RRHS inducts six into Sports Hall of Fame

RIO RANCHO — Rio Rancho High School announced the six new inductees to the school’s Sports Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.

“The Class of 2015 was one of the strongest classes in school history. The 2025 Hall of Fame is stacked with athletes that excelled at Rio Rancho High School and beyond,” RRHS Atheltic Director Sal Gonzales said.

The six former Rams — who all graduated in 2015 — being immortalized in RRHS history are Miguel Barreras, Easton Bruere, Imani Morlock, Brady Patterson, Nicole Pendley and Merica Valdez.

Miguel BarrerasWrestling, football, track and field

During his time at RRHS, Barreras was a three-time state champion in wrestling, a Reno All-American, won the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions title during his senior year, was an All-State receiver and defensive back in football, is the all-time leader in single-season interceptions (8), and a member of first football state championship in 2014. In track, Barreras was All-District in discus and the 4x100-meter relay, and All-State in 4x100-meter relay; he ran the anchor leg. After RRHS, Barreras wrestled at the University of Central Oklahoma. During the 2016-17 season, he had the most matches (47) and wins (38) on the team, finishing 38-9 with an impressive 29 bonus-point wins.

Easton BruereFootball, baseball

Bruere built quite the resume while at RRHS. He was a five-year varsity player in baseball and a four-year varsity player in football. During his time in the diamond, Bruere was an All-District pitcher and helped the Rams baseball team win a state championship. In football, he was a three-time All-District selection, three-time All-Metro selection, and a three-time All-State selection. In 2014, Bruere was the New Mexico Prep Football Player of the Year, the KASA 2 Player of the Year, the District Player of the Year, and helped RRHS win its first football state championship.

Merica ValdezTrack and field, cheer

Valdez was a four-year varsity member in track and a one-time varsity member in cheerleading. At the state track meet, she was on the podium for pole vault, shot put and high jump. She also currently holds the school pole vault record at 11 feet, 9 inches, and was the Metro champion in the shot put (2015). Her talents even took her to appearances at the Great Southwest Classic. On the mats, she was a member of the RRHS 2015 state runner-up team. After RRHS, Valdez was a cheerleader at UNM for one year before finding success in collegiate track and field at Vincennes University and the University of West Georgia. At Vincennes, she was a five-time All-American in pole vault. At West Georgia, in the pole vault, she was two-time All-Conference, two-time All-American and holds both the indoor and outdoor pole vault school records.

Imani MorlockSoccer, basketball, track and field

First off, Morlock ended her high school career with 12 varsity letters: five in track, four in soccer and three in basketball. In soccer, she was a three-time All-District player, a two-time All-State player, and a one-time All-Metro player. In basketball, she was a three-time All-District player and a two-time All-State player. In track, she was most known for being a speedster in the 400-meter and for coming in third place in the state medley race. After RRHS, she attended Midwestern State University and was a four-time first team All-Lone Star player along with earning a Freshman of the Year plaque. She has also played professional soccer in Italy, Puerto Rico, Australia, Israel and Spain. Morlock has more than 10 caps for the Puerto Rican National Team (soccer).

Brady PattersonFootball, basketball

Patterson was a four-year varsity letterman in basketball and holds the RRHS record for most points scored in a game (46). He was a two-time All-District selection, a two-time All-Metro selection, a two-time All-State selection, a two-time Albuquerque Journal first-team selection, a two-time team MVP, and the District Co-Player of the Year in 2015. On the gridiron, he was a first-team All-District, All-Metro and All-State selection. During the 2014 state championship season, Patterson led the team in receiving yards (1341) and receiving touchdowns (13). He is also RRHS’s all-time leader in career receiving touchdowns (21).

Nicole PendleySoftball, track and field

Pendley is the only softball player in RRHS history to win the Gatorade Player of the Year Award (2014). In softball, she was a five-year varsity player and perennial selection for All-District, All-Metro, and All-State honors as well as a two-time state champion. In track, while throwing the javelin, she was a two-time district champion, a two-time Metro champion and a two-time state champion. She was also the state record holder in the javelin with a throw of 143 feet, 1 inch; the record was broken in 2024 by Organ Mountain’s Shaolin Munir. After RRHS, Pendley was a four-time All-Conference player at Oklahoma University and was the 2018 Most Outstanding Player in the Big 12 Championship. Pendley helped bring two national champions to Sooner nation. Pendley finished her career ranked sixth in games played (254) and RBI (189), seventh in home runs (47), eighth in at-bats (730), ninth in total bases (422) and runs (177) and 10th in extra-base hits (83) and total hits (240). After college, she coached softball at Wichita State and Mississippi, and was selected as the 12th overall pick in the 2018 NPF Draft by the USSSA Pride; she has also played for the Cleveland Comets.