Rams idle after grabbing 4A's No. 2 seed

Portales’ football team is already reaping some rewards for its success.

With a four-game winning streak taking them to 7-3 by the end of the regular season, the Rams get a No. 2 seed in the state 4A playoffs, a bye week, and a comfortable view of the first round.

And, Portales already knows quite a bit about the quarterfinal round, too, even though it’s a week-and-a-half away. The Rams know their quarterfinal game will be at Greyhound Stadium the weekend before Thanksgiving. They can also round their quarterfinal opponent down to two possibilities — seventh-seeded Grants and 10th-seeded Silver, who play each other in this Saturday’s first round at 1 p.m.

All in all, not a bad deal.

“It’s a good place to be in,” Rams head coach Jaime Ramirez said.

Ramirez says the Rams are going a little lighter this week, before taking it up a notch, back to a normal practice schedule next week.

“(Monday) we spent some time in film,” Ramirez said, “and we lifted weights after that.”

Despite not knowing which team is headed for Greyhound Stadium next weekend, Portales will be doing as much game-planning as possible this week, trying to prepare for both teams.

“One day we’ll watch Grants (film), one day we’ll watch Silver,” Ramirez said. “We’ll just alternate it all week long.”

Once the Silver-Grants winner has been determined, the Rams will be honed in on their next opponent.

“We’ll work this weekend and make sure we finalize our game plan,” Ramirez said, “and start Monday getting ready for that opponent.”

During their five-game win streak, the Rams have outscored their opponents 244- 27, a whole-number average of 49-5. That’s a good way to go storming to the No. 2 seed and home-field advantage through at least the semifinal round, if they last.

The only team seeded higher than Portales is St. Pius, sitting at No. 1 and awaiting the winner of Saturday’s noon game between ninth-seeded Aztec and eighth-seeded Ruidoso.

Third-seeded Taos and fourth-seeded Kirtland Central also received first-round byes. Taos awaits the winner of Friday night’s Bernalillo (11th seed) at Lovington (6) game. Kirtland Central will get the winner of Friday night’s Moriarty (12) at Bloomfield (5) matchup. Both of those first-rounders begin at 7 p.m.

The semifinals are scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend, with the title game slated for Dec. 1.