Rio Rancho High School started off District 1-5A play with a win, defeating Gallup 62-28 Friday night.

The Rams (4-3, 1-0) exploded for four touchdowns in the third quarter to break open a close game in the Rams’ eighth consecutive win over the Bengals (1-6, 0-1).

Senior Darius Morgan scored the first and third touchdowns with rushes of 25 yards and 1 yard. Dillon Metzgar, who intercepted two Gallup passes in the pivotal third quarter, set up Morgan’s short-run TD with a 55-yard punt return. Senior quarterback Tyler Baker hooked up with Adam Shapiro on a 58-yard scoring strike for the Rams’ second TD of the quarter. The quarter ended with Baker finding Jeric Magnant in the end zone on a 15-yarder.

The Rams tacked on two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to finish the game.

Baker broke loose for a 73-yard rush midway through the quarter and Metzger returned an interception 70 yards for a score with 2:50 remaining.

Coming out of the half, the Rams led 21-20, but Gallup was poised to take the lead, driving the ball to the Rams’ 9 before stalling and missing a 32-yard field goal.

Gallup wouldn’t come close to the end zone again until the end of the game when they scored on a 40-yard pass and converted a two-point conversion.

Rams coach Dave Howes stressed the importance of starting the district season with a win.

“We’ve established ourselves the last couple of years as a stronghold in this district and we want to continue this,” he said. “We started off slow and I wasn’t happy with the first two quarters.

“We played defense in the second half and our offense clicked. I was happy with the second half. It’s a good way to start (district season) and now we’ve got West Mesa (Friday night, 7 p.m., at Milne Stadium) and we’ve got to move on.”

Howes said the Rams adjusted their defense in the second half by putting their two best defensive backs against the Bengals’ two best wide receivers.

“That helped balance out their attack a little bit,” he said. “They were doing a lot of chop-blocking and very unorthodox New Mexico blocking up front.”

Metzgar, who led the Rams’ defense in the second half, acknowledged that the Rams played better the final 24 minutes.

“We made some adjustments on defense and came out strong,” he said. “It always feels good to help the team like that (returning an interception for a touchdown).”

Baker threw for more than 400 yards and five touchdowns. He did throw two interceptions.

The Rams scored on the first possession of the game when Baker connected with Magnant on a 5-yard pass. Gallup tied the game at six on its ensuing possession when Steven Summy hit Adam Sowers with a 24 yard pass.

The Rams took the lead in the second quarter when Baker hit Tim Foley with a 26-yard pass. Baker ran in the two-point conversion.

Summy connected with Sowers again, this time for 36 yards, to cut the lead to 14-12 with 5:50 remaining in the first half.

Baker found Magnant for a 22-yard TD with 4:50 remaining to expand the Rams’ lead to 21-12. The Rams started that drive from the Gallup 19, thanks to Foley’s 66-yard kickoff return.

The scoring in the second half ended with 46 seconds remaining when Summy hit Corey Romero with a 10-yard pass and then again on the two-point conversion.

Rio Rancho has dominated the series with Gallup, winning nine of the past 10 games.

Gallup last defeated Rio Rancho in 2001, 33-16. The Rams have never lost to the Bengals at home. Rio Rancho has scored 35 or more points the last seven contests with Gallup.