fever are out before

the sun comes up

By GARY HERRON Sweatshirts in August?

Such was the case for Rio Ranchoans Ann Martin and Marie Posey last week.

In their defense, at 5:30 in the morning, it's a bit chilly, especially with the breeze evident Thursday as they sat in the bleachers at Rio Rancho Stadium.

You say you want to know what kind of people are sitting in the bleachers before the sun comes up?

People with football fever, which they hope is catchy.

Thus, sitting in the grandstand an hour before sunup were a few parents of RRHS football players, whose new coach, Michael Worley, had his players on the field and under the lights all five mornings last week.

"The other guy has left the building," joked Isaac Trujillo, referring to Worley's demeanor during two-a-days compared to the week before.

It's a good thing, he adds.

It's the first year at the helm for Worley, but it's the last year Martin and Posey will get to see their sons perform.

Wayne Martin and Brandon Posey, the ladies' sons, are seniors this year. Martin is a running back, Posey is the team's kicker.

"The senior mamas are sad," Marie Posey said, admitting, with a chuckle or two, "Last year it clicked what a first down is."

Ann Martin knows a bit more about football.

"We've been watching our boys play football since they were 6, 7," she said.

She didn't get to see her son play very much last year; he was injured and missed more than half the season.

Trujillo's son, Thomas, also a senior and one of the top sprinters in the state, also missed quite a bit of last season because of an injury.

It's his last hurrah on the gridiron, too; he's also a guy fans may recall from his Young American Football League days.

Seated behind Trujillo was Eugene Drapeau, the father of junior Zach Drapeau, whose brother was a senior last year and now plays at New Mexico Highlands University.

Eugene will have to split a lot of time between Rio Rancho and Las Vegas to keep up; it was easier last season, when his sons were teammates. But like Martin and Trujillo, his son also was injured and missed a big part of the season.

Naturally, the parents, just like Worley and his staff and players, would like nothing better than to see a state championship this fall.

The football team is one of only a few athletic teams at RRHS, now in its 11th year, that has yet to win a state title, with two high-profile sports teams, boys basketball and baseball, winning their first blue trophies in the 2006-07 school year.

Martin, Posey, Trujillo and Drapeau, who thought a "wave" would be out of place at practice, hope their sons stay healthy and that their football fever is contagious.

So do I.

I would love to see the bleachers packed for the five Friday evenings the Rams are home. Heck, I'm hoping the booster club can charter more than one bus for the road trips to Roswell and Artesia.

Let's support this team.

For you people complaining, sometimes via a "rant," that there's nothing to do here on a Friday night, check out a football game.

If that sounds like a good idea, mark Aug. 31 on your calendar.

That's when the Rams tee it up for real.

Gary Herron cover sports and education for The Observer. He has attended 74 Rams' football games in a row.