The 12-team field for the Class 6A playoffs contained few surprises, but there is enough parity in the field to believe at least a half dozen teams are legitimate threats to win the state championship. The action gets underway Friday night with Rio Rancho hosting Centennial and Clovis making another trip to Albuquerque to take on Atrisco Heritage in a 8-9 battle. Here is the first round breakdown.
Centennial (12) at Rio Rancho (5): Which is the real Rio Rancho team? The one that won its final three district games by an average margin of 30 points, including a thunderous 59-14 victory over Piedra Vista last week, or the one that was hammered by Manzano, lost a shootout to rival Cleveland and barely survived Clovis in overtime at home? The Rams’ two losses were enough to knock them down to the No. 5 seed behind unbeaten Manzano and three one-loss teams – La Cueva, Cleveland and Las Cruces.
