Editor:

I would like to take this time to say “thank you” to everyone who made the 2019 NMAA Class 6A state championship game a successful event.

Led by Vince Metzgar, athletic director at Rio Rancho High School who was the point man for this event, with the help of Matt Martinez, Cleveland High School’s athletic director. The meetings, event planning, prepping and the game day event went on without a hitch. Great job!

The Facilities Department at RRPS, led by Executive Director Melanie Archibeque, dispatched Rick Baker, Luis Melendez, Chris Brown and Oscar Najera to work on the fields Thanksgiving Day, all day Friday and also on Saturday morning to get the field is shape for the game. You guys are awesome.

Sal Maniaci, RRPS’s executive director of security; Salvador Gonzalez, head of security at RRHS; and Don Mangin, head of security at CHS; and their staffs kept the event at a safe and secure level.

The Rio Rancho Police Department and AJF Security, working side by side with RRPS Security, did an excellent job in being highly visible and keeping all of the fans safe and secure on game day.

The RRHS JROTC taking tickets at the gate was a huge help.

The cooperativeness of the two high school administrations helped with the success of the event and showed statewide how we can work together for a huge event like we had Saturday.

How can we forget to thank the 25-30 parents/boosters from both schools that showed up on Friday morning to shovel snow out of the bleachers? A huge “thank you.” We are two schools, but we can stand side by side as one when needed.

And thanks, finally, to our two football teams, the Rams and the Storm; head coaches Heath Ridenour and David Howes; and their coaching staffs for making this truly a historical day for the City of Rio Rancho.

Larry Chavez

RRPS executive director of athletics