10 Most Intriguing Games Involving Las Cruces Schools

All four major high schools in Las Cruces have released their 2021 football schedules, and as always the slate is filled with many interesting matchups. Here are our Top 10 most intriguing regular season games of 2021 involving the Las Cruces schools: <strong>Las Cruces at Cleveland (Sept. 10)</strong>: Game of the Year in Class 6A? We’ll see but going into the fall it’s certainly in the top three. Second of two trips to the Albuquerque area within a three-game span for the Bulldawgs. The matchup between Las Cruces’ experienced O-Line and Cleveland’s talented defensive front seven should be a classic. Both teams will have new starting quarterbacks. <strong>Centennial at Carlsbad (Oct. 8)</strong>: Unless proven otherwise, the Bulldawgs are top dog in 6A-District 3/4. Who’s No. 2? This game will go a long way towards answering that question. Centennial must find new playmakers on offense. Carlsbad has both quarterbacks returning and a couple of talented wide receivers. This one will be a battle. <strong>Mayfield at Roswell (Sept. 24)</strong>: Technically, Mayfield moved to Class 5A for the 2020 season, but the pandemic prevented the Trojans from playing any possible future opponents in that classification other than Deming and Farmington. So, consider this game to be the Trojans’ much-anticipated Class 5A debut. They open the season with five consecutive games against Class 6A foes. <strong>La Cruces at Cibola (Aug. 27)</strong>: The Bulldawgs venture north to Albuquerque for the first time and their opponent has arguably the top quarterback in the metro area calling signals in rising junior [player_tooltip player_id="137861" first="Aden" last="Chavez"]. The Bulldawgs are familiar with these type of high-stakes games, but for Cibola this matchup represents a huge opportunity to establish themselves as Class 6A title contenders. <strong>Las Cruces at Centennial (Oct. 16)</strong>: The district title – and bragging rights within the city of Las Cruces – should be on the line when the Bulldawgs and Hawks clash at the Field of Dreams. By mid-October, any and all questions about each team’s offense should have been answered. <strong>Eldorado at Mayfield (Aug. 28)</strong>: Eldorado could be a sleeper team in Albuquerque this season. The Eagles lose QB [player_tooltip player_id="26222" first="Nick" last="Petty"] and the top two rushers from the spring, but  they still have weapons. Mayfield should have one of the top rushing attacks in the state. They’ll make plenty of noise in Class 5A. <strong>West Mesa at Centennial (Aug. 28)</strong>: A fascinating matchup between two programs fighting for respect in their local cities of Albuquerque and Las Cruces. West Mesa’s program has struggled for years while Centennial is a fairly new school (open since 2012) and like everybody else in Las Cruces is chasing the Bulldawgs. <strong>Las Cruces at Mayfield (Sept. 17)</strong>: Sure, Mayfield has dropped to Class 5A because its student population has decreased, but this is still one of the best rivalries in the entire state. Bulldawgs better be careful because the Trojans could have one of the top rushing attacks in 5A. Las Cruces’ defense will be tested. The Field of Dreams should be packed for this one. <strong>Cleveland at Centennial (Aug. 21)</strong>: Saturday afternoon in late August at the Field of Dreams. Yes, it will be a scorcher. But this game is a fantastic way to cap Week 1 of the schedule. The Hawks will show us right away if they can stick with the ‘big boys’ of Class 6A. These two teams met in the spring at Socorro, a neutral site. <strong>Organ Mountain at Gadsden (Oct. 8)</strong>: Gadsden has decided to go independent for the 2021 season, and won’t face any Las Cruces-based school except for Organ Mountain. The Knights face a challenging schedule, but this game represents a nice opportunity for a victory. The two games before this one are against Rio Rancho and Centennial (ouch), while their final three games are against Hobbs, Carlsbad and Las Cruces (double ouch). https://twitter.com/LCHSFOOTBALL/status/1401248587225391120 https://twitter.com/Angrybirdfb/status/1401975689427886084 https://twitter.com/OrganMountainFB/status/1401330199992672258 https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1403448326465363968