BOUND FOR THE PLAYOFFS?
Cleveland, Rio Rancho sitting pretty at the halfway point
Friday night marked exactly one month since the 2016 prep football season opened with Cibola and La Cueva. Seven of the the Rio West’s eight schools have played half of their 10-game schedules as of this morning, with St. Pius making it eight with an 11 a.m. game today against Lovington.
I will have a look at all 24 metro-area programs in Sunday’s main sports section. Today, we evaluate the RW8 at the midway point.
BERNALILLO: The state of Spartans football reminds me of some really awful days from about 15 years ago, I’m sorry to say. They are in a bad way right now.
Dropping down from Class 5A to 4A hasn’t made a whit of difference for Bernalillo, which has scored only three touchdowns and 19 total points in their 0-5 first half. The Spartans have lost 16 consecutive games dating to the second-to-last week of the 2014 season.
About as much as any team in the state, Bernalillo could desperately use a victory in the second half. But I don’t know where it will come from. Stay strong. That’s would I say to Bernalillo.
CIBOLA: Stunningly, Cibola got its first win Friday, 17-14 over Sandia. The Cougars have been about as banged up as any team in 6A football, and it’s tough enough to win against their schedule even when healthy.
Kazy Martin scored on a late touchdown pass Friday as Cibola rallied from a 14-3 deficit and give my alma mater its first positive news of the season.
Still, the shorthanded offense has labored to score points, despite the best efforts of QB Gannon Chavez and Co. Playoffs are not realistic, but Cibola could certainly play spoiler to someone (cough VolcanoVista).
CLEVELAND: The Storm’s 42-28 win Friday at Bulldog Bowl over Artesia was Cleveland’s 18th consecutive victory, and certainly among its most impressive.
That Cleveland (5-0) has fought through some rough patches (second half vs. La Cueva comes to mind) and some injuries (top wide receiver Daniel Johnson, who finally returned last week) without having lost a game speaks volumes about this program’s talent and depth.
Angelo Trujillo is developing nicely at QB, and the Storm looks at the moment to be the second-best football team in New Mexico. Behind You Know Who.
RIO RANCHO: Speaking of the You Know Whos, the Rams are sailing along at 5-0 after their win Friday night over Manzano, and this has been New Mexico’s best football team over the first five weeks.
Yes, the passing game still could use a bit of polishing, but the ground game is fearsome, Josh Foley is a marvel everywhere, and the Rio Rancho defense, especially that D-Line, has been nothing short of magnificent, giving up just a touchdown a game until Manzano scored twice offensively in a 64-27 setback.
It’s going to take a beyondstellar offensive effort to put a serious dent in this Cleveland South defense — and golly gee, look who the Rams have (after Sandia) in two weeks: Rio Rancho North. The Rams have said they’re hungry to flush out that bitter taste from the end of last season, and so far, they are doing precisely that.
ST. PIUS: The pessimists will point out — and they are not altogether incorrect — that the Sartans (3-1) have beaten up on three inferior teams, and lost their one true test, a road game at Alamogordo. Can’t deny that. However, St. Pius, which should pound Lovington today, remains one of the three or four best teams in Class 5A, along with Alamo, Artesia and Los Lunas, from my chair. Quarterback Drew Ortiz is having an outstanding season, and this team remains viable in a statewide picture.
The game to watch in the second half is that Oct. 21 visit to Los Lunas. The winner there almost definitely gets a first-round playoff bye. And St. Pius will need it, in my opinion, for psychological gain.
VALLEY: The other member of the RW8 that is 0-5, although this one is understandable and easy to forgive.
I can’t help but wonder if somebody at Albuquerque Public Schools has it out for Valley. I’m only partially joking here. I mean, why would APS give this school — I believe it’s the smallest of the 24 in 6A — an absurdly difficult schedule like this? There is absolutely no logic to it, whatsoever.
There are some winnable games for Valley in the second half, although as I’ve said before, I can’t see Valley becoming a viable contender for the District 4-6A title. Not this year, anyway. But in this district, you must leave that door slightly ajar.
VOLCANO VISTA: You can ask just about anybody with deep prep football background knowledge, and many of them would tell you that the most confusing program in the entire metro area is this one.
It is almost impossible to get a handle on the Hawks (who are 4-1) from year to year, and 2016 is no exception but to a lesser degree.
Throw away the wins over Atrisco Heritage, West Mesa and Valley. Focus instead on the loss to Eldorado and the win over Mayfield.
The Hawks showed me as much in that Mayfield victory as any win for that program in years. Volcano Vista’s got a highoctane offense with myriad weapons, and new QB Dillon Gassoway has impressed. The Hawks’ defense, when it’s sharp, like against Mayfield, is athletic, speedy and effective.
WEST MESA: The Mustangs’ 1-4 record, including four losses in a row, is deceiving. They’ve been beaten by some excellent teams: Piedra Vista (5-0), plus La Cueva, Volcano Vista and St. Pius.
This group could be the favorite as we start District 4-6A play in two weeks. Not counting Rio Grande, I’ve seen the other teams in this league, and West Mesa stacks up well against all of them.
The matchup with Atrisco Heritage on Oct. 14 looks like the key game of the second half.