Rams set to host Sartans on Friday

So far this season, the Portales High football team has been challenged in one half through four games.

Think they might be in need a good test? It’s not the Rams’ problem, coach Jaime Ramirez says.

“Honestly, I just want to improve every week,” he said. “I want to be the best version of the Portales Rams every week.”

On Friday, the Class 4A top-ranked Rams complete a three-game homestand with a 7 p.m. contest against St. Pius at Greyhound Stadium.

The Albuquerque-based Sartans, under first-year coach Curtis Flakes, bring a 2-2 mark into the tilt, although their losses have been to 4A No. 2 Bloomfield 41-20 and to Class 5A Valley 35-0.

They’re coming off a 51-6 rout of winless Del Norte on Saturday.

“They’re a scrappy team,” Ramirez said of St. Pius “They bring a lot of pressure on defense. They man you up (in the secondary) and get after you.”

The teams are meeting for the sixth consecutive season. The Rams hold a 3-2 edge, with both St. Pius victories coming by 21-20 margins.

While St. Pius plays freshman Isaiah Carpenter at quarterback, the Sartans have a couple of good receivers, Ramirez noted, in freshman Curtis Flakes III, the son of the coach, and sophomore Logan Underwood. St. Pius is averaging 37.3 ppg, but has given up 40 or more tallies three times and has allowed 172 for the season.

“They’ve been gaining confidence every week,” Ramirez said of the Sartans. “They’re pretty physical.”

PHS plays its lone road game in a seven-week span next week against Eunice, then hosts Valley on Sept. 29 before getting a bye prior to the start of District 4-4A play.

Cats look to build on victory – With their first win securely tucked under their belts, Clovis High will seek to make it a winning streak when the Wildcats face Eldorado in a 1 p.m. Saturday kickoff at Albuquerque’s Wilson Stadium.

Last week, the Cats built a 21-0 first-half lead and went on to beat Carlsbad 33-23 at Leon Williams Stadium. Outside the 2020-21 COVID-19 campaign, which was an abbreviated schedule played in the spring, it was the Cats’ first non-district win in 13 games dating to a 60-27 home thrashing of Lubbock Monterey in September 2019.

“We were definitely excited to get that win,” second-year CHS coach Andrew McCraw said. “If we can win this week, hopefully it can help set us up for making the (Class 6A) playoffs.”

Last year, the Eagles erased a 14-0 first-quarter deficit and edged the Cats 28-27 at Leon Williams Stadium, the game coming down to a missed PAT in the final moments.

“We had a couple of scores called back,” McCraw recalled of that one. “We let them hang around, and they played hard.”

Eldorado (2-2) has outscored its opponents 172-149 so far, beating Cibola 41-20 and taking a 70-64 shootout against Atrisco Heritage.

The Eagles’ offense is led by senior quarterback Brandon Olivas, who is 90-for-154 for more than 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. Their top receivers are senior wide-outs Joshua Jackson and Josiah Mitchell, who have combined for 55 catches for more than 900 yards and 13 touchdowns.

“They like to throw the ball,” McCraw said. “They run the ball to keep you honest.

“Defensively, they’ve got some big boys, but if we can get off the ball and get to the outside, I think we’ll be OK.”