Several promising 2023 QBs emerge during spring season

Just over two months ago, we presented the Top 5 2023 quarterbacks in the state of New Mexico. The list was headed by Cibola QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="118805" first="Aden" last="Chavez"]</strong>, who performed in the Cougars’ spring season opener last weekend against Volcano Vista  as if he doesn’t intend to give up his No. 1 spot anytime soon. Also included on the list was La Cueva’s <strong>Aiden Armenta</strong>, <strong>Marcquis Henry</strong> of Aztec, Albuquerque Academy’s <strong>AJ Rivera</strong> and <strong>Ja’Brae Boyer</strong> of Estancia. All four – and Chavez - are currently sophomores, and will be juniors when the fall campaign kicks off in August. Of those four aforementioned quarterbacks, Rivera has posted the best numbers: 49-of-66 passing (74.2 percent completion pct.) for 728 yards and six touchdowns. He is averaging 182.0 passing yards per game in leading Albuquerque Academy to a 2-2 record, including last weekend’s 20-14 win over Moriarty in which Rivera completed 12-of-16 passes for 194 yards. Rivers has thrown for the third most passing yards in the state through four weeks. Only seniors [player_tooltip player_id="26172" first="Caleb" last="Carrillo"] (Farmington) and [player_tooltip player_id="26223" first="Cord" last="Cox"] (Artesia) have passed for more yards than Rivera. Over the course of the first four weeks of the spring season, several more 2023 quarterbacks have emerged as legitimate prospects to watch over the next couple of years. Start with Los Lunas dual threat quarterback <strong>Paul Cieremans</strong>, listed at 5-foot-10, 195 pounds but plays bigger than that. Cieremans, whose father is the baseball coach at Los Lunas, has led the Tigers to wins over La Cueva and Capital in their first two games. Los Lunas wraps up the spring schedule Saturday afternoon against Valencia County rival Belen. Cieremans has demonstrated an uncanny ability to throw deep down the field with accuracy. He made several long throws last Saturday night at Capital and each one had a perfect spiral. He directed five straight scoring drives in the second quarter as Los Lunas grabbed a commanding 37-7 lead. Cieremans is a threat to run, as well. His No. 1 moment of the spring might be his 85-yard TD scamper against La Cueva. He added a couple more rushing TDs at Capital. Meanwhile, <strong>Myles Lane</strong> is helping change the culture at Atrisco Heritage, which routed Manzano in its opener before losing a heartbreaker to West Mesa in OT last weekend. Lane completed 7-of-11 passes in the opener. Goddard sophomore QB <strong>Adrian Solis</strong> led the Rockets to big wins over Artesia and Lovington with his legs and his arm. He had a TD pass and a TD run in the mercy-rule win over Lovington. Santa Fe’s spring season ended after just two games because a Demons player tested positive for Covid, but not before sophomore <strong>Andrew Allen</strong> showed he could challenge junior <strong>Luc Jaramillo</strong> for the starting job in the fall. Allen threw for 221 yards and 2 TDs in Santa Fe’s two games. Everybody is chasing the 6-foot-5 Chavez for the top spot. He threw for 347 yards and four touchdowns, completing 27-of-41 passes in Cibola’s 49-33 victory over Volcano Vista last weekend. Chavez is planning to participate in several national elite-level camps around the country this summer. He has accepted an invitation to compete at the Elite 11 regional in Los Angeles on June 6. He also plans to attend showcase camps in Atlanta and Las Vegas. Most likely, he’ll attend additional camps. For Chavez, solid showings at those camps plus a strong junior season in the fall could put him on the watch list of Power 5 schools. https://twitter.com/Brandega/status/1376014211776532483