PIGSKIN PREVIEW: Ram senior shoulders big role

Zach Terry’s not saying he hates catching touchdowns. He likes them. A lot.

But he loves making a big hit on defense.

“It picks the intensity up,” the Portales senior said.

The Rams will expect him to do that. And catch touchdowns. And play running back. And do whatever else might come his way as Portales preps for defense of its Class 3A championship.

The 5-foot-8, 150-pound receiver and linebacker is a leader on both sides of the ball, coach Andy Correll said.

“He’s small in stature, but he’s got the heart of a beast,” Correll said. “He’s really helped out over the last year or two.”

Correll said as roving linebacker, Terry will have to be a quarterback for the defense. But the mental load doesn’t stop once he goes on offense.

“We have a lot of option routes for the slot,” Correll said. “He has to read on the run quite a bit.”

And when he’s not at receiver, Correll said Terry is going to play some at the running back position, as he’ll share the backfield with Jesus Davalos in a pro-set offense.

The Ram offense is one of quick hits. Stacked on the tables in the Ram fieldhouse were arm bands with lists of every play with a corresponding number that will be called in from the sidelines. Correll said there will be 78 plays once the Rams kickoff against Las Vegas Robertson on Friday.

With the quick offense comes a challenge, Terry said. The Rams still want to control possession time, but that’s a challenge if the offense needs only a few minutes to score.

“We try to step our defense up and get off the field as quick as we can,” Terry said. “Our offense is going to score.”

Terry said he tries to keep up with other interests, but admits rodeo takes a back seat once it’s time to put on the helmet and pads.

“Football really comes first,” Terry said, “but on the weekends I’ll rope some.”