The Portales Rams feel pretty good about their situation heading into the start of District 4-3A play.

Their stock will continue to rise if they can get a couple of wins this week, Rams coach Mark Gallegos said.

Portales (9-7) begins district play with a 7 p.m. contest today at home against New Mexico Military. On Friday, the Rams travel to Ruidoso, a team Gallegos said could challenge for the district title.

He said the Rams’ challenging early schedule has served them well.

“Playing that tough pre-district schedule prepares us for district,” Gallegos said. “If we can get two wins this week, we’ll put ourselves in good position.”

Portales reached the finals of the Hope Christian Invitational over the weekend in Albuquerque, losing 72-50 Saturday to the homestanding Huskies — one of the better teams in Class 3A. Gallegos said the Rams struggled in the first half, but believes they’re starting to hit their stride.

NMMI, a program which has struggled in recent seasons, brings a 7-8 record into tonight’s contest.

“They’ve got a lot of size and they’re pretty physical,” said Gallegos, whose team is seeking a fifth consecutive district championship. “We’re going to try to press them a little bit and get up on them early.”

He acknowledged he’s a little concerned about fatigue after the three weekend games in Albuquerque.

“We didn’t practice very long (Monday),” he said. “We wanted to get our legs under us.”