Around the Hood: Who’s the team to beat in 5A District 1 soccer?

Editor's Note: Every week, Rio Rancho Observer sports and education reporter Taylor Hood takes a look at one of the main news items in sports around Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, and Sandoval County. From Gladiator's football to prep cheer to club sports, Taylor will dive in as he takes a look Around the Hood.

It was a big week for prep sports in the City of Vision. In fact, it was the biggest week yet. Well, okay, it was the only week yet, but opening games are always packed with plenty of excitement and nerves.

This past week, we saw two cross country records get broken, a last second soccer goal from the foot of a young defender, a blowout win at Community Stadium and a heartbreaker at Lightning Bolt Stadium.

Things have started fast in all the Fall sports, but perhaps none more so than soccer. Both Cleveland and Rio Rancho, both boys and girls, have solid squads this season. And all four are packed with veteran leadership backed by young, emerging talent. Everyone from high school seniors to middle school eighth graders were finding the back of the net this week.

So, it isn’t any surprise that all four teams are sitting near the top of their respective standings in 5A District 1.

But... I say “near” because none of them are at the top... yet.

So, who is at the top? How did they get there? And more importantly, can they be beaten?

For the girls, both RRHS and CHS have similar outlooks. Four games into the season and they sit at 3-1 records, with the Rams in 2nd place and the Storm in 3rd based on goal differential (the difference between a team's “goals scored” and its “goals against. In this case it’s +5 versus +3). Those are good differentials and both teams look solid in terms of tactics, conditioning, skill and coaching.

There’s one problem. Alone at the top of the standings sits the juggernaut that is Volcano Vista. The Hawks aren’t just undefeated, they haven’t even been scored on. What’s more, they’ve scored 27 goals in four games, never winning by fewer than six. Their game log reads like an unstoppable, ground-and-pound football team: 6-0, 14-0, 7-0, 6-0.

Volcano’s strength lies in their fast and technically flawless attack. They make the most of every set piece and seem to have taken the legendary soccer manager Jurgen Klopp’s possession-based tactics to heart, fighting to retake the ball the moment it’s lost.

So, should we even bother playing the games? Are they just too overwhelming? Can they even be slowed down, let alone defeated? Well, here you go: yes, no and yes. Even better, I think CHS and RRHS are exactly the two teams with a chance to do it.

CHS may be able to use their physicality to wear down the Hawks. Head coach Greg Rusk is a veteran of managing the pitch. The Storm know what they are doing, and they have the experienced leadership, thanks to senior Taylor Williamson, to keep their cool under the heavy onslaught of the Hawks offense.

On the other side, the Rams first-year head coach Jenna Sievers is already making an impression with her communicative style and quickly adapting tactics. Though the Rams prefer to press, they may have more success in a counter-attack offense, but I’m certainly not going to be the one to tell Coach Sievers how to do her job. Four games in and she’s already proven she’s got this.

The boys might not have a behemoth with a +27 goal differential staring down at them from the top of the standings, but they do have a behemoth with a +18 goal differential staring down at them from the top of the standings. That would be the vaunted Panthers of Piedra Vista.

The Panthers game log looks almost identical to Volcano Vista on the girls side, except they have a measly 4-0 victory tossed in there, just to mix it up a bit. The other wins in their three-game winning streak finished 7-0 and 6-0.

Piedra Vista has young talent to bolster their defense, but perhaps their greatest strength is senior striker Noah Bouren, who scored four goals, along with an assist and a steal in the Aug. 24 match against Farmington.

Luckily, once again, the CHS and the RRHS boys are in prime spots to take on this unstoppable Piedra Vista squad. Right now, again just as in the girls standings, the boys are in 2nd and 3rd place, Cleveland at 2-0-1 and Rio Rancho at 2-1.

The Rams have plenty of talent to match Bouren. The Meserve brothers and Bryson Strohecker are game wreckers in their own rights and will certainly be ready when the Panthers come to town.

Coach Shaun Gill will have his team in their absolute best shape for this match. Conditioning is a main focus for his staff and considering the difficulty of just playing a single minute of soccer in general, “better conditioning” seems like a sound strategy.

The Storm have young talent in names like Trevor Louis, a fierce eighth-grade striker, and sophomore Zac Martinez, who is a sharp-shooter from outside the box. With the CHS size pushing Piedra Vista around, the sneaky forwards may be able to find enough daylight to make the Panthers pay.

Coach John Shepard is a tactician, and his squad plays with precision and elegance. I’m excited to see what he will have planned.

So, when is it? When are the big days? Well, here you go. Mark your calendars, people!

Girls

Sept. 28, Volcano @ RRHS, 11 a.m.

Oct. 5, CHS @ Volcano, 4 p.m.

Oct. 16, RRHS @ Volcano, 4 p.m.

Oct. 23, Volcano @ CHS, 6 p.m.

Boys

Oct. 2, CHS @ Piedra Vista, 3 p.m.

Oct. 5, RRHS @ Piedra Vista, 11 a.m.

Oct. 19 Piedra Vista @ CHS, 1 p.m.

Oct. 23 Piedra Vista @ RRHS, 6 p.m.