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Cats, Rams ready to get practice started

CLOVIS — Football practice is at hand for New Mexico high schools, and first-year Clovis High coach Andrew McCraw can hardly wait to get started.

The Wildcats are slated to begin fall workouts on Monday. They will go from 6:30-8 a.m. and again from 4-6:30 p.m. this week, with the early sessions on Tuesday and Thursday mainly devoted to weightlifting.

The team will don shoulder pads and helmets for the first time on Wednesday, and will be in full pads on Friday.

“I’m excited,” said McCraw, hired after Cal Fullerton stepped down during the spring. “I’ve been able to work with the kids for about the last month. They’ve been responding to the changes we’re trying to make.

“Our offense has been a big change from what they were doing last year. We’ve got a lot of work to get done, but I think we’re taking steps in a positive direction.”

Clovis is coming off a 3-7 season in 2021, including 3-3 in Class 6A District 2/5. Among key players back for the Cats are senior wide receiver R.J. Nora, junior running back Kash Roberts and senior lineman Braxton Miller.

Santa Fe Capital and Los Lunas will be new district opponents for the Cats, who open the season at Hobbs on August 19.

CHS has a scrimmage on tap against Las Cruces High at 4 p.m. next Wednesday at Ruidoso.

Meantime, Portales High opens with a three-hour session at midnight tonight. The Rams will settle into two-a-days beginning on Tuesday, going from 6:30-10:30 a.m. with a brief break in the middle.

Coach Jaime Ramirez is entering his 11th campaign at PHS, and is looking for the Rams to turn things around after going 2-8 last fall.

“We’ve had a really good summer,” Ramirez said. “We had 6:30 a.m. workouts for about six weeks, and everybody worked hard.”

Portales has a preseason scrimmage on tap at home against Las Vegas Robertson on August 11 before starting the regular year at Greyhound Stadium against Albuquerque-based Highland on August 19.

Ramirez said the Rams return a number of key players on both sides of the ball. Their district will also look quite a bit different, with PHS and Lovington joined by Bernalillo and Albuquerque Academy.

“It’s going to be a good district,” Ramirez said.

 
 
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