Live updates: Farmington High-Rio Rancho high school football blog from Hutchison Stadium

FARMINGTON − Live coverage from Hutchison Stadium will get underway shortly before game time, with photos, game updates and scores from other contests involving San Juan County teams.

9:31 p.m. -- 1:08 to go in the game and FHS calls their final time out and the Rams have the ball inside the 20. The Rams are on their way to a 35-28 win on the road.

9:29 p.m. -- Time now starting to become a factor for the Scorps, with 6:17 left in the game. Rams convert on fourth and short and move the ball to the 41 as time continues to wind down. FHS comes up with a big defensive play as Scot Fishburn drops Ramirez behind the line. Big third down conversion moves the ball across midfield and keeps the clock moving. Ramirez now punishing the Scorp defense. Under 2 1/2 minutes left to go. Arellano on a keeper to the left gets another first down.

9:23 p.m. -- FHS, down a touchdown with 8:58 left to play, will start from their own 30. Griego flushed out of the pocket and found Archuleta for a 30-yard pass play. Michael Beck dropped a wide open pass and then Griego threw his fourth interception of the night, which sets up the Rams at their own 22.

9:16 p.m. -- The Scorps will start their next drive with good field position, at their own 36. Ryan Brown picked off a floater over the middle from Griego, his third pick of the night. Rio Rancho getting good yardage up the middle from Ramirez, but the drive goes backward with an illegal blocking penalty. A great pass from Arellano to Traiven Williams gives the Rams the lead for the first time tonight, with a 35-28 lead with 9:02 left to play.

9:08 p.m. -- The Rams get a fourth rushing touchdown from Arellano with 10:27 left in the fourth. The Rams are going for a 2-point conversion which they got and tied the game at 28-28.

The Rams got a big runback on the ensuing kickoff and find themselves down by 8 at the end of the third quarter.

9:02 p.m. -- A big play downfield by the Rams negated by a turnover and FHS gets the ball back at their own 20. Unfortunately, FHS has done little with the ball so far in the second half.

Griego finds Archuleta for a first down. The clock is down to 1:44 left in the third. CB Delgado picks up 6 off left tackle. Archuleta picks up another first down. Griego found a wide open Cayden Halliburton on the near sideline, who then made a pair of Rams tacklers miss before he scored from 60 yards out. The PAT was good and FHS leads 28-20 with 39 seconds left in the third quarter.

8:57 p.m. -- FHS did nothing with their first drive of the second half, losing yards on a third down sack of Griego. The Scorps punted and the Rams take over on their 43. The running game is churning out some positive yards for the Rams, but Arellano came up short on a fourth and two, giving the ball back to FHS near midfield.

Griego's deep passes just have a bit too much air under them, but when he moves out of the pocket and throws to his right, he finds an open receiver for a first down. FHS turned the ball over on downs.

I literally just watched an offensive lineman sack his own quarterback.... a career at defensive tackle is in his future.

8:45 p.m. -- The Rams started the second half with the ball deep in their own territory, but have moved the ball down the field with an effective mix of short passes, good gains on the ground and some untimely Scorpion penalties. The Rams have moved the ball down inside the 10 yard line. A pair of running plays have moved the ball inside the 5 where Arellano ran the ball in for his third rushing TD of the game. The PAT was no good and FHS leads 21-20 with 9:03 left in the third.

Here's some images from the first half of the game....

8:16 p.m. -- The Rams turned the ball over right away when Carter Chavez got the jump on a poorly thrown ball by Arellano. FHS has a minute to make something happen before the half from their own 41 yard line. The Rams ended that opportunity with a sack on Griego, bringing up fourth and 22. Punt downed at the 37 with 48 seconds left in the half.

Rio Rancho going for short gains inside the final minute as the clock winds down. Rams call their second time out with 15 seconds left in the half. That was a wasted drive by the Rams inside the final minute as FHS leads 21-14 at halftime.

8:05 p.m. -- Rams drive went empty, and a short Rio Rancho punt gives FHS the ball inside the 40 with 2 minutes left in the half. Griego found Beck for a big play inside the 15. Griego then found Jevon Smith breaking free over the middle for a 15-yard scoring strike. The PAT gives FHS the lead 21-14 with 1:42 left in the half.

8 p.m. -- FHS is fortunate to not have another turnover against them as the Rams defense is getting into the face of Griego when he drops back. Drive resulted in a couple short passes to Josyiah Archuleta that got them across midfield before facing fourth down and nine. Pass interference call keeps the drive alive for the Scorps, but another INT from Griego in the end zone, giving the ball back to the Rams with 2:39 left in the half.

BLOOMFIELD 29, Valencia 7 late 2nd...

7:52 p.m. -- Rayce Ramirez turned the ball over on the Rams first play and gives FHS basically the same field position they had before the earlier punt. Griego threw a pick on an out route to Beck on a great defensive play. Arellano found Nick Baca for a big pass play that got the Rams inside the red zone, before Arellano scored on a keeper, with the ensuing PAT making it 14-14 with 5:05 to go in the half.

BLOOMFIELD leading Valencia 21-0 with 6 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. NEWCOMB leading Shiprock 16-0 in the 2nd quarter.

7:37 p.m -- Trel Griego doing well when given some time in the pocket, and making good checkdowns to find receivers when his primary target is unavailable. Griego made a great play to avoid a sack and find Senecca Charley inside the 5 yard line. Griego scored on a keeper up the middle from 2 yards out to give FHS the 14-7 lead with 9:51 left in the second quarter.

7:30 p.m. -- Both teams opened the game with sustained drives that resulted in turnovers. FHS turned the ball over to the Rams inside the 5-yard line when a fourth down pass play came up incomplete. Rio Rancho QB JJ Arellano was intercepted at the Scorpion 20 by Alex Serrano.

That turnover resulted in a quick TD strike from Trel Greigo to Michael Beck, which gave FHS the 7-0 lead with 4:04 to go in the first quarter.

Rio Rancho ran the ball deliberately on their ensuing drive, getting positive yards on consecutive running plays, with the Rams getting the ball deep into FHS territory when Arellano scored on a keeper with 9.9 seconds left in the first. The PAT tied the game at 7.

6:30 p.m. -- We'll be heading downstairs to get some early game photos and such before we get you updated on the events on the field.

Here's a glance at the FHS vs. Rio Rancho contest.

Rio Rancho (3-2) at Farmington (2-3), Friday, 7 p.m.

The Scorpions are coming into their final non-district game this season off a solid win on the road last weekend over Albuquerque High while the Rams lost their most recent game by a 30-20 margin on the road against Hobbs.

Rio Rancho is ranked seventh in the state in Class 6A in the most recent coaches poll, while Farmington enters the game ranked 11th. The Rams have played in the Class 6A state championship game in both 2019 and 2021, both times losing to Cleveland High School.

Sophomore quarterback JJ Arellano threw a pair of touchdown passes in the loss against Hobbs last weekend.

This is the first meeting between the Scorpions and Rio Rancho on the football field.

The latest New Mexico Coaches Association prep football poll