ALBUQUERQUE — Troy Harris ran for 258 yards and scored four times and quarterback Tyler Baker threw for 201 yards and a TD as visiting Rio Rancho clobbered West Mesa 45-6 Thursday evening at Milne Stadium.

The Rams (6-3, 2-0 in 1-5A) started slowly, spotting the Mustangs (3-6, 0-2) a 6-0 lead

In fact, the Mustangs were inside the red zone with about four minutes left in the first half when QB Matt Jaramillo — who resembled last year’s Heisman winner, Tim Tebow, the way he was picking apart the Rams’ defense — fumbled the ball away on the Rams’ 14.

Troy Harris, among state's leading rushers; he's thrice scored four TDs in a game this season.

It was the Mustangs’ final threat of the game.

Harris took a handoff from Baker and sprinted 86 yards to paydirt. Zach Rogers added the extra point and the Rams had all the points they’d need to set up their annual showdown with Cibola for the 1-5A championship.

Rogers booted a 29-yard field goal with 5.7 seconds left before halftime for the Rams’ 10-6 lead at intermission.

The second half belonged to the Rams, as Harris took a short pass from Baker and turned it into a 60-yard TD catch. Baker added a 39-yard scamper for the Rams’ second and final TD of the third period. Rogers’ PATs gave the eighth-ranked Rams a comfortable 24-6 bulge heading into the fourth quarter.

Harris, scoring four TDs for the third time this season, wasn’t done. He scored on a 1-yard run after Baker and Jeric Magnant hooked up on a 39-yard pass play. Rogers tacked on the PAT for 31-6.

On the Mustangs’ next possession, Victor Reveles picked off a Jaramillo aerial and Harris went 47 yards on the first play from scrimmage for another TD. Rogers added the extra point for 38-6.

David Rel intercepted a Jaramillo pass on Wrest Mesa’s next possession, and two plays later Baker scored from seven yards out. Rogers supplied the game’s final point with 1:57 left in the game.

Baker, who started the game and later returned in relief when fellow junior signal-caller Cohen Mangin suffered a high-ankle sprain on a second-quarter run, said he was stunned by the Mustangs’ early lead.

“It was a big shock. We didn’t come out (ready), obviously,” he said. “I think it was our mentality. We had a good week of practice but, you know, we played down to their level in the first half.

“We need to fix that, definitely,” Baker said. “When the second half came around, we started playing at our level.”

The Rams were hindered by penalties, including a holding call that negated a long punt return to the end zone by Harris in the first half. Rio Rancho was flagged 11 times for 140 yards in the game, while West Mesa was penalized three times for just 20 yards.

Baker, unofficially, completed 11 of 21 passes for 201 yards — without an interception.

Mangin completed passes on his first three plays, covering 33 yards, but was helped off the field after a six-yard gain.

Coach Mike Worley said Mangin’s status for Thursday’s game with visiting Cibola is unknown. Worley refused to disclose who would be Baker’s backup if Mangin isn’t ready to be under center.

“At halftime, after Cohen got hurt, they said don’t run it and if you do, get out-of-bounds,” Baker said. “To lose Cohen — that’s pretty devastating. He did a great job. I hope we get him back as soon as we can.”

Harris, the Rams’ best offensive tool all season, carried the ball 17 times for a career-high 258 yards. He also scored four TDs a week earlier in the romp over Gallup and back on Sept. 19 in a loss to Goddard.

“That’s quite a luxury,” Baker said of No. 28. “Not every quarterback or every team gets that. Everything he does is amazing.”

It was the Rams’ seventh straight 1-5A win over the Mustangs, who beat the Rams 28-21 in 2001 and are 1-8 all-time against Rio Rancho in the series.

“I definitely think we’re not going to come out flat against Cibola,” Baker voew.

Kickoff Thursday is 7 p.m. at Rio Rancho Stadium.