Rams season ends at Field of Dreams

LAS CRUCES — The Field of Dreams was rocking on Friday night for the quarterfinal round of the NMAA Football State Championship as the No. 2 Centennial Hawks defeated the No. 7 Rio Rancho Rams, 43-17.

The first half was marked by big, splash plays as both Hawks quarterback Zaiden Davis and Rams QB JJ Arellano put their legs to the test as well as their arms.

“[The Rams] came out and competed early,” said Rams head coach Nate Pino after the game. “We gotta finish some drives, but the kids played hard. I’m super proud of them.”

Arellano threw an interception in the Rams' first possession, which was picked off by Centennial’s Mychael Ortiz at midfield.

The RRHS defensive front held up and forced the Hawks into a field goal attempt, which doinked off the left post.

Arellano seemed to brush the interception off quickly. He immediately hit receiver Jace Pitt for a 40-yard gain. He followed that up with a 31-yard touchdown pass, also to Pitt, with 3:53 left in the first quarter. The extra point was no good.

The Rams escaped the first quarter with the 6-0 lead, but it didn’t last.

Davis rushed and passed with efficiency down the field at the end of the first and left his team in position for an easy 2-yard touchdown at the start of the second, which they easily got.

The Hawks held the Rams to a punt on the next possession, and Davis led his team on another touchdown drive, this time a hand off to senior running back Rudy Rios for a 1-yard TD that put the Hawks ahead 14-6.

The Rams managed to kick a field goal and put the score at 14-9 with 1:33 left in the half.

Unfortunately, time wasn’t running out fast enough for the Rams.

Davis hit a massive 48-yard rush to put his team in the Rams' Red Zone. Centennial running back Jordan Lucas finished the drive, and the half, off with a 13-yard rushing TD.

The teams went into the locker rooms with the score at 21-9, Hawks.

The second half descended into chaos as the penalties began to mount and the RRHS parents became unruly. The Rams received three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in the final minute of the game.

Centennial got the ball to start the second half.

No wait, the Rams kicked the onside and recovered it. The second half begins with a Rams possession at the Hawks' 45 yard line.

No wait, Arellano fumbles and the Hawks recover. Never mind. The second half begins with Hawks' possession on their own 47 yard line.

It did not get better for the Rams as they were held scoreless through the third quarter and turned the ball over on downs twice, once inside the Hawks' 10 yard line.

On the other hand, the Hawks continued to roll.

A 3-yard rush with eight minutes left in the third put the score at 28-9, Centennial.

Then, with 3:36 left in the quarter, Lucas cut loose for a 70-yard run up the right seam, and the Hawks went into the final quarter up 36-9.

Davis handed the ball to Lucas for a 15-yard touchdown run at the start of the quarter, and the game began to get out of hand.

Down 43-9, with 2:57 left to play, Arellano used both Pitt and receiver Parker Miller to move quickly down the field. He capped off the Rams' best drive of the night with a 6-yard pass to Bode Victor.

After an unsuccessful onside kick attempt, the Rams began racking up unsportsmanlike penalty calls, and the Hawks ended up with the ball at the Rio Rancho 19 yard line.

With nothing left to play for, and no hope for their opponent, the Hawks knelt on the ball and closed out the victory.

The Rams' season comes to an end with a 43-17 defeat to Centennial in Las Cruces.

“Finishing is always hard, and it’s a privilege to coach those guys,” said Pino. “They care, you know, and there’s lessons they can take from this. Football is hard; especially today. I’m just so proud of the effort those guys put in and the effort they give for our school and our community. ... At the end of the day, the kids were able to deal with adversity, and I think that’s important.”

Centennial moves on to the next round. They’ll face No. 3 Cleveland Storm Friday night, also at the Field of Dreams.