Rams getting ready

PORTALES — Before a football team can celebrate state championships and all the glory that comes with them, it must first think about getting better everyday.

July and August may be the dog days of summer for baseball, but in football, it could be the difference between a playoff berth and sitting home in November.

On Thursday night, Portales hosted 7-on-7 scrimmages against Eunice, Lovington and Muleshoe. The round-robin scrimmages lasted 20 minutes apiece, with the first go-round resulting in two ties (against Muleshoe and Eunice) and a loss (against Lovington) for Portales.

For Rams coach Jaime Ramirez and company, the name of the game is improvement.

"We're learning, we're young," Ramirez said. "We're trying to get better each day. What we're trying to do right now in 7-on-7 is learn our passing tree and our passing game."

"(Defensively), learning our coverages for the secondary and our linebackers. This gives us a chance to practice some stuff before we go into two-a-days. That's really our whole focus - to evaluate talent and to get better."

One notable absence for the Rams on Thursday was quarterback Julian Urioste. The senior, projected to be this year's starter, could only look on, after an injury against Clovis three weeks ago. According to coaches, he cracked a rib on the last play of that scrimmage, as he went up to defend a pass and a teammate inadvertently kneed him in the ribs.

With Urioste out for the time being, sophomore Baylor Diaz stepped in. Diaz had some ups and downs, but generally, put in a solid effort Thursday night. "Baylor's doing a good job of running the quarterback," Ramirez said. "He's learning as we're playing, and he's making some good reads. (He's) getting better everytime he gets out there."

Defending the pass is still a work in progress, as some blown coverages and some deep ball receptions allowed is a given in any 7-on-7 passing drill. Mainly, Ramirez feels that a lack of physicality contributed to some issues for his defense in the scrimmages, as he feels that an increase in that area will only benefit his team in the long run.

Portales will host 7-on-7 scrimmages the next two Thursdays, and will rotate home and away with Clovis on Tuesdays. The Rams will have a lineman challenge against Artesia next week, and will begin two-a-day practices on Aug. 6 at 6 a.m.

As for what Ramirez wants to accomplish from now until Aug. 6, he said, "I want to see the kids compete. I want to see them learn our offensive schemes and get better at our coverages."