Rio Rancho Boys and Girls Stay Unbeaten into Metro Semifinals

Rio Rancho High continued its dominant start to the season on Jan. 7 as both the boys and girls teams advanced to the Albuquerque Metro semifinals, each remaining unbeaten. The boys defeated La Cueva 65-58 in a quarterfinal played at West Mesa, with sophomore Dashon Bynum hitting two key 3-pointers and finishing with 15 points. Rio Rancho (11-0) used a decisive 10-1 run in the fourth quarter to separate from La Cueva and secure the win. The Rams were set to face defending champion Volcano Vista in the metro semifinals.

The dual advancement of Rio Rancho’s programs has immediate implications for the school and the wider Sandoval County community. For students and families, continued success means increased travel to semifinal and potential championship sites, more evening events and practices, and heightened visibility for athletes. Those benefits can foster school pride and open college recruitment opportunities, but they also amplify disparities in access to care and support services that affect student-athletes’ health and wellbeing.

High school athletics provide clear physical and mental health benefits, yet they also place demands on local health systems and school budgets. Sustained playoff runs increase exposure to common sports injuries and concussion risk, and they intensify needs for athletic trainers, mental health support, safe transportation, and equitable funding for programs across the county. As Rio Rancho advances, district and county policymakers will face choices about how to allocate limited resources so that smaller programs and students from less-resourced schools receive comparable protections and opportunities.

Beyond Rio Rancho, the metro quarterfinals produced semifinal matchups across both boys and girls brackets and featured several standout performances from area players and teams. Those results set the stage for a high-profile semifinal round that will determine seeding and momentum heading into postseason tournaments.

For Sandoval County residents, the coming semifinals are more than a sports story. They are a measure of community investment in youth development, the availability of medical and mental health supports for student-athletes, and the equity of opportunities across schools. As local teams prepare for semifinal play, the community will be watching not only final scores but how schools and county leaders manage health, safety, and access for all student-athletes during a demanding stretch of the season.