Saturday, September 17, 2022 | Maxpreps

Portales spent their Saturday in Albuquerque facing St. Pius X in a matchup at 1 PM. The weather was hot and dry, with several hundred fans in attendance.

The Rams kicked off to the Sartans, but quickly received a turnover when #32 intercepted the ball, swinging the momentum towards Portales. This set up the Rams for some big plays. Towards the end of the 1st, Quarterback #1 Paxton Culpepper completed a long pass to #22 Christen Brito, moving the Rams down to the Sartans’ 2 yard line. #23 Emmanuel Diahn completed a 2 yard rush for a touchdown, and #7 Jacob Valencia made the PAT after, putting Portales in the lead 7-0 right before the end of the first quarter.

Portales forced a punt to get the ball back early in the 2nd. The Rams moved the ball down the field quickly, and #1 Paxton Culpepper completed a 4 yard pass to #2 Andru Ontiveros for another touchdown. The PAT was missed after, but the Rams were in the lead 13-0.

On St. Pius’ next possession, Ram #11 Zane Mayberry intercepted a pass, giving Portales back the ball. The interception ended in a turnover on downs though and the Sartans took over. With a big defensive sack by Portales’ #55 Abran Lopez, the Rams pushed St. Pius back to their own 15 yard line, forcing a punt.

#1 Culpepper completed a long pass to #2 Andru Ontiveros, then another to #3 Braden Beck for a touchdown! The Rams tried for a 2-point conversion that failed, but were ahead 19-0 heading into halftime.

The third quarter was scoreless for both teams. Both punted and turned over the ball on each of their possessions, leaving the quarter uneventful.

At the start of the fourth however, Portales’ #44 Manny Chavez recovered a fumble by St. Pius X. No score was made after the fumble, but on the Rams’ next possession, #22 Christen Brito rushed 18 yards for a touchdown, and got the momentum rolling for Portales again.

After the kickoff, St. Pius fumbled, Rams #54 Miguel Gomez recovered it and ran 90 yards for a Portales touchdown! The PAT was good after, and the Rams were up 32-0.

St. Pius fumbled again on their next possession, and #6 Kaidyn Cordova recovered. The possession ended the game as time ran out. Portales won 32-0, shutting out their Albuquerque opponent.

The Rams are now 5-0 this season. Their next game is at Greyhound Stadium on September 23 at 7 PM, where they will host Pojoaque Valley High.