Week 2 Preview: Baker’s Dozen Look At Top 13 Games

Week 1 of the once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully) abbreviated spring season got underway last weekend. Teams from Las Cruces, Rio Rancho and other regions of the state join the party this weekend. Here are the Top 13 games of Week 2: <strong>Game of the Week</strong>: Mayfield vs. Las Cruces (at Field of Dreams, Sat. 1 p.m.) Arguably the best rivalry in the entire state of New Mexico starts a new chapter on Saturday when the Bulldawgs square off with the Trojans. Together, they’ve won 16 state championships, nine in the first decade of this century when Las Cruces dominated the state. Sure, the epicenter of high school football in the Land of Enchantment has shifted to Rio Rancho and Albuquerque in recent years, but that doesn’t diminish the ferocity of this rivalry. What’s changed? Mayfield has moved from Class 6A to 5A, effective this abbreviated spring season. How that affects the rivalry remains to be seen. Remember, we’re still talking about two proud programs that want to win this game very badly. Right now, Las Cruces is in a better place. They have the most dynamic football player in the city with quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26160" first="Marcos" last="Lopez"]</strong>, a reliable running back, solid offense line and active defense. The Bulldawgs believed they were a state championship contender until the fall season was postponed. We’ll have to wait until the fall before we see how Mayfield fares in Class 5A (and vice versa). Watching Mayfield possibly face the likes of Artesia, Goddard and Roswell will be intriguing to say the least. “It just adds another title contender,” Roswell coach Jeff Lynn told Prep Redzone. “We scrimmaged Mayfield in 2018 and 2019, so we have a good idea of what they’re about. It’s a proud program. They’re very physical and play good defense. They play old school football. . They’ll be in every conversation to win a state championship in 5A. <strong>Clovis at Cleveland</strong> (Sat., 3 p.m.): The homework assignment for Clovis coach Cal Fullerton this week has been to find solutions for an offense that struggled badly in Week 1’s 14-10 victory over Hobbs. The Wildcats were fortunate to beat the Eagles and Fullerton knows it. Simply, the offensive line has to block better and Clovis must prove they can run and throw the ball and limit turnovers against a stout Cleveland defense. Going three-and-out every offensive series in the first half won’t work against Cleveland. All-State (and UNM signee) RB [player_tooltip player_id="26162" first="Jeston" last="Webskowski"] ran the ball just 10 times for 37 yards against Hobbs. Expect both numbers to jump this week. “We have to move the chains or it will be a long day for us offensively. We have to get in a rhythm,” Fullerton told Prep Redzone New Mexico. Talented Cleveland makes its highly anticipated debut this spring. Top to bottom, they possess the most talented roster in the state plus the confidence the 2019 Class 6A state championship brought to the program. Several players have already signed letters of intent to play at the next level. <strong>Rio Rancho at Santa Fe</strong> (Sat., 2 p.m.): Rio Rancho fans have waited more than a year for the debut of head coach Gerard Pannoni, who led his high school team in Virginia to the 2019 state championship before relocating to New Mexico. Rams fans are undoubtedly expecting nothing less from their new leader. Rio Rancho fell inches short of a state title in 2019 and returns another boatload of talent. The ongoing revival of the Santa Fe program under fourth-year head coach Andrew Martinez is in full swing, and Saturday afternoon’s matchup with the Rams at Ivan Head Stadium provides a good litmus test of where the Demons program stand right now. This one might be closer than people think. <strong>Grants vs. St. Pius X</strong> (Fri., 7 p.m.):  We said back in the fall that this would be the Class 4A Game of the Year. Obviously, circumstances have changed with the pandemic but this is still a great game. The number of players on both teams planning to play at the next level is impressive. <strong>Goddard at Artesia</strong> (Sat., 1 p.m.): Artesia seeks to rebound from Week 1’s 35-34 loss to Carlsbad in the Eddy County War. If they do, senior WR [player_tooltip player_id="26164" first="Braxton" last="McDonald"] will lead them. Goddard debuts in the spring, and brings a loaded roster to Artesia featuring the top offensive lineman in the state (UNM signee [player_tooltip player_id="26159" first="Larry" last="Luna"]) and one of the top defensive backs and defensive ends. <strong>Carlsbad at Roswell</strong> (Sat., 1 p.m.): What do the Cavemen do for an encore after the exciting Eddy County War win? They face the two-time defending Class 5A champions at the Wool Bowl. We know what Roswell will do: play smash-mouth football and strong defense. <strong>Lovington at Hobbs</strong> (Fri., 7 p.m.): Lovington brings their dynamic offense and talented wide receiver corps to Watson Memorial Stadium for an intriguing matchup against a Hobbs defense that deserved a better Week 1 fate at Clovis should be a doozy. <strong>Onate vs. Centennial</strong> (at Field of Dreams, Fri., 7 p.m.): Centennial is right there with the Bulldawgs in the battle for the No. 1 team in Las Cruces. They meet March 26 in a high stakes duel. Eastern New Mexico signee [player_tooltip player_id="26168" first="Karsten" last="Rueckner"] moves to QB and will play DB as well. Onate is still rebuilding with an eye on the fall. <strong>Dexter at Portales</strong> (Fri., 7 p.m.): Sparked by the defense, both teams opened with impressive victories last week. Dexter beat NMMI, 17-2, while Portales, the defending Class 4A champions, blanked Moriarty. Both teams have excellent quarterbacks. <strong>Jal at Eunice</strong> (Fri., 7 p.m.): Jal features the state’s top 2022 prospect, offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="26228" first="Roger" last="Carreon"]. Eunice has QB Hayden Dean. Best 2A matchup of the spring. <strong>Piedra Vista at Bloomfield</strong> (Fri., 7 p.m.): Piedra Vista cruised past Miyamura in its opener last week. Bloomfield lost a close, hard-fought battle to Alamogordo in which the difference was a blocked punt. Best game in the Four Corners this week. <strong>Silver at Deming</strong> (Sat., 1 p.m.): We finally get to see Silver QB [player_tooltip player_id="26201" first="Walker" last="Wenzel"] in action. Walker, who signed with hometown Western New Mexico last month, is one of the top dual threat quarterbacks in the state. <strong>Alamogordo at Ruidoso</strong> (Fri., 7 p.m.): Alamogordo slipped past Bloomfield last week while Ruidoso certainly believes they can play a whole lot better than what they showed against Lovington. <strong>Other Games To Watch</strong>: Farmington at Miyamura Gallup at Bernalillo Los Alamos at Capital Tularosa at Hatch Valley Hope Christian at Hot Springs Aztec at Kirtland Central Espanola Valley at Moriarty Springer at Roy Estancia at Santa Rosa Raton at Taos Shiprock at Tohatchi NMMI at Texico https://twitter.com/artesiafootball/status/1369443114050592778 https://twitter.com/jeffmatthews22/status/1369684031789428740 https://twitter.com/demons_football/status/1368310186570436610 https://twitter.com/ryan_cook_14/status/1369843101527924738 &nbsp; &nbsp;