHS @ Organ Mnt., 7 p.m.

Oct. 5 – CHS vs Centennial, 1 p.m.

Oct. 5 – RRHS @ Las Cruces, 1 p.m.

Oct. 8 – CHS vs Cibola, 6 p.m.

Oct. 8 – RRHS @ Farmington, 6 p.m.

Oct. 8 – BHS vs Hope, 6 p.m.

Boys Soccer

Last week...

RIO RANCHO 9, FARMINGTON 0

RIO RANCHO (Sept. 25, 2024) - The Rio Rams (9-2, 1-0 in 5A-D1) handled business against the Farmington Scorpions (3-8, 0-1 in 5A-D1) on Wednesday night, defeating their rivals 9-0 in the opening match of district play.

Less than a minute into the contest, senior striker Aaron Meserve knocked one past Scorpions goalkeeper Trejin Toledo. Aaron Meserve would have two goals in the game, as would Bryson Strohecker. Mateo Dean led the RRHS scoring with a hat trick—three goals.

“We tell the guys we have between 15 and 17 starters. We take a great amount of pride in the fact that putting in the (additional players) doesn’t affect the level of play,” head coach John Shepard said.

Rio Rancho’s potent offense and stifling defense just proved too much for Farmington and the 5-0 halftime score told the tale of a game already decided.

CLEVELAND 3, CIBOLA 2

ALBUQUERQUE (Sept. 25, 2024) - Cleveland High School (6-4-1, 1-0 in 5A-D1) open district play with three straight road games. That’s not an easy task, but the first game is in the books and the Storm walked away with a hard-fought 3-2 “W” against the Cibola Cougars (2-8, 0-1 in 5A-D1).

The leading goal scorer for the night was Storm sophomore phenom Eric Andrade, who scored two goals on two shots. The third CHS goal was scored by senior Mario Montoya.

For the Cougars, junior Caden Barnard and freshman Ryder Herbert scored a goal apiece in the second half.

This week...

The Rio Rams are on a heater. After a few small stumbles out of the gate, RRHS is on an eight-game winning streak. They have a busy week, first facing off against district rival Cibola before taking a road trip to Piedra Vista. But the marque match of the week is decidedly versus the Cleveland Storm at Lightning Bolt Stadium on Oct. 9. The Storm have struggled lately, but they are big and fast. It will be interesting to see if the Rams technical skill and precision can handle CHS as easily as it handled everyone else.

Bernalillo has a tough week ahead of them. After a long road trip to face Belen, the boys head into Albuquerque to take on top-ranked Albuquerque Academy in the first match of district play.

Schedule

Oct. 1 – BHS @ Belen, 5 p.m.

Oct. 2 – RRHS vs Cibola, 6 p.m.

Oct. 2 – CHS @ Piedra Vista, 3 p.m.

Oct. 3 – BHS @ Academy, 3:30 p.m.

Oct. 5 – RRHS @ Piedra vista, 11 a.m.

Oct. 5 – CHS vs Volcano Vista, 11 a.m.

Oct. 8 – BHS vs Valley, 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 9 – RRHS @ CHS, 6 p.m.

Girls Soccer

Last week...

District play opened for the Storm and Rams this last week.

The Rams have been fighting hard lately and have managed to win three of their last five, including a 5-0 victory over Capital. They took down Farmington in the district opener but lost to a tough Volcano Vista squad shortly after. At 6-6 on the season, the Rams are still fully in the running for the State title.

The Storm have also had a tough start to the season, that included a four-game losing streak they finally ended with a decisive 8-1 win over Carlsbad on Sept. 14. They are 1-1 in district play and have the same overall record as the Rams. With the recent woes behind them, the Storm will look to get behind their star midfielder, Taylor Williamson and make some waves in district play.

This week...

District play continues, but the match of the week for both squads will come on Oct. 9 when they face each other at RRHS field at 6 p.m. Two teams with identical records and something to prove; it should be a fun game.

Bernalillo has the toughest task this week, however. The Spartans will play three matches this week, but one will be against Albuquerque Academy. Academy is the #3 team in the state, despite being in Class 4A.

Schedule

Oct. 1 – BHS @ Belen, 3 p.m.

Oct. 2- RRHS @ Cibola, 4 p.m.

Oct. 2 – CHS vs. Piedra Vista, 6 p.m.

Oct. 3 – BHS vs. Academy, 4 p.m.

Oct. 5 – CHS @ Volcano Vista, 2 p.m.

Oct. 5 – RRHS vs. Piedra Vista, 1 p.m.

Oct. 8 – BHS 2 Valley, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 9 – RRHS vs. CHS, 6 p.m.