Rio Rancho Raptors get a big win on senior night

Rio Rancho Raptors vs. Duke City Scorpions

Apr 23, 2025

RIO RANCHO — During senior night, the Rio Rancho Raptors varsity lacrosse team defeated the Duke City Scorpions 13-7 April 22.

“Hats off to Duke City for coming out and playing hard and giving us some good competition,” said first-year head coach Andy Leonard, who once played lacrosse for the Raptors as well as Adams State University. “Lacrosse is my thing, and I’d love to see it grow here in New Mexico.”

From the get-go, the Raptors dominated possession of the ball, as they did for most of the game, winning faceoffs and successfully checking opposing players.

“We played great. It was a team effort,” Raptor midfielder Lukas Garcia said.

In the blink of an eye, the Raptors were up by two.

However, Duke City made the most of some fast breaks and responded with two straight goals to tie it up.

In the middle of the first quarter, the game was tied 3-3, but that’s when the Raptors turned on the heat.

They would score four straight, and then after a couple Duke City goals, they would score seven unanswered to close out the game.

Scoring three goals on the night was freshman Michael Denison, who was not afraid to shoot from deep.

Sophomore Jacob Garcia also had a notable night, scoring twice.

However, the party did not stop there.

Raptor seniors and team captains, Brendan Cochrane and Lukas Garcia were honored by teammates, coaches and parents.

“They exemplify and display great leadership and hustle out on the field,” Leonard said of his two seniors.

Each ran down a tunnel created by lacrosse sticks to much applause from the crowd.

“It’s a great feeling. We worked all season for this,” said Cochrane, who plays “deep hole.” “I think lacrosse is a great sport. I only started my sophomore year. I think more people should definitely come and try it. It’s a growing sport, and it is really fun.”

Next, the Raptors will prepare for a semi-final matchup either on May 8 or May 9 (depending on seeding).

“We are not done. We got a long way to go,” Leonard said.

Official team seeding and matchups will be announced soon.

“We lost last year in state, so another shot at it would be amazing,” Garcia said.