Rio Grande boys, St. Pius boys and girls clinch titles

This, Brian Weems said, wearing an ear-to-ear smile, is why he got back into coaching.

Behind him, the Rio Grande Ravens were celebrating large, as they clinched the District 5-5A boys soccer championship with a tense 1-0 victory Thursday night over Albuquerque High at the APS Complex.

The Ravens, plus the St. Pius boys and girls, who both beat Highland on Thursday, all clinched regular-season district titles, as the state tournament brackets are set to be unveiled on Sunday.

Miguel Guillermo’s PK in the seventh minute stood up for Rio Grande (15-2-3, 7-0-1 in 5-5A) in what amounted to a winner-take-all title game against the Bulldogs (11-7, 5-2).

“Honestly, that penalty, I had taken one against Atrisco one game before, and once we got that penalty I knew I had to take it,” said Guillermo, a fourth-year junior.

Teammate Irvin Plata was fouled in the box, leading to the PK.

“I’m proud of our captain,” Weems said. “Ever since we named him captain in the middle of the season, he’s really stepped up his game and led this team.”

And the Ravens were under heavy and constant pressure by Albuquerque High, especially in the second half, when the Bulldogs spent about 90 percent of the half in Rio Grande’s end of the pitch.

But the defensive-minded Ravens held their ground and won district for the second consecutive season.

“They’re all gunning for us; when our backs are against the wall, our kids know now how to stop that,” Weems said.

The coach said he believes Rio Grande could be as high as a 2 seed when the 5A playoff brackets are announced; the Ravens’ only two losses came to La Cueva, which is certain to be the No. 1 postseason seed.

“I’m hoping for a 2,” Weems said. “The kids deserve it.”

At St. Pius, the Sartan girls whipped Highland 11-1 to secure first place in 5-4A as St. Pius closed its regular season at 16-4 overall and 8-0 in district.

Junior forward Vanessa Cichy, St. Pius’ leading scorer, had four tallies in the Thursday afternoon matchup.

Senior Kaylee Perea and eighth-grader Kayla Herrera each added two goals for the Sartans, who locked up a top-four seed in the 4A girls postseason bracket.

“My team is awesome and ready,” St. Pius coach Nick Madrid said. “And I know that we are the team that nobody wants to play.”

Highland finished the regular season 13-7 overall and 6-2 in league play as the Hornets look to qualify for the postseason for the first time in nearly two decades.

At Highland on Thursday night, the St. Pius boys (16-1-3), 8-0 in 5-4A), ranked No. 1 in 4A, defeated the Hornets 6-0 to clinch the 5-5A crown.

Nico Certain and Mateo Certain each scored two goals for the Sartans, who gave head coach A.J. Herrera his 150th career win. Nico Reyes added a goal and two assists.

There are more district titles yet to be determined this weekend. The Hope Christian and Albuquerque Academy boys and girls both meet on Friday afternoon to decide first and second place in District 6-4A. The Chargers lead the Huskies 7-0 to 6-1 in the boys standings; Hope is 7-0 and Academy 6-1 in the girls standings.