Top 10 Contenders for the New Mexico Heisman
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Player of the Year? Boring. We’ll leave bland descriptions to the good folks at Gatorade. We wanted to bring a little pizzazz to our award honoring the best player in the state of New Mexico. So, we’ve glamorously dubbed it…
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Continue ReadingPlayer of the Year? Boring. We’ll leave bland descriptions to the good folks at Gatorade. We wanted to bring a little pizzazz to our award honoring the best player in the state of New Mexico. So, we’ve glamorously dubbed it ‘The New Mexico Heisman.’ After Week 7, here are our Top 10 candidates for our newly named award:
Adam Aguilera Adam Aguilera 5'8" | 160 lbs | WR Lovington | 2022 State NM , Lovington: Aguilera has been a force on Lovington’s offense so far this season, averaging over 6 receptions per game. Through 7 contests, he has 43 receptions for 747 yards (most in the state) and 8 touchdowns. Utilizing his speed, Aguilera is averaging 17.4 yards per catch.
Aidan Armenta Aidan Armenta 6'3" | 190 lbs | QB La Cueva | 2023 State NM , La Cueva: Hours after Rio Rancho mercy-ruled La Cueva in Week 2, Armenta posted on Twitter: “The response will be greater than the failure, I can promise you that.” Promise kept. Since then, the Bears offense has averaged 40 points per game during their current 5-game winning streak. Based on its remaining schedule, La Cueva will likely be the No. 3 seed for the Class 6A playoffs.
Aden Chavez Aden Chavez 6'5" | 210 lbs | QB Cibola | 2023 State NM , Cibola: Our No. 1 prospect for the 2023 class has lived up to the preseason hype. Chavez has completed 60 percent of his passes (113-186) for 1,509 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Cougars have played just five actual games (Highland forfeited), so Chavez is on track to throw for nearly 3,000 yards in the regular season.
Paul Cieremans Paul Cieremans 5'10" | 195 lbs | QB Los Lunas | 2023 State NM , Los Lunas: Cieremans has established himself as arguably the state’s top dynamic threat quarterback, throwing for 810 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for 763 yards 4 100+ yards games) and 10 TDs. Los Lunas is 7-0 and likely to finish the regular season with an undefeated record, putting them on the cusp of the No. 1 seed for the Class 5A playoffs.
Brandon Furbee Brandon Furbee 6'3" | QB Farmington | 2022 State NM , Farmington: Which team is Los Lunas’ primary competition for the No. 1 seed? Farmington. Furbee transferred to Farmington from Grants prior to the season and so far it’s been a match made in heaven. The Scorpions are likewise 7-0 and likely to finish the regular season unbeaten. Furbee, often playing just a half or a little more, is averaging over 200 passing yards per game.
Josh Gerardo Josh Gerardo 6'1" | QB Volcano Vista | 2022 State NM , Volcano Vista: The Hawks possess one of the most explosive offenses in Class 6A, and Gerardo has taken full advantage of his array of receivers. Through 6 games, he has thrown for a state-leading 1,717 yards and 14 TDs. In his last two games, he has passed for 397 and 337 yards against Sandia and West Mesa, respectively. After the Week 8 matchup with Atrisco Heritage, the final three games are against Cleveland, Rio Rancho and Cibola. Intriguing matchups all, and those games will tell us a lot about Gerardo and the Volcano Vista offense.
Martell Mora Martell Mora 5'9" | 185 lbs | RB Santa Fe High | 2022 State NM , Santa Fe: The Demons have slipped a bit since district play began but Mora, who played through an ankle injury last weekend against Sandia, remains one of the top players in the state. After 7 games, Mora has already eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing barrier with 15 touchdowns, and caught 12 passes for 277 yards. He has amassed 1,572 all-purpose yards. The Demons need him healthy if they want to make a Class 6A playoff run.
Zach Vigil Zach Vigil 5'9" | 190 lbs | RB Rio Rancho | 2022 State NM , Rio Rancho: The Rams had already lost a pair of games to Covid when the Week 8 battle with West Mesa was cancelled as well. Regardless, Vigil has posted some impressive numbers. Last week, he ran for over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns against Cibola, earning him our Player of the Week honor.
Cayden Walton Cayden Walton 5'9" | 180 lbs | RB Raton | 2023 State NM , Raton: Walton’s importance to Raton was highlighted in last week’s hard-fought 14-7 win at West Las Vegas when the Raton rose his tough running to the game-winning TD. Walton has already rushed for over 1,200 yards and with three games remaining, could crack the 1,600-yard mark before the regular season is done.
Evan Wysong Evan Wysong 5'10" | 165 lbs | QB Cleveland | 2023 State NM , Cleveland: The No. 1 QB on arguably the No. 1 team in the state (we’ll find out Oct. 30 when the Storm face city rival Rio Rancho) has thrived in his first full season in his role. Through 6 games, he has passed for 747 yards and 7 TDs while rushing for 308 yards and 5 TDs. He’s also lined up at WR and caught 3 passes. New Mexico has offered.
Honorable Mention
Dallas Boyd Dallas Boyd 5'10" | 175 lbs | QB Las Cruces | 2022 State NM , Las Cruces
Ian Lopez Ian Lopez QB Centennial | 2022 State NM , Centennial
Jacob Barrera Jacob Barrera 5'5" | RB Artesia | 2022 State NM , Artesia
Nathan Lopez Nathan Lopez 5'5" | 135 lbs | WR Cibola | 2022 State NM , Cibola
Kieran Cordova Kieran Cordova 5'10" | 145 lbs | WR Volcano Vista | 2022 State NM , Volcano Vista
A.J. Rivera A.J. Rivera 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB Albuquerque Academy | 2023 State NM , Albuq. Academy
Dominic Esquibel Dominic Esquibel 6'2" | 225 lbs | RB Pojoaque Valley | 2022 State NM , Pojoaque Valley
Marco Ybarra Marco Ybarra 5'10" | 190 lbs | RB St. Pius X | 2022 State NM , St. Pius X
Kellan Gehres Kellan Gehres 5'10" | 150 lbs | WR Albuquerque Academy | 2023 State NM , Albuq. Academy
Isaac Hinson Isaac Hinson 6'0" | 185 lbs | WR Lovington | 2022 State NM , Lovington
Damien Gallegos Damien Gallegos 5'8" | RB West Las Vegas | 2022 State NM , West Las Vegas
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— Richard Tripp (@rick_tripp58) October 6, 2021