When the Rio Rancho High School football team takes the field on Aug. 31 against the visiting Highland Hornets, they'll be getting instructions from their fourth coach in school history.

Former coach Phil Lopez, who coached the Rams from 2003-06, resigned Feb. 27. He has since found a head-coaching position at Bel Air High in El Paso.

Michael Worley, the fourth of six finalists interviewed by a nine-person committee on April 9, was officially named Friday by RRHS athletic director Andy Sweet as the man to hold the reins in 2007. And the Rams added not only a varsity football coach, they also gained a strength and conditioning coach, which will benefit the entire spectrum of sports at RRHS. Sweet said he'd been thinking about adding that type of position at RRHS since he was hired last year.

"I think that's a great resource our staff as a whole can rely on," Sweet said.

Sweet said Worley is more than a capable coach.

"For me, it's character with him: It's above reproach," Sweet said. "He's a man of impeccable character, able to motivate students and student-athletes and with professional demeanor.

"He has lifelong desirable character traits," Sweet continued, adding the decision to hire Worley was "attractive from a standpoint of where he hails from, (to) infuse some of the knowledge from that program."

Certainly one of the most educated among the final six, Worley holds a master's degree in exercise science from Auburn University (1991). His bachelor's degree in English and P.E. came from Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, not far from where he gained extensive coaching expertise while working under longtime Artesia coach Cooper Henderson.

Worley is teaching this year at Mesquite High School in Gilbert, Ariz., and also serving as an assistant track coach.

From 1992-2004, he taught anatomy, physiology and English at Artesia High, where he served Henderson as the Bulldogs' defensive coordinator from 1992-2004, during which time the 'Dogs won eight state championships.

Worley also coached the Bulldogs' boys and girls track and field teams at AHS, winning three state titles. In 2000, he was recognized as the National Federation of High School Coaches Association's Southwest Section Track Coach of the Year.

His coaching career began at his alma mater, Portales High, where he was an assistant varsity football coach from 1987-89. While there, the Rams won a state championship and twice were district champs.

Although he's been out of coaching for two seasons, Worley said he's eager to take the reins of the Rams.

"I will say that I'm just ecstatic about having the opportunity to come to such a great community as Rio Rancho," he said in a telephone interview late last week. "Rio Rancho has tremendous community support for its school system - not just athletics, but fine arts and band. It's a fine opportunity to come into a fantastic family."

Worley said he'd be in Rio Rancho Monday to meet his players and then the school board Monday afternoon; Sweet said a public "meet and greet" will be held at 7 p.m. in the RRHS fieldhouse.

Worley was asked if he can effectively change two trends: losing to Clovis and Artesia, and losing in the first round of the playoffs.

"You know, I think that's a good question and a very difficult thing to answer," he said. "More than anything else, (I want to) focus on playing in that (state championship) game in December."

Rio Rancho is 0-7 all-time against Artesia. It's a rivalry that began in 2000 and continues again, this time at the Bulldog Bowl, on Sept. 14. The last time Worley was on the visitors' side of the field was during the 1983 season, when he and his Portales Rams - he was a senior - lost a 22-8 game to the Bulldogs in the Class AAA championship game.

"I want to be as competitive as I can be, say nothing disparaging against Artesia; that's like a second home to me," he said. It's also the hometown of his wife, Lisa.

"I want to focus not on beating Artesia and Clovis, it's getting to that first game in December: We want to play for a blue trophy," he said. "Those other games along the way are what helps us get to that game."

As nice as it would be to defeat the Wildcats and/or Bulldogs, Worley said that can't be the focus of a season.

Recalling his days at Auburn, he said, "There was a true rivalry between Auburn and Alabama; they could have a losing season, but if they beat the other team, they didn't have a losing season (in their minds). I would hope that we can redirect our focus on a long-term goal - win a state champ and be competitive year in and year out.

"The great thing about Rio Rancho is they've had a taste of that success," he added. "(Winning a title) is going to take a lot of work; we're going to have our work cut out for us. We have tremendous athletes coming back; we'll approach this as a work in progress."

Worley hasn't had time to decide what type of offense the Rams will run in the fall, nor who his assistants will be. He wanted to have time to talk with the remainder of Lopez's staff before deciding; the availability of teaching positions in the district for any new assistants will also be a factor in who comes and who goes.

"The goal is to be successful," he said, adding he hadn't decided if the team would have a slogan for his rookie campaign. Lopez's first slogan had been "We will win," and the team did.

"I think that one thing people need to understand is the facilities Rio Rancho has are among the top eight in the state -- and that's including University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University and some of the nice high schools.

"Rio Rancho needs to understand they have first-rate facilities and that's a credit to the school. There are always things you want to improve: the maximum time you have with your athletes, help them improve and prevent injuries.

"We'll make do with what we've got."

Worley has some interesting stories of his days at Auburn, such as meeting and chatting with former Auburn greats Frank Thomas, who starred for the Tigers on the gridiron and diamond; Bo Jackson, who later played in Major League Baseball's All-Star Game and the NFL Pro Bowl; and former NBA great Charles Barkley, whom he didn't recognize at first.

Worley also vividly recalled meeting Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden, who "used to bring his staff there to watch spring ball. I have the utmost respect for Bobby Bowden, the way he treated me," Worley said. "I wound up speaking to him for 15-20 minutes at a time and he treated me like a real person; he's a good, down-to-earth person. He has strong ethics and he makes you feel good about yourself."

Worley is different from recent Rams coaches in another way: He's not a Dallas Cowboys fan.

"When I was growing up, I was one of the few people in Portales and Tucumcari that wasn't a Dallas Cowboys fan. I was a San Diego Chargers fan," he said.

Want proof? The Worleys' son, who turns 1 on May 9, is named Kellen, after former Chargers wide receiver and NFL Hall of Fame member Kellen Winslow.

Worley admitted he tried to have Daniel, as in former Chargers QB Dan Fouts, selected as his son's middle name.

"She wouldn't go for that," he said.

There may even be a chance his wife will be the only Rio Ranchoan pulling for the Bulldogs in five months. "I stole her from there."