Big Red aiming for blue

PORTALES - The stage is set, the curtains are drawn and the actors are taking their places - the Portales High football team against Robertson in the New Mexico class 4A State Championship.

With kickoff set for 1:30 p.m. today, the matchup could not be more storied, with both teams having played each other five times in postseason play during the last decade, including a 2015 semi-finals loss for the Rams. Robertson has gotten the better of the Rams in each of those postseason meetings.

With both teams rolling seamlessly through the 2016 playoffs, the match up between the No. 1 Cardinals (12-0) and the No. 2 Rams (11-1) should be a test for both teams. Expecting a hard-nosed, tough battle with Robertson, Portales head coach Jaime Ramirez thinks his Rams are up for the challenge.

"We're physical too. . . I thought that Moriarity was tough and Dexter was very tough. . . We've played Robertson so many times, they are always very physical team, so we should be used to it by now."

As always, the Rams' option offense will be a deciding factor in the contest, with quarterback Junior Ramirez and running back Darion Ontiveros entering the game with a combined 2,654 yards rushing and 39 touchdowns throughout the season. Many teams try to take one of the two backfields threats away, only to be burned by the other.

The Cardinals likewise rely on their run game to get them in the end zone, with several backs shouldering the load. Led by Joseph Griego with 1,162 yards total and a 97-yard per game average, Portales will also have to watch for Marc Grano and Arjay Ortiz, both of whom see around 10 carries a game, averaging 79 and 56 yards per game on the ground.

Ramirez said, "Obviously, in it being a physical game we have to make sure we take care of our emotions, number one. Number two, we need to be concerned with ball security. Number three, they are a solid football team on offense, defense and special teams, so we just need to be ready."

To stop the ground game in its track, Portales standouts Jeremy Karngbaye and Trenton Small will have to continue to make their presence on the defensive line felt, something they have been excelling at all season long, but especially in the weeks leading up to today's matchup.

Small, a senior leader on the team, said, "Its going to be a great game, a hard fought battle the whole way. I have faith in my brother to lead me to a state championship . . . it would be the best thing in the world. Some of us have been working on this forever - I have pictures of a lot of us together in little league, so this would be amazing to finish it this way."