Troy Harris made it 8-for-8 in surpassing the 100-yards-rushing mark Friday night, as host Rio Rancho pounded Gallup 64-6 in a District 1-5A opener.

Dillon Metzgar set up the Rams’ second touchdown with a long punt return. He picked off a Gallup (1-7, 0-1) pass in the second quarter that led to his team’s fifth TD, while Elias Large and Ben Batteson each recovered fumbles late in the first half that also led to Rams TDs.

Harris sandwiched 20- and 30-yard rushing touchdowns around a 9-yard TD pass from starting QB Cohen Mangin to give the Rams (5-3, 1-0) the early 21-0 lead, as Zach Rogers added extra points each time.

Dillon Metzgar, junior free safety, had a huge night.

Harris finished with 135 yards on nine carries, upping his season’s state-leading rushing yardage to 1,290 yards.

It also marked the second time this season he’s founf the end zone four times in a game; he accomplished that feat for the first time in the Rams’ 52-36 loss at Goddard on Sept. 19.

Gallup’s Jonathan Fields returned a kickoff 88 yards for the Bengals’ only points of the game.

Given that was a special teams’ TD, the Rams’ defense extended its streak to 12 quarters without allowing a TD to an opponent.

Quarterback Tyler Baker had an 11-yard run for a score, and teammates Aaron Holt, on an 8-yard run, Carlo LiRosi — his fifth of the season and all in the last four games — on a 6-yard run, and Harris notching his fourth and final TD of the game, on a nifty 23-yard run, plus four more Rogers PATs gave the Rams a commanding 49-6 lead at halftime.

The second half sped along, thanks to the 35-point “mercy rule.”

Holt caught a 43-yard TD pass from Mangin and Brandon Van Bastian booted an 18-yard field goal for the Rams’ third-quarter points. Darius Morgan, replacing Harris, whose work was done by halftime, went in from the 13 to end the scoring in the fourth period.

By game’s end, the Rams had but one turnover to the Bengals’ seven.

Second-year coach Mike Worley said his team wasn’t going to look past Thursday’s game with West Mesa and the traditional district championship game with Cibola on Nov. 6.

“There was not a single person who uttered the word Cibola in that locker room,” he said after meeting with his players. “A one mind (is) on West Mesa right now.”

RAMifications: Friday’s victory marked the seventh time in a row the Rams beat the Bengals, whose lone victory in the nine meetings to date was a 23-16 victory at Gallup in 2001. The Rams have scored at least 42 points against Gallup in five of their last six wins, and 35 last year.

… The Rams make a short road trip to Milne Stadium to face West Mesa (3-5, 0-1) for a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday. The Mustangs were whipped 65-18 by Cibola in the other 1-5A opener Thursday evening. RRHS is 7-1 all-time against West Mesa, which, like Gallup, posted its lone win in the district series back in 2001, a 28-21 triumph at Rio Rancho Stadium.

… The Rams were ranked eighth in the latest Coaches Poll, and 11th in the KRQE-TV’s all-classes media poll. Las Cruces and Eldorado were 1-2.