ENMU coach talks NM signees (Part 2); Clovis RB signs with UNM

Head coach Kelley Lee and Eastern New Mexico had a remarkable Signing Day last Wednesday, inking more than 40 prospects to letters of intent. Eleven were from the Land of Enchantment. We spoke with Lee and got his comments about each of the 11. In Part 2 of a two-part series, we take a look at six of the prospects: <strong>Dynamic Duo from Las Cruces</strong>: Going into the spring, the two top players in the city of Las Cruces were probably LCHS quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26160" first="Marcos" last="Lopez"]</strong> and Centennial QB/DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26168" first="Karsten" last="Rueckner"]</strong>. Lopez enjoyed a sensational 2019 season, throwing for 1,874 yards and accounting for 23 total touchdowns to spearhead the Bulldawgs to an undefeated District 6A-3 record and a spot in the Class 6A playoff quarterfinals. Lee is looking for Lopez to bring his dual threat skills to Portales. “Marcos had a really strong junior year,” Lee said. “If he had had a chance to play in the fall I think he would have had a fantastic senior year. We felt there was definitely enough on tape that we wanted to get him here. We’re excited about hi. We’ve had a couple of good quarterbacks from Las Cruces High here, guys who were all-conference players and three-year starters. We’re hoping Marcos can be one of those guys too. Rueckner, set to play quarterback for Centennial this spring, was primarily used as a defensive back in 2019, and that’s the position he’ll play for ENMU. “He’s got some good tape playing in the defensive backfield,” Lee said. “He’s another guy that has played in some big games. He had enough on tape that even when he was a junior we knew he was guy we were going to go after. “He’s rangy and got good ball skills. He’s fluid, so sometime s he doesn’t look fast. But he runs people down. He’s a good athlete and good football player from a good program.” <strong>Pair of West Mesa Running Backs</strong>: Had high school football been played in the fall, West Mesa might have surprised some people due in large part to the dynamic running back duo of <strong>Ja’Calvin Newsom</strong> and <strong>Joseph Thompson</strong>. “Those guys are pretty versatile,” Lee said. “They didn’t have a ton of film as juniors, but there was enough there for us to see their potential. Had they played a senior year, I think they would have really stood out. They were guys we were really going to watch as seniors. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do that. “But we felt there was enough upside after talking to the coaches and finding out what good kids they were. After that, we decided they were guys we wanted to bring in and see if we can develop them.” <strong>Two For The Trenches</strong>: Just about everybody agrees that the top 2021 offensive lineman in the state of New Mexico was Goddard’s [player_tooltip player_id="26159" first="Larry" last="Luna"], who signed with New Mexico in December. Who’s No. 2? That’s open for debate. Lee maintains it’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26192" first="Christian" last="Griego"]</strong> of Los Lunas, and he signed with the Greyhounds. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Griego is a road grader in the run game, perfect for ENMU’s triple option attack. “Christian has been coming to our camps for a long time,” Lee said. “We offered him as soon as we could when he was a junior. He’s got great size, long arms, can move and is very physical. I thought Christian and [player_tooltip player_id="26159" first="Larry" last="Luna"] were the two best offensive linemen prospects in the state. We feel fortunate we were able to get Christian. He still young, too. His best football is ahead of him.” ENMU also signed <strong>Darrius Gregory</strong> from Rio Rancho High School. He’s a bit undersized at 5-11, 235 pounds, but Lee views him as perfectly suited for ENMU’s offensive scheme. “Gregory fits our mold,” Lee said. “He’s a bit undersized, but he can move and he’s really physical. We see him as a system player. We’ve had a lot of success with guys like that because of the nature of our offense. Obviously, he comes from a good program at Rio Rancho. He was flying under the radar a little bit, but he’s our kind of guy. We think he’s going to do great.” <strong>CLOVIS RUNNING BACK SIGNS WITH LOBOS</strong>: 2021 Clovis running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26162" first="Jeston" last="Webskowski"]</strong> signed with New Mexico Tuesday night. Webskowski, arguably the top running back in the state for the 2021 class, had been verbally committed to Eastern New Mexico before UNM extended an offer the night before signing day. He becomes the fifth in-state prospect to sign with the Lobos, joining teammate [player_tooltip player_id="26157" first="Jaden" last="Phillips"]. “I have always wanted the opportunity to play for my state as well as coach Gonzales,” Webskowski told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “The UNM coaching staff bring so much energy to the table, I see nothing but great things in the future.” Webskowski said getting  the phone call from the Lobos the night before signing day was like a dream come true. “It was crazy, almost like a movie,” Webskowski said. “Less then 24 hours before signing day I get that phone call I had been waiting for my entire life. I had been talking with UNM for quite some time, probably since last summer. They were just as excited as I was when I signed. That’s one thing I love about this program, it’s like a family.” https://twitter.com/Brandega/status/1359314780054454276 https://twitter.com/ENMUAthletics/status/1357001751044349955 https://twitter.com/ENMUAthletics/status/1357009994403651587