Top Five Quarterbacks In Class 5A

The New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) has officially shifted the 2020 high school football season to the spring, and Monday night the governor of New Mexico ordered all summer workouts for fall sports to halt immediately. Nonetheless, we’re plowing ahead with our coverage. Today we look at the top five quarterbacks in Class 5A: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26172" first="Caleb" last="Carrillo"], Farmington</strong>: If we had a category for Best Quarterback You’ve Never Heard Of, Carrillo would undoubtedly be the leading contender for the top spot. Because he toils in the Four Corners, he is often overlooked by the media and fans in the central and southern parts of the state. But this guy is legit.  As a junior last season, he threw for 2,968 yards and 35 touchdowns while leading Farmington to a 9-2 record and a first-round bye in the playoffs. Early Class 5A Player of the Year candidate. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26238" first="Cael" last="Stewart"], Miyamura</strong>: The 6-foot-4, ridiculously athletic Stewart is a Division I prospect waiting to happen. A three-sport standout (football, basketball and baseball), he threw for over 1,000 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore in 2019. Stewart is only going to get bigger and better, and could be the state’s most coveted 2022 QB about a year from now considering he has the size college coaches covet. <strong>Ryan Villescas, Alamogordo</strong>: Alamogordo is one of the most improved teams in Class 5A over the past two seasons. Sure, a 4-7 record doesn’t seem impressive, but remember the Tigers were a combined 1-19 in 2017-18. Consecutive victories over Artesia (final regular season game) and Santa Teresa (first round playoffs) show Alamogordo is headed in the right direction. Villescas spearheads the Tigers’ run-dominated attack. <strong>Matthew Lopez, Santa Teresa</strong>: Who’s the most dynamic dual threat quarterback in Class 5A? Lopez should be mentioned early in the discussion. Like Carrillo, he stands just 5-foot-8, but he overcomes his lack of size with athleticism, speed, elusiveness and freakish skills. Santa Teresa reached the Class 5A playoffs in 2019 thanks largely to the efforts of Lopez, who threw for 718 yards and seven touchdowns and ran for 894 yards and eight scores. He teamed with rising junior [player_tooltip player_id="26240" first="Adrian" last="Rodriguez"] to give the Desert Warriors a lethal two-headed rushing attack. <strong>Adrian Marquez, Del Norte</strong>: Another two-way standout throwing and running with the football. Marquez passed for 832 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 344 yards. He’ll again combine with senior RB [player_tooltip player_id="26208" first="Isaiah" last="Ortiz"] (1,678 rushing yards in 2019) to give the Knights one of the top rushing attacks in Class 5A. With an abbreviated 7-game season on tap in the spring, the pair gives Del Norte hope of reaching the playoff.