Championship Preview: Football

Editor’s Note: In this series, the Observer will take a look at each of the upcoming NMAA State Championship Tournaments and give readers all of the information they will need to tune in and be informed in advance. From basic information like where to stream the games or buy tickets, to the fun stuff like who to watch for and how the Rio squads might fair, we have you covered.

2024 Nusenda Credit Union State Football Championships

Dates:

- Round 1: Nov. 8

- Quarterfinals: Nov. 15-16

- Semifinals: Nov. 22-23

- Finals: Nov. 30, 2024

Time: 7 p.m. (Round 1 - Sandia @ RRHS)

Location: TBD by matchups (host school sites; higher seed or past history, depending on round)

Tickets: Tickets can be purchased online only via GoFan (NO CASH SALES). https://gofan.co/app/school/NMAA

Cost: Adults $12, Students/Seniors/Military $7

Streaming: Championship games and select early round contests - www.nfhsnetwork.com

Website: Brackets and results will be updated at www.nmact.org.

Additional info: The NMAA’s state championship souvenir vendor Northwest Designs Ink will be on site, but merchandise is also available online at https://nwd.ink/. A concession stand will be available.

Outlook: District 6A-1 was a battle this year. Not only did the teams in the district have to fight it out, three of which were ranked in the top 10 in the state (#3 Cleveland, #4 Volcano Vista, #9 Rio Rancho), but the Rio Rancho teams also had an extremely difficult non-district schedule. (Piedra Vista also made the tournament with an 11-seed despite a worse record and lower ranking than Farmington.)

The 7-seed Rams and 3-seed Storm both faced the southern one-two punch of the Las Cruces Bulldawgs and the Centennial Hawks. The Rio squads are battle-hardened and hitting their stride at just the right time.

The Rams may have dropped their final game of the season in a 40-12 loss to Cleveland, but the game was much closer than the score indicates, especially in the first half. Until they met the Rams, the Storm had only given up three points to district opponents and that was to the 4th-ranked (and seeded) Volcano Vista Hawks.

Rams quarterback JJ Arellano appears to be settling back into the starter’s role and his connections with receivers Jace Pitt and Parker Miller are obvious. If he can limit the turnovers, the Rams will only get stronger.

They’ll have a nice test in Round 1 against a scrappy Sandia Matadors team that just got blanked by Los Lunas.

Cleveland is in about as strong a position as a team can be in. The Storm haven’t lost since the first game of the season, a heartbreaking 35-28 defeat to Centennial. After that game, head coach Robert Garza told his team, “I’ve been here before. I’ve lost the first game of the year, and you know what we did? We came back and won it all.”

Garza appears poised to repeat that feat this year.

ANYTHING can happen in the tournament. EVERY team has a chance to win. To do so however, they’ll have to take down at least one of the top three teams, because this does appear to be a three-horse race.

At the top sits undefeated La Cueva, of course. The Bears are the presumptive favorites coming in, thanks to a legacy of strong coaching and the talents of their star quarterback Cam Dyer. While they look like a tough, possibly impossible out, their district has been a mess, which hurts the Bears’ strength-of-schedule.

NEVER underestimate La Cueva, but an argument could be made that the Bears haven’t faced the like of the Storm and Rams this year. The difference in skill level may be just jarring enough to knock La Cueva off balance.

The number two team coming in, the Centennial Hawks, are also a juggernaut. Like the Bears, the Hawks are undefeated this season thanks in large part to their stud qb, in this case Zaiden Davis.

Davis destroys teams with his size and speed, but both the Storm and the Rams have seen him before and will most certainly be ready this time.

And the Rams may get their chance sooner rather than later. If RRHS takes down 12-seed Sandia on Friday, they’ll get a rematch versus 2-seed Centennial next week.

Cleveland got the 3-seed in the tournament and so are off this week. Next week, they’ll take on the winner of the Piedra Vista versus Los Lunas matchup. Los Lunas is a strong squad that may cause some issues. Piedra Vista is a district rival and will certainly be fired up, but the Storm defeated them by Mercy Rule three weeks ago in Farmington.