Team Preview: Las Cruces

<strong>Las Cruces 2020 Preview</strong> <strong>Head Coach</strong>: Mark Lopez <strong>Mascot</strong>: Bulldawgs <strong>Twitter</strong>: @LCHSFOOTBALL <strong>Enrollment</strong>: 1,695 <strong>2019 Record</strong>: 9-3 <strong>Star Player</strong>: QB Marcus Lopez <strong>Breakout Star</strong>: OL Rodney Paulk <strong>Overview</strong>: After going undefeated in district play and reaching the quarterfinals of the 2019 Class 6A playoffs, Las Cruces is seeking its first state championship game appearance since 2016 with many of their most important pieces from last season returning. Marcus Lopez is going into his third season as the Bulldawgs’ starting quarterback, and is regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the state. Last season’s top rusher, Johnny Terrazas, who ran for 1,344 yards and 20 touchdowns in his senior year, has graduated. The No. 1 running back is now senior Mando Villescas, listed at just 5-foot-5 but averaged over 10 yards per carry in 2019 in large part because of his blazing speed. Under the radar defensive end Nick Lucero, one of the biggest and strongest players on the team, anchors the Las Cruces defense. <strong>Schedule</strong>: Fri. Aug. 21 at Volcano Vista (Community Stadium) Fri. Aug. 28 Cibola Fri. Sept. 4 at La Cueva (Wilson Stadium) Sat., Sept. 12 Cleveland Fri. Sept. 18 Mayfield Fri., Sept. 25 Bye Fri. Oct. 2 at Carlsbad Fri. Oct. 9 Hobbs Fri. Oct. 16 Centennial Fri. Oct. 23 at Gadsden Fri. Oct. 30 at Onate <strong>Top Storyline</strong>: With seniors occupying several key positions, will Las Cruces again return to the top of the Class 6A ladder? <strong>Final Thoughts</strong>: Las Cruces may be behind Clovis, Rio Rancho and Cleveland on the Class 6A ladder, but they are still a legitimate threat to capture their first state title since 2013. The first four games on the 2020 slate will tell us a lot about the Bulldawgs as they face three stout challengers from Albuquerque - Volcano Vista, Cleveland and La Cueva - before the middle of September. Las Cruces will battle Centennial for the district title and should reach the playoffs again. In order to reach a higher level than last season, guys like Lopez and Villescas must come through. <strong>Coach’s Comments</strong>: “We have a pretty good mixture of players. We lost some good players to graduation, but by the same token we have some really good guys coming back. We have some younger guys with high upsides that got some varsity time last season. When Marcus was a sophomore, we just asked him to manage the game and make sure everybody was in the right spot. Last year, we asked him to make some more plays. Now he’s grown up physically and really understands the game. He has a high football IQ. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do.” &nbsp;