Week 6 Preview: Top Players To Watch & Top POTY Candidates

Week 6 of the New Mexico High School football season got underway Thursday night with a high-scoring affair in Las Vegas and continues Friday night with dozens of games throughout the state. Here is our list of the players to watch in Week 6 and our Top 10 Player of the Year candidates: <strong>PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR WEEK 6</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="198070" first="Julian" last="Cobos"], Santa Teres</strong>a: Cobos has been outstanding at quarterback for the Desert Warriors this season even though he’s playing football for the first time since middle school. He has rushed for 100+ yards in four of Santa Teresa’s 5 games this season and has 723 rushing yards for the season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135081" first="Jonathan" last="Fuentes"], Carlsbad</strong>: The Cavemen take on powerful Rio Rancho Friday night at a neutral location: ENMU Stadium in Portales. We know Rio Rancho will score points, so it’s up to  Carlsbad to keep up. That’s where Fuentes and the Cavemen passing attack comes in. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135303" first="Dominic" last="Esparza"], St. Pius</strong> <strong>X</strong>: WE know RB [player_tooltip player_id="26257" first="Marco" last="Ybarra"] is the top dog for the St. Pius X offense, but Esparza has been pretty good on both sides of the ball playing Ed McMahon to Ybarra’s Johnny Carson. <strong>Emilio Mora, Los Lunas</strong>:  Dual threat QB [player_tooltip player_id="137885" first="Paul" last="Cieremans"] is the central figure in the Los Lunas attack, but Mora is one of the guys that makes the Tigers’ passing attack so good. He has 17 receptions for 161 yards and 3 touchdowns, all team highs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26260" first="Calvin" last="Cox"], Mayfield</strong>: The Trojans head to the Wool Bowl for a Class 5A showdown with Roswell, which looks to have turned the corner with last week’s win over Carlsbad. Cox ignites the Mayfield running game along with [player_tooltip player_id="134970" first="Jose" last="Montoya"]. <strong>Blake Spencer, Bloomfield</strong>: The Bobcats will make the long journey to Valencia without starting QB Ryan Sharpe, who suffered a strained ACL last week and could miss the next few games. Spencer, only a freshman, filled in admirably last week and relied on Bloomfield’s strong ground game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26251" first="Zakk" last="Thomas"], Kirtland Central</strong>: If the Broncos are going to end their two-game losing streak against Grants Friday, Thomas must step up. When he brings his A-game, he’s one of the top ball carriers in the state. <strong>Jacob Ramsted, Piedra Vista</strong>: It’s the Panthers turn to take on Durango (Co.), the reigning Class 3A champions in Colorado. Farmington beat them 35-17 last week, while Aztec was blanked. Ramsted and Caleb Sanchez form a strong RB tandem. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137862" first="Aidan" last="Armenta"], La Cueva</strong>: The Bears have won three straight since losing to Rio Rancho by the mercy rule in Week 2. Armenta is established as one of the top 2023 quarterbacks in the state. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134999" first="Milo" last="Acosta"], Clovis</strong>: Whenever a team is in an offensive funk, you look to the quarterback to get them out of it. Acosta has thrown for 532 yards and is the Wildcats’ second leading rusher. If Clovis is going to win its first game of the season, Acosta will lead them there. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135097" first="Kaden" last="Valdez"], Volcano Vista</strong>: Valdez was a sensation in the spring with 22 receptions in just three games. But injuries have limited him to just one game in the fall. He had 6 receptions for 55 yards. The hawks need him if they’re going to make a 6A playoff push. <strong>Andres Aguirre, Albuquerque</strong>: If the Bulldogs are going to beat Volcano Vista in their district opener, Aguirre must gain valuable yards on the ground, allowing Albuquerque to play keep-a-way from the Hawk’s explosive passing game. <strong>Jacob Pino, Bernalillo</strong>: The Spartans are 4-1 but coming off a 7-6 loss to Moriarty after averaging 40+ points per game in their first 4 games. With huge matchups against Albuquerque Academy and St. Pius X looming in early October, Bernalillo must regain its offensive footing, and Pino must show the way. <strong>St. Michael’s starting QB</strong>: The Horsemen have used four different quarterbacks since the dynamic [player_tooltip player_id="134997" first="Lucas" last="Coriz"] suffered a season-ending knee injury against rival Santa Fe a few weeks ago. According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, St. Michael’s will start Zachary Martinez or [player_tooltip player_id="137922" first="Jacob" last="Katko"] against Socorro in a huge Class 3A battle Saturday afternoon in Santa Fe. <strong>Goddard’s No. 2 RB</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id="138088" first="Javyn" last="Morales"], the Rockets’ top playmaker and arguably the fastest player in the state, is doubtful for Friday night’s game at Los Lunas due to an injury suffered early in the second half last week. Who will carry the run game workload for Goddard? Hector Salvarrey, John Silva or [player_tooltip player_id="137924" first="Adrian" last="Solis"] are the top candidates. <strong>TOP 10 PLAYER OF THE YEAR CANDIDATES</strong>: Think of the New Mexico Player of the Year award as the Land of Enchantment’s version of the Heisman Trophy. That means the award will most likely go to an offensive skill position player, notably a quarterback. Keeping that in mind, here are our Top 10 POTY candidates entering Week 6: [player_tooltip player_id="26265" first="Martell" last="Mora"], Santa Fe [player_tooltip player_id="139521" first="Evan" last="Wysong"], Cleveland [player_tooltip player_id="26227" first="Zach" last="Vigil"], Rio Rancho [player_tooltip player_id="26267" first="Ian" last="Lopez"], Centennial [player_tooltip player_id="137885" first="Paul" last="Cieremans"], Los Lunas [player_tooltip player_id="137861" first="Aden" last="Chavez"], Cibola [player_tooltip player_id="138088" first="Javyn" last="Morales"], Goddard [player_tooltip player_id="26256" first="Adam" last="Aguilera"], Lovington [player_tooltip player_id="26232" first="Brandon" last="Furbee"], Farmington [player_tooltip player_id="26257" first="Marco" last="Ybarra"], St. Pius X. https://twitter.com/CieremansPaul/status/1441202894754095109 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;