Baker's Dozen Preview: Top13 Games of Week 7

Here are our Top 13 games for Week 6 of the 2021 New Mexico high school football season (All games Friday night unless otherwise indicated) Game of the Week: Raton (6-0) at West Las Vegas (5-0) We rarely put a Class 3A game this high on a pedestal but Friday night’s showdown between a pair of unbeatens is deserving of the honor. The offensive position matchups are extremely intriguing. On one hand, you have Raton senior QB [player_tooltip player_id="26234" first="Dylan" last="Quartieri"], who has thrown for over 2,700 yards and 40 touchdowns in his stellar career, while West Las Vegas’s offense is led by impressive freshman C.J. Perea, emerging as one of the top 2025 prospects in the state. Two of the best running backs in the state will showcase their skills as well. Raton’s [player_tooltip player_id="138053" first="Cayden" last="Walton"] has already rushed for 920 yards on just 68 carries (13.5 yards per attempt). WLV’s Damian Gallegos has made up for lost time with 806 rushing yards and a staggering 22 touchdowns on 87 carries (25 percent of his rushing attempts have resulted in a TD) after rushing for just 146 yards as a sophomore in 2019. The Dons opted out of the spring season. Raton has 2 receivers with 20+ receptions: Chance Middlebrook (25 receptions) and [player_tooltip player_id="135313" first="Matthew" last="Quartieri"] (21 receptions, 8 TD). West Las Vegas counters with junior Jaydin Vigil (22 catches for 375 yards). These are the lone two undefeated team left in Class 3A. Raton is ranked No. 1, while West Las Vegas is No. 5 behind St. Michael’s, Socorro and rival Robertson. Throw in the fact it’s a district game and potentially you have a Game of the Year candidate ready to unfold. [caption id="attachment_209476" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-209476" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/09/Screenshot-2021-09-29-at-21-10-06-New-Mexico-Class-3A-High-School-Football-Rankings-Football-MaxPreps-300x296.png" alt="" width="300" height="296" /> Photo: MaxPreps[/caption] La Cueva (5-1) at Eldorado (4-2)(Thur. at Wilson): Both teams have won their first two district games in 6A-2, raising the stakes for this Thursday night clash at Wilson Stadium. That mercy rule loss to Rio Rancho in Week 2 seems to have inspired the Bears, who have now won four straight over Las Cruces, Volcano Vista, Sandia and Clovis. QB [player_tooltip player_id="137862" first="Aidan" last="Armenta"] leads the offense, while dynamic WR [player_tooltip player_id="208744" first="Exodus" last="Ayers"] has been an exciting addition to the team. Eldorado has beaten Santa Fe and Albuquerque in district play. The Eagles love to run the football with [player_tooltip player_id="198231" first="Aidan" last="St. John"] powering the ground game with 742 yards on 153 carries. He is averaging about 25 carries per game. Cibola (3-2) at Rio Rancho (4-0): It’s Cibola turn to find out if anybody can tame the beast known as Rio Rancho football. Cougars QB [player_tooltip player_id="137861" first="Aden" last="Chavez"] has thrown for 1,260 yards and 12 TDs in 4 games, and has an array of receivers at his disposal, particularly [player_tooltip player_id="134963" first="Nathan" last="Lopez"] (37 catches) and [player_tooltip player_id="137936" first="Branden" last="Castillo"] (27). Cibola didn’t play last weekend as Highland forfeited. Rio Rancho has crushed everything standing in its way through the first half of the schedule, outscoring opponents by an eye-opening 201-7 margin. Three of their first four foes have been blanked. [player_tooltip player_id="26227" first="Zach" last="Vigil"] is the best RB in the state and will play at the next level. Carlsbad (2-3) at Las Cruces (2-3) (Thur. at FOD): These two teams are ranked No. 8 (Las Cruces) and No. 9 (Carlsbad) in the latest MaxPreps Class 6A poll. The Bulldawgs got off to a slow 1-3 start before rushing for 353 yards and 5 touchdowns against rival Mayfield before the bye week. Las Cruces is led offensively by QB [player_tooltip player_id="26253" first="Dallas" last="Boyd"], but it’s the performance of the offensive line that has largely dictated the outcome of games. Carlsbad is looking to snap a 2-game losing streak (Roswell, Rio Rancho) and get back to playing the way they did in the season opener against Artesia. [caption id="attachment_209479" align="alignnone" width="295"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-209479" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/09/Screenshot-2021-09-29-at-21-12-49-New-Mexico-Class-6A-High-School-Football-Rankings-Football-MaxPreps-295x300.png" alt="" width="295" height="300" /> Photo: MaxPreps[/caption] Ruidoso (3-2) at Artesia (4-2): Artesia has responded to the season-opening loss to Carlsbad in the Eddy County War by winning four of its last five games. The only loss was to Class 6A power Cleveland. Last weekend, the Bulldogs pulled out a wild 69-58 victory over Lovington at home as RB Jake Barrera set a new school record with 300+ yards rushing. Ruidoso is quietly putting together a decent season but the final 5-game stretch is a bear: Artesia, Moriarty, Portales, Lovington and Silver. Senior RB [player_tooltip player_id="26248" first="Braxton" last="Hall"] has rushed for 546 yards and 4 TDs. Nice RB battle looming in this one. Silver (5-0) at Deming (3-3): Is Silver the most under-the-radar team in the state? The Fighting Colts are unbeaten and ranked No. 4 in Class 4A by MaxPreps. In fact, Silver is the only unblemished team left in 4A. Defense has been Silver’s calling card. They haven’t given up a point since Week 1, posting four consecutive shutouts. RB Aiden Granado is on a 1,600-yardage pace, rushing for 807 yards through the first five games. Deming has recovered from a three-game losing streak with impressive back-to-back victories over Valley and Alamogordo. The Deming defense limited Alamogordo to 150 yards of total offense last weekend. Farmington (6-0) at Los Alamos (3-3) : Farmington, ranked No. 1 in Class 5A and No. 3 overall by MaxPreps, opens its District 5A-1 schedule with a road test at Los Alamos. The Scorpions haven’t lost a game in nearly two years and carry an 11-game winning streak into Friday night’s game. QB transfer [player_tooltip player_id="26232" first="Brandon" last="Furbee"] has been everything Farmington hoped for and more, throwing for 1,035 yards and 9 TD with just 1 INT in the first five games. Los Alamos has lost three of four since beginning the season with two wins. [caption id="attachment_209485" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-209485" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/09/Screenshot-2021-09-29-at-21-15-42-New-Mexico-Class-5A-High-School-Football-Rankings-Football-MaxPreps-300x284.png" alt="" width="300" height="284" /> Photo: Max Preps[/caption] Bernalillo (4-2) at Albuq. Academy (5-1)(Sat., 7 p.m.): The first night game in Albuquerque Academy history offers a nice Class 4A matchup. Academy is rolling along with a 5-1 record and No. 3 ranking in Class 4A behind Lovington and Bloomfield. Few QB-WR combinations in the state are better than [player_tooltip player_id="137884" first="A.J." last="Rivera"] (76.6 completion rate; 1,494 passing yards) and [player_tooltip player_id="137928" first="Kellan" last="Gehres"] (33 receptions for 667 yards). Bernalillo exhibited an explosive offense in the first 4 games, but has been held to 13 combined points in losses to Moriarty and Taos. QB [player_tooltip player_id="208750" first="Jacob" last="Pino"] looks to get the Spartans’ offense back on track. Atrisco Heritage (3-2) at Cleveland (5-0): Coming off a bye, the Storm have been just as dominant as Rio Racho over the first half of the regular season schedule. The offense was roaring on all cylinders in the 70-29 win at Artesia two weeks ago. QB [player_tooltip player_id="139521" first="Evan" last="Wysong"] is turning into a prolific dual threat signal caller, while RB [player_tooltip player_id="138204" first="Josh" last="Perry"] handles the ground game. Atrisco Heritage won its first two games by forfeit and has actually played just three games. West Mesa (2-3) at Volcano Vista (3-2): West Mesa has won its last two games over Sandia and Rio Grande after a frustrating 0-3 start. The Mustangs’ defense will have its hands full trying to stop Volcano Vista’s ‘Special K’ passing attack. QB [player_tooltip player_id="26247" first="Josh" last="Gerardo"] has thrown for nearly 1,400 yards and 12 TDs. [player_tooltip player_id="198052" first="Kieran" last="Cordova"] headlines the receiving corps with 30 receptions for 616 yards and 4 TDs. Gadsden (3-3) at Lovington (3-3): Lovington is ranked No. 1 in Class 4A because their schedule so far has consisted entirely of Class 5A and 6A opponents. The Wildcats are aiming to snap a 3-game losing streak. Gadsden’s move to independent status for the 2021 has worked out for the Panthers with victories over Alamogordo and Hot Springs in its last two games. Centennial (4-1) at Organ Mountain (2-2) (FOD): Centennial and Organ Mountain open district play with a battle at the Field of Dreams. The Hawks appear to be the best team in Las Cruces but they’ll need to win the district title to cement that claim. Junior RB [player_tooltip player_id="208691" first="Mikah" last="Gutierrez"] has become Centennial’s top offensive threat. Organ Mountain surprised early with a 2-0 start but they’ve come back to the pack with losses to Mayfield and Rio Rancho. Hope Christian (3-3) at Pojoaque Valley (4-1) (Sat., 1 p.m.): Behind a dominant ground game, Pojoaque Valley is making some noise in Class 4A and squarely in the fight for a playoff berth. They are currently ranked No. 13 in 4A by MaxPreps. Hope Christian makes the trip to Northern New Mexico ranked No. 3 in Class 3A. [caption id="attachment_209487" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-209487" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/09/Screenshot-2021-09-29-at-21-18-23-New-Mexico-Class-4A-High-School-Football-Rankings-Football-MaxPreps-300x286.png" alt="" width="300" height="286" /> Photo: MaxPreps[/caption] Best of the Rest Santa Fe at Sandia: Another opportunity for [player_tooltip player_id="26265" first="Martell" last="Mora"] to show off his skills. Grants at Valencia: The Jaguars have been one of the best stories in all of NM this season. Dexter at Portales: Class 3A vs. 4A battle in eastern New Mexico. Piedra Vista at Miyamura: Battle between Four Corners rivals. Robertson at Santa Fe Indian: Robertson is off to a 5-1 start. NMMI at Socorro: Will Socorro’s ‘Big Three’ return to action? Belen at Valley (Sat., 1 p.m., Milne): Belen has won three straight and ranked No. 6 in 5A by MaxPreps. Other Games Manzano at Del Norte (Thur.) Albuquerque at Clovis Los Lunas at Highland Alamogordo at Chaparral Crownpoint at Hot Springs Tularosa at Jal Gallup at Kirtland Central Estancia at Santa Rosa Aztec at Shiprock Clayton at Hagerman Tohatchi at Thoreau Tucumcari at Texico Capital at Rio Grande (Sat., 1 p.m.) https://twitter.com/artesiafootball/status/1442545772550049802