Week 3 Preview: 20 Players To Watch Thursday and Friday

Week 3 of the once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully) abbreviated spring high school season gets underway Thursday night with three games (Sandia-Cibola was cancelled Thursday afternoon hours before kickoff) and continues Friday night with 21 games. Twenty-four (24) more games are scheduled for Saturday. The Albuquerque Schools finally join the festivities with their first of three games. Here are our 20 players to watch in Week 3’s Thursday and Friday night games. Chris Rios Chris Rios 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB Atrisco Heritage Academy | 2021 State NM , Atrisco Heritage: One of the best defensive players in Albuquerque battled his way into the opportunity to play at the next level, and he has committed to Bethel University in Minnesota. Jaxon Powell Jaxon Powell 6'3" | TE Manzano | 2021 State NM , Manzano: If you’re a Lobos fan, come check out one of UNM’s latest in-state additions. Powell will play DE for the Lobos, but he’s also an outstanding tight end for the Monarchs, who might be better than people think. Gabriel Torres, Valley: The Vikings were winless in 2019, but Torres showed flashes of the quarterback we should see on a more consistent basis this coming fall when he’s a senior. He made our list of the 5 breakout quarterbacks in Albuquerque. Abraham Lopez, Highland: The Hornets are short on numbers this spring due to the pandemic, but Lopez is established as one of the standout 2022 linebackers in the Albuquerque Metro area. He’s the undisputed team leader. Hayden Dean, Eunice: The Cardinals are off to a flying start with victories over Hagerman and Jal to start the spring season. Dean has completed 25-of-32 passes (78.1 pct.) for 364 yards and 5 touchdowns while rushing for 121 yards in the first two games. He should have his way against a Loving defense that has allowed 100+ points combined in the first two games. He signed with Clarke University. Micah Tippett, Eunice: The Cardinals running back has been the go-to guy for Eunice in the first two games. He’s rushed 10 times for 130 yards (13.0 yards per carry), caught 5 passes for 156 yards (31.2 yards per catch) and scored four touchdowns. As a junior, he’ll be back in the fall as arguably the second best player in Class 2A behind Jal OL . Braxton McDonald Braxton McDonald 5'10" | WR Artesia | 2021 State NM , Artesia: We said multiple times before the season that McDonald was the best wide receiver in the state, and so far he’s proving us correct with 17 receptions for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Bulldogs. However, Artesis is 0-2 and faces a tough Roswell team Friday night. Cord Cox Cord Cox 5'10" | 170 lbs | QB Artesia | 2021 State NM , Artesia: The Bulldogs quarterback struggled in last week’s loss to Goddard and has thrown four interceptions in Artesia first two games. He’ll need to bring his A-game for Artesia to beat Roswell. Freddie Anaya, Roswell: Anaya put together one of Week 2’s top individual performances by rushing for over 100 yards, scoring two touchdowns and making key a two-point conversion. One of his scores came on a 53-yard run midway through the third quarter. Later he had a 35-yard run on Roswell’s long TD drive in the fourth quarter. Talon Sanders, Roswell: Sanders had the game-clinching interception for the Coyotes in last week’s come-from-behind win over Carlsbad at the Wool Bowl. Most likely, he’ll be assigned the task of covering in what should be an intriguing 1-on-1 battle. Jesse Rodriguez, Carlsbad: Rodriguez has been described as a “workhorse” running back for the Cavemen. He broke free for a 41-yard run against Roswell last week to set up a 2-yard TD plunge moment later. Carlsbad will need him to come up big against against Hobbs on Friday night. Nathaniel Stone Nathaniel Stone 6'2" | DB Goddard | 2021 State NM , Goddard: After serving an integral role in limiting Artesia to 22 points in last week’s win by the Rockets at the Wool Bowl, Stone now looks to spark Goddard’s defense against one of the most dynamic offenses in the state regardless of classification. Tayten Hilliard, Lovington: What makes Lovington’s 2-0 start so fun to watch is the large number of players that are contributing, especially on offense, starting with QB Jared Jeffrey (7 TD passes) to Hilliard (team-high 9 receptions for 144 yards and 4 TD) to (6 for 79 yards) to (4 for 54; 85-yard kickoff return) and beyond. The Wildcats’ Friday night matchup with Goddard should be an instant classic. Jeremy Burnham, Bloomfield: Burnham is one of the sparkplugs for a Bloomfield defense that has allowed just 9 points in the first two games (the winning TD in the Week 1 16-14 loss to Alamogordo was scored off a blocked punt). Last week the Bobcats blanked Piedra Vista as Burnham had a strip sack, scored off another strip sack and tallied another sack. They’ll be tested by a Farmington offense that has scored 106 points in 2 games. Marcos Lopez Marcos Lopez 6'1" | 185 lbs | QB Las Cruces | 2021 State NM , Las Cruces: Lopez, who has signed with Eastern New Mexico, was solid in the Bulldawgs’ spring season opening 23-6 win over chief rival Mayfield last weekend at the Field of Dreams. He scored two rushing TDs in the game, including one on fourth-and-1 midway through the third quarter. He finished with over 100 rushing yards and was a perfect 6-for-6 throwing the football. Las Cruces gets Onate Friday night. Bryan Hernandez, Grants: Hernandez starred on special teams and defense for Grants in last week’s 13-2 win over St. Pius X in the season opener for both teams. His 75-yard punt return for a TD was a thing of beauty. He also intercepted a pass at a key juncture in the fourth quarter. Hernandez has emerged as one of the most dynamic players in New Mexico, and will play at the next level. Martell Mora Martell Mora 5'9" | 185 lbs | RB Santa Fe | 2022 State NM , Santa Fe: How the Demons respond to last Saturday’s 57-6 battering at the hands of Rio Rancho will tell us a lot about the state of the program and its aspirations of becoming relevant in Class 6A. This week’s opponent, Los Alamos, is several notches below Rio Rancho, so Mora and the Santa Fe offense have an opportunity to get healthy quick even if QB Luc Jaramillo is unable to play because of the lower leg injury he suffered against RR. Oscar Gonzalez Oscar Gonzalez 6'0" | 165 lbs | QB Hatch Valley | 2021 State NM , Hatch Valley: Gonzalez came into the spring season regarded as one of the top dual threat quarterbacks in Class 3A. This week he faces a Socorro defense that has yet to allow a point in two games. Classic strength vs. strength game. Adrian Rodriguez Adrian Rodriguez 5'9" | RB Santa Teresa | 2022 State NM , Santa Teresa: The junior running back rushed for over 1,000 yards and 5 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2019 and expectations are high for the Desert Warriors’ (still one of the best nicknames in NM) primary ball carrier for this shortened spring. This will serve as a prelude the fall when Rodrigues will be one of the top running backs in Class 5A. Gabe Dickerman, Texico: The Wolverines are off to a fantastic 2-0 start and have won both games convincingly. Last weekend, Dickerman threw four TDs in a 46-7 victory over NMMI. Texico vs. Eunice is a Class 2A showdown we want to see on ‘Bowl Weekend’ April 2-3. TOMORROW: 20 Players To Watch In Saturday’s Games

Game day on Thursday! @PrepRedzoneNM @NMGameDay @AcademyAtrisco pic.x.com/kN0IRHM2pS
— chris rios (@rios552) March 16, 2021

Opening night is set as we kickoff the season against the Valley Vikings ! The game will be played on Thursday night 3/18 at Milne stadium ! Kickoff @7pm !
Official 2021 Season Kickoff poster features Highland High School (Albuquerque, New Mexico) Junior @Abe58Lopez . pic.x.com/Ic9Yx7hmZP
— Highland Hornets Football (@HHS_HornetsFB) March 13, 2021

FIRED UP 4 THESE YOUNG MEN. Justin Wilson Miguel Cabrales Eddie Chavez Jesus Campos Robert Truex. All 5 struggled academically the 1st semester and gained eligibility today!! “the best way to increase your income is through education”. pic.x.com/n5L32fYbcL
— Coyote Football (@CoyotesRising) March 18, 2021