Top Five Running Backs In Class 5A

The running back position in Class 5A is saturated with returning talent. The top eight running backs based on total rushing yardage from 2019 (per MaxPreps) return to their respective schools in the spring. You have to look all the way down to No. 9 (Thomas Montoya, Farmington) before you find a senior among the 5A rushing leaders. Here are the top five running backs in Class 6A: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26186" first="Luke" last="Padilla"], Capital</strong>: The No. 1 rusher in Class 5A last season with 1,852 yards and 23 touchdowns returns for what he hopes is an encore performance. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Padilla is already the school’s career rushing leader with a season left. Clearly the No. 1 player in his hometown, Padilla doesn’t get a whole lot of love statewide because football is a distant second to basketball in Santa Fe and Capital is at best the No. 2 team in the market. However, expectations are high for the Jaguars with most of the starters returning from last season’s team that hosted Artesia in the first round of the playoffs. If Capital goes far, Padilla will carry them there. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26190" first="Sean" last="Hays"], Alamogordo</strong>: The Tigers won a playoff game and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class 5A playoffs last December, and Hays was a big reason why, rushing for 1,844 yards (just 8 behind Padilla) and 15 touchdowns. After last season, it could be a very interesting race in the spring between Hays and Padilla for the title of ‘Top Rusher in Class 5A.’ Hays had by far the most carries (257) in 5A last season. Expect Alamogordo to lean on Hays again. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26208" first="Isaiah" last="Ortiz"], Del Norte</strong>: If you don’t know much about Ortiz, you’re not alone. Del Norte gets very little media attention in Albuquerque as the Knights typically struggle annually to get past the 4-win mark. So, many people would be surprised to learn Ortiz rushed for 1,678 yards and had the second most attempts in 5A (229) in 2019. Ortiz averaged 7.3 yards per rush and scored 14 touchdowns. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26240" first="Adrian" last="Rodriguez"], Santa Teresa</strong>: The Desert Warriors (one of the best nicknames in New Mexico) won their first five games in 2019 and Rodriguez, a rising junior, led the way, finishing the season with 1,028 rushing yards. He’s one of New Mexico’s top 2022 prospects and another big year could generate interest on the recruiting trail. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26199" first="Derek" last="Chavez"], Los Lunas</strong>: The Tigers are led by the state’s top 2021 prospect, defensive end [player_tooltip player_id="26153" first="Tyler" last="Kiehne"], a UCLA commit, but Chavez will have a loud voice in how the Los Lunas offense functions in 2020. Chavez rushed for 830 yards and scored 11 touchdowns in 2019 when Los Lunas advanced to the 5A state championship game for the second consecutive season. Almost fifteen percent (14.22 to be exact) of his total rushing yardage came in the 5A quarterfinals when he rushed for 118 yards against Artesia. With a new quarterback calling the signals, if Los Lunas makes it three straight title game appearances in the spring, Chavez will likely have to amass close to 1,000 yards rushing. <strong>Honorable Mention</strong>: Anthony Roybal (Belen); Jordan Caballero (Deming), [player_tooltip player_id="26224" first="Sammy" last="Zaragoza"] (Goddard), [player_tooltip player_id="26191" first="Derrick" last="Martinez"] (Mayfield), Michael Candelaria (Piedra Vista), Joel Renteria (Roswell).