7×7 Recap/Video: Cibola QB Returns To Action, WR Flashes Speed

Most working Americans require a day or two to get reacclimated to their surroundings when they return from a week-long vacation. It’s the same for 16-year-old high school quarterbacks, even those likely to sign with a Division I program. 2023 Cibola QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137861" first="Aden" last="Chavez"]</strong> took the field at CHS for his first 7-on-7 action in nearly two weeks on Monday night, soon after his family returned to Albuquerque from a vacation in Orlando, Fla. On most of his throws, the 6-foot-5 Chavez looked every bit like the state’s No. 1 2023 prospect as he whipped the ball down the field with pinpoint accuracy to his receivers against the Eldorado secondary. A few times, though, he was scolded by Cougars head coach Rod Williams for poor mechanics or errant throws. “It was nice to be out here with my teammates again,” Chavez told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “I think I did okay. There’s still definitely a lot of stuff I need to improve on. Being out here with my guys and getting our chemistry down is more important than winning or losing any of these (7x7) games.” Williams acknowledged Chavez was a little “rusty.” “But he made plays,” Williams said. “My big thing with him is what do you do when you don’t have studs out there. That’s what I look at because you may not always have that luxury. I’m always going to harp on his footwork. “What does your footwork look like. I can tell he had been gone for over a week. Despite that he still made a lot of plays and played great. The sky’s the limit for him. Some of his throws really showed his accuracy. He’s very accurate.” The play of the night was perfectly thrown deep pass by Chavez down the left sideline to senior WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134963" first="Nathan" last="Lopez"]</strong>, who utilized his 4.6 speed to race past his defender, catch the ball in stride and glide into the end zone for a crowd-pleasing touchdown. “That was definitely a good play,” Chavez said. “They were playing deep on us, and we’re a deep shot type of team. It was good to get something over the top when they’re playing 10 yards off.” Lopez caught 10 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns in Cibola’s two spring games, making him the Cougars’ top returning receiver. “I know Aden is going to get the ball out there, so I just have to run as fast as I can,” Lopez told Prep Redzone New Mexico about his long TD catch. “I like getting the guys hyped and get us into the zone to play football.” Williams described Lopez as a “gamebreaker” and a “baller.” “When he’s out there, he’s going to make a play,” Williams said. “If not that, he’s going to bring energy and encourage his teammates. We love to be around him. He’s the same in the weight room. He’s an amazing kid. He runs well. His touchdown catch showed his ability to go from 0 to 60 is amazing. He has a good burst. He has a fifth gear that not a lot of guys have.” A big test for Chavez and the Cibola offense will come Wednesday night when they face the defenses of both Cleveland and Rio Rancho on the next-to-last night of 7x7 play in the Albuquerque Metro area. “That will be fun,” Williams said. “Anytime we get to play against those guys is (good). They always bring the energy. We have to match that. We’re a team that brings energy. It will be a fun event.” <strong>NOTES</strong>: -- Chavez told Prep Redzone New Mexico that he’s received mail from New Mexico, Vanderbilt, Yale, Colorado and Arizona State. Physically, his main objective over the next year or so in order to enhance his recruiting prospects is adding weight to his lanky frame. He tentatively plans to camp at Colorado State in the future. https://youtu.be/464wkIm51Yc https://youtu.be/hyfti7Bzo_k https://twitter.com/Brandega/status/1417319917771124740 https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1417315583570243587 https://twitter.com/AdenChavez08/status/1389298308670128129 &nbsp;