Baker's Dozen: Week 4 Preview of Top 13 Games

Week 4 of the once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully) abbreviated spring season is almost here and it could aptly be titled, “Rivalry Weekend.” Plenty of passionate-filled matchups around the state. It should be an action- packed weekend for high school football fans around the state. Here are the Top 13 games of Week 4: Game of the Week: Rio Rancho at Cleveland (Fri., 7 p.m.) It’s King Kong vs. Godzilla. If the first decade of the 21st century plus three years belonged in large part to the Las Cruces schools (Las Cruces and Mayfield combined for nine titles between 2000-13), the epicenter of New Mexico high school football has now shifted to Albuquerque and Rio Rancho. Since 2014, Cleveland and Rio Rancho have won two states titles apiece. The last time we saw these bitter rivals on the same field together, they delivered an epic Class 6A championship game in 2019 when the Storm pulled out a 48-40 victory with a last-minute goal line stand. We could definitely see the same type of high-scoring affair Friday night at Cleveland’s Storm Stadium. Both teams possess high-powered offensive talent and the defenses will have to bring their A-games to keep the score down. Start with the running backs. Rio Rancho’s [player_tooltip player_id="26227" first="Zach" last="Vigil"] has drawn interest from Div. I schools, while Cleveland RB Tyler Jenson enjoyed a monster game last Saturday against Centennial in Socorro with 162 yards on 18 carries. With such an array of talent surrounding them, both quarterbacks sometimes get overlooked. But Cleveland QB [player_tooltip player_id="26185" first="Jeff" last="Davison"] and Rio Rancho’s [player_tooltip player_id="26198" first="Joey" last="Cave"] are both capable quarterbacks that will play at the next level. Cave has, in fact, signed with Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Missouri. Goddard at Roswell (Fri., 7 p.m., Wool Bowl): Had this game been played in the fall, it would have likely been the Class 5A Game of the Year. Goddard has been superb on both sides of the ball in its first two games, reaching the century mark against both Artesia and Lovington. The Rockets spread the wealth on offense and smartly allow ENMU signee [player_tooltip player_id="26169" first="Nathaniel" last="Stone"] to spearhead a stout defense. Roswell is coming off a loss to Artesia, so the Coyotes are eager to bounce back against their cross-town rivals. Centennial vs. Las Cruces (Fri., 7 p.m., Field of Dreams): The Bulldawgs have dominated the las Cruces high school football scene in Las Cruces for most of the past decade. Centennial has enjoyed enormous the past few seasons under Aaron Ocampo, and the Hawks would like nothing more than to signal a changing of the guard. And with special players such as QB [player_tooltip player_id="26168" first="Karsten" last="Rueckner"] and WR [player_tooltip player_id="26175" first="Isaac" last="Gutierrez"], they have the talent to pull off the win. Las Cruces hasn’t slowed down so far this season with victories over Mayfield and Onate. QB [player_tooltip player_id="26160" first="Marcos" last="Lopez"] has been as good as advertised coming into the spring and he has two games left in his prep career before heading to Eastern New Mexico. Portales at Lovington (Fri., 7 p.m.): Arguably the top two teams in Class 4A square off in Lovington in what should be a classic. With dual threat QB Baylor Diaz leading the way, Portales is 3-0 and has outscored its first three foes by a 100-16 margin. Lovington ran into the Goddard buzzsaw last weekend in Roswell, but the Wildcats are still 2-1 and possess an array of offensive talent unmatched in Class 4A. Lovington’s offense vs. Portales defense is classic strength against strength. Cibola vs. Volcano Vista (Sat., 5 p.m., Community Stadium): Looking for a marquee matchup at quarterback? Cibola 2023 QB [player_tooltip player_id="118805" first="Aden" last="Chavez"] finally gets a chance to showcase his already immense but still developing skills after Cibola’s scheduled opener against Sandia was cancelled due to COVID protocols. While Cibola was unable to play, Volcano Vista’s Johnny Herrera had quite a QB debut for the Hawks, throwing for 381 yards and six touchdowns in their wild 47-43 victory over Eldorado. Expect fireworks from both offenses Saturday night at Community Stadium. Capital at Santa Fe (Fri., 7 p.m.): You need a calculator to figure out how many yards and touchdowns Capital RB [player_tooltip player_id="26186" first="Luke" last="Padilla"] has amassed in the Jaguars’ first two games. But he’ll face a tougher defense Friday night at Ivan Head Stadium. Santa Fe took out their frustrations from the opening game thrashing at the hands of Rio Rancho by routing Los Alamos last weekend. Are the Demons back on track? We’ll find out Friday night against their cross-town rivals. Piedra Vista at Farmington (Fri., 7 p.m.): Behind a prolific offense that has scored 155 points in the first three games, the Farmington Scorpions have asserted themselves as the top team in the Four Corners. Senior QB [player_tooltip player_id="26172" first="Caleb" last="Carrillo"] has thrown for over 750 yards and 12 touchdowns. Next up? A Piedra Vista defense that has yet to surrender a point in three games. The Panthers have blanked Miyamura and Aztec, while both scores in the 14-0 loss to Bloomfield came directly off scoop and scores on fumble recoveries. Atrisco Heritage vs. West Mesa (Fri., 7 p.m., Community Stadium): Welcome back, Atrisco Heritage. After disappointing consecutive one-win seasons in 2018-19, a new coach has quickly worked wonders at AHA. Running back Jaden Cowley has 166 rushing yards in the lopsided win over Manzano last week. West Mesa, meanwhile, opened the spring with a 26-13 win over Albuquerque High. 2022 QB [player_tooltip player_id="26242" first="Daniel" last="Ayala"] will play at the next level and is supported by a pair of weapons headed to Eastern New Mexico: Ja’Calvin Newsom and Joseph Thompson. Eldorado vs. La Cueva (Fri., 7 p.m., Wilson Stadium): Both schools are coming off frustrating losses. Eldorado, of course, lost to Volcano Vista on a kickoff return in the final seconds, while La Cueva fell at Los Lunas. QB [player_tooltip player_id="26220" first="Ryan" last="Cook"] hopes to return for the Bears after missing the opener with an injury. Kirtland Central at Grants (Sat., 2 p.m.): Both teams are undefeated coming into this intriguing matchup. Kirtland Central (3-0) has beaten Miyamura, Aztec and Gallup. Grants, though, is the best team the Broncos have faced so far. Pirates 2022 QB [player_tooltip player_id="26232" first="Brandon" last="Furbee"] is building his resume for the next level. Senior WR Bryan Hernandez is definitely college bound. Carlsbad at Clovis (Sat., 5 p.m.): Carlsbad’s three games have been decided by a total of 17 points. Unlike regional rival Hobbs, though, the Cavemen have been on the right side of close twice – the Eddy County War win over Artesia and last week’s 27-21 win over Hobbs when Carlsbad scored with 11 seconds left. Clovis has lost to Cleveland and Rio Rancho on the road the past two weeks after edging Hobbs in the opener. St. Pius X at Bernalillo (Fri., 7 p.m.): If Portales and Lovington are the two best Class 4A teams, St. Pius X and Bernalillo aren’t far behind. Bernalillo outscored its first two opponents by a 93-0 margin. St. Pius X bounced back from the opening game loss to Grants with an impressive 21-6 road win at Moriarty. The Sartans’ defense has been stellar as well. This one could be a defensive struggle. Artesia at Hobbs (Fri., 7 p.m.): After losses to Carlsbad and Goddard, Artesia rose up and beat Roswell at the Bulldog Bowl last week. [player_tooltip player_id="26164" first="Braxton" last="McDonald"] has shown why he’s considered the state’s top wide receiver in the first three games. Hobbs has been haunted by what-could-have been in three close losses. A victory over the Bulldogs would help lift the spirits. Other Games To Watch: Deming at Alamogordo Manzano vs. Sandia Bloomfield at Aztec Hope Christian at Estancia Santa Teresa at Gadsden Hatch Valley at Hot Springs Taos at Los Alamos Valley vs. Del Norte (at Milne) Gallup at Miyamura Moriarty at Albuquerque Academy Highland at Belen NMMI at Eunice Mayfield vs. Onate (at Field of Dreams) Texico at Loving Tucumcari at Raton Santa Rosa vs. Jal (at Roswell) Espanola Valley at St. Michael’s Socorro at Tularosa Albuquerque High vs. Rio Grande Ruidoso vs. Silver (at Las Cruces) https://twitter.com/demons_football/status/1374174610007060482 https://twitter.com/TylerJenson3/status/1371336947273068546 https://twitter.com/AdenChavez08/status/1374351244911915015