Look Ahead: 10 Class 4A Players We Can’t Wait To See Play Again

The New Mexico spring high school football season is over. But don’t blink because the regularly scheduled fall season will be here before you know it. The Class 4A spring season was a shootout between several teams with the title of ‘Best Team’ going to Lovington or undefeated Bernalillo, with Portales, Grants and Taos not far behind. The fall season promises more close, hard-fought battles. Here are 10 Class 4A players we’re looking forward to watching in the fall: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26233" first="Isaac" last="Hinson"], Lovington</strong>: Arguably the top two-way player in Class 4A, Hinson is one of three talented wide receivers returning in the fall for the Wildcats, a trio also  including <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26256" first="Adam" last="Aguilera"]</strong> and <strong>Tayten Hilliard</strong>. In addition to catching a bunch of balls on offense, Hinson made 54 tackles and 4 interceptions in five games on defense. Watch out for Hinson and Lovington in the fall. <strong>Hagen Rains, Portales</strong>: Looking for another two-way standout? With QB Baylor Diaz graduating, Rains should have a major role in the Portales offense in the fall. And he’s already one of the Rams’ top defenders with 28 tackles and 2 INT in 4 games. If the Rams get back to the Class 4A championship game, Rains will lead them there. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26257" first="Marco" last="Ybarra"], St. Pius X</strong>: Ybarra is special, on and off the field. Not only is he arguably the top 2022 running back in Class 4A and one of the best players at his position in Albuquerque, he’s also class president and has multiple Ivy League schools and the University of Chicago interested. He missed the spring season with a broken collarbone, but should be ready  for the fall. <strong>Tyler Everhart, Grants</strong>: The big new for Grants this offseason has been QB [player_tooltip player_id="26232" first="Brandon" last="Furbee"]’s decision to transfer to 5A Farmington. But Everhart will make things easier for the Pirates’ new QB. Everhart was Grant’s leading receiver this spring with 13 receptions for 256 yards, an average of nearly 20 yards per catch. He added 15 tackles on defense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="119066" first="Jonathon" last="Croker"], Valencia</strong>: The Jaguars struggled this spring, but Croker is recognized as one of the top linemen in Class 4A. He’s also a top student with a 4.0 GPA. That’s why schools such as RPI, Puget Sound, Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Carleton College and Oberlin have expressed interest. He’ll play at the next level. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26248" first="Braxton" last="Hall"], Ruidoso</strong>: Who is the leading returning rusher in Class 4A? Hall. He had 506 yards and 4 touchdowns on a workhorse-like 98 carries. Senior QB Xavier Otero is graduating, so the Warriors could lean on Hall even more in the fall. When you have a running back with Hall’s abilities, why not? <strong>A.J. Rivera, Albuquerque Academy</strong>: A card-carrying member of the state’s promising 2023 QB class, Rivera followed up his solid freshman campaign in 2019 with another one this spring, completing nearly 75 percent of his passes (49-66) for 728 yards and 6 touchdowns. Listed at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, Rivera has next level potential. Rivera to <strong>Kellan Gehres</strong> will be one of the most lethal QB-WR combinations in Class 4A for the next two seasons. <strong>Cayden Dunn, Moriarty</strong>: It was a challenging spring for Moriarty (1-4), but there is no doubting Dunn’s abilities. After rushing for 791 yards as a sophomore in 2019, Dunn added 255 yards and 4 touchdowns in 5 games to his career resume this spring. Certainly one of the top running backs in Class 4A. <strong>Kavin Chavez, Bernalillo</strong>: Going 4-0, the Spartans had one of the toughest defenses in Class 4A this spring, and Chavez was a big reason why. As a junior, he had 24 tackles in four games as he proved a reliable and trusty lieutenant to senior [player_tooltip player_id="26210" first="Ayden" last="Madrid"]. Chavez should take the next step in the fall. <strong>Aidan Granado, Silver</strong>: With dual threat quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="26201" first="Walker" last="Wenzel"] moving on to Western New Mexico University, Granado should be one of Silver’s top offensive weapons in the fall as a sophomore. He had 19 carries and nine receptions on offense and six tackle defensively in three games this spring as a freshman. Look for those numbers to jump considerably this coming season. https://twitter.com/lvtwildcatsfb/status/1380950328997244928 https://twitter.com/rains72/status/1371357920944910336 https://twitter.com/marcoayb/status/1384489169464946688 https://twitter.com/Croker65/status/1384171438102310916 https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1377332000978214915