Ram players reflect on past, look to future during youth camp

The Rio Rancho High School Youth Football camp brought many young football players to Rams Stadium to get training with members of the Rio Rancho High School varsity football team June 19.

“We got a bunch of campers out here who have been out here, and working all day — the last three days actually. Working out their skills, competing a bit, and we got a little combine today, so it’s been great,” head coach Nate Pino said. “To be a Ram, it takes hard work, it takes commitment, it takes a good attitude. The kids know they have to have a blue-collar mentality, they got to work hard, they have to show up everyday.”

The attendees showed up early in the morning and split off into age groups. The players took it from there and got a glimpse at future Rams players.

“We got some speedsters out here, we got some big guys; it’ll be fun to see them in Rio Rancho jerseys someday,” senior left tackle Jack Warble said. “Helping out the youth, getting them learning, getting them out here and having fun.”

While in middle school, Warble attended the RRHS Youth football camp every year. So, he made sure to pay that experience forward and ensure that all the kids were having fun, including attendee Ezra Fisher who made a few catches while being covered by Warble.

“I’m just practicing football with my friends, and my bigger friends who happen to be the Rio Rancho Rams. I’m just proud to be out here,” Fisher said.

Former RRHS tackle — and current University of New Mexico football player — Cayden Romero was a big inspiration for Warble while he was in camp. Like Romero, Warble is a blindside protector, too.

“Staying low, keeping my pad level down and working hard baby!” Warble said.

The kids in attendance were put in combine-style stations which included a little three-cone drill, a 40-yard dash and even a gauntlet pass-catching drill.

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“My favorite thing today was probably running through this line, and then some of the coaches would throw a football at you, and you had to catch it,” second grader Matthew Melendez said.

Many attendees, like Melendez, enjoyed the gauntlet drill and saw it as a chance to have fun and showcase their catching ability.

“Just coaching up these kids, helping these kids get better and teaching them some things. We're just having a lot of fun with them,” senior quarterback JJ Arellano said. “They always come up to me and ask if I could throw the ball with them. I think it’s awesome to have these kids look up to you like that because I used to be a kid like that.”

Arellano started going to RRHS youth football camp when he was in third grade, and at that time he looked up to former RRHS quarterback Isaiah Chavez, a standout Ram and the 2019 New Mexico Gatorade Player of the year.

“It was an awesome experience to interact with the varsity players; it really set my mindset. And, that experience convinced me that this is where I want to end up some day,” Arellano said.

Arellano has been the starting quarterback since his sophomore season and looks to build off a season where he had 25 total touchdowns. Arrellano will be relied on heavily on a team filled with experience that looks to build off of its 9-4 record from last season.

“We’re excited about the season we have coming up; we have a lot of talent in the room, a lot of competition for some spots. We have had a great offseason. We have great senior leadership, and we are really excited to see what these kids can do,” Pino said.