November Madness: Class 4A/3A First Round Playoff Preview

After a drama-filled Week 11 containing six winner-take-all district championship games, the first round of the 2021 state playoffs is finally here. There are a total of 16 games in Classes 6A-3A, four in each classification. Here is a look at the first-round playoff games in Classes 4A and 3A: <strong>Class 4A</strong> <strong>Kirtland Central (9) at Silver (8)(Sat., 1 p.m.)</strong>: The Broncos make the long 725-mile round trip to Silver City to face the Colts. This is battle between elite running backs. Kirtland Central senior RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26251" first="Zakk" last="Thomas"]</strong>  has rushed for 1,474 yards and 17 TD on 167 carries, while Silver junior RB <strong>Aiden Granado</strong> has posted similar numbers: 1,397 rushing yards and 5 TD on 122 carries. This game is also a rematch of the season opener in Kirtland won by Silver, 28-21. Now the Colts have the Broncos at their place. <strong>Taos (10) at Valencia (7)(Fri. 7 p.m.)</strong>: Taos fought their back from an 0-4 start to win five straight games and set up a winner-take all district championship game against Moriarty last week. The Tigers lost, and now must travel 3+ hours to face Valencia, which has carved out a fantastic story in the wake of a discouraging spring. Taos QB <strong>Daemon Ely</strong> has thrown for over 1,000 yards, while RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135114" first="Matthew" last="Suazo"]</strong> is approaching 1,000 yards rushing. Valencia’s best player could be OL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135310" first="Jonathon" last="Croker"]</strong>, who will play at the next level and holds multiple college offers. <strong>Aztec (11) at Ruidoso (6)(Sat., 2 p.m.)</strong>: The Aztec AD told the Farmington Daily Times that it will cost his school more than $8,000 to make the 720-mile roundtrip to Ruidoso. But if the Aztecs win, it will be worth it. Sophomore <strong>Lane Frost</strong> has emerged as one of the top 2024 QB prospects in the state, throwing for 1,325 yards and 18 TD. The Ruidoso offense is fueled by QB <strong>Griffin Hoo</strong>ker (1,000+ passing yards + 669 rushing yards) and RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26248" first="Braxton" last="Hall"]</strong> (2,400 rushing yards in his career; 1,110 yards in 2021). <strong>Bernalillo (12) at Albuq. Academy (5)(Fri, 3 p.m.)</strong>: These two teams met in Week 7 with Albuquerque Academy pulling out a 14-7 victory in a defensive battle. That game was notable because it marked the first night game in Academy’s history. Bernalillo was firing on all cylinders in the first four games before the offense fell into a funk, scoring seven or fewer points in 5 straight contests. QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="208750" first="Jacob" last="Pino"]</strong> has passed for 1,271 yards, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135136" first="Tristen" last="Ludi-Herrera"]</strong> has 49 receptions for 1,045 yards. Academy’s passing attack is one of the best in Class 4A with QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137884" first="A.J." last="Rivera"]</strong> (2,144 passing yards + 21 TD passes) and WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137928" first="Kellan" last="Gehres"]</strong> (53 receptions for 954 yards, 11 TD) leading the way. Junior RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138056" first="Cole" last="Conway"]</strong> keeps defenses honest with 985 rushing yards. https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1454656035788976129 <strong>Class 3A</strong> <strong>Navajo Prep (9) at Hope Christian (8)(Fri, 7 p.m.)</strong>: Navajo Prep QB <strong>Dontrelle Denetso</strong> (765 rushing yards) headlines  a vaunted rushing attack for the Eagles that also includes <strong>Kyun Tate</strong> (840) and <strong>Kyler Clitso</strong> (627). Hope Christian QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26270" first="James" last="Jenkins"]</strong> is arguably one of the top three players in Class 3A. He has accounted for 28 TD and over 1,800 all-purpose yards. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138082" first="Brent" last="Miller"]</strong> (754 rushing yads) is a running threat as well. <strong>Dexter (10) at Cuba (7)(Sat., 2 p.m.)</strong>: Dexter QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134967" first="Juan" last="Fuentes"]</strong> is one of the top rushers at his position in Class 3A. He has over 1,000 yards on the ground. Cuba has quietly enjoyed a solid season, winning their last five games.  The Rams scored 45+ points in three of their last four games. This one could be a high-scoring affair. <strong>Cobre (11) at West Las Vegas (6)(Sat., 1 p.m.)</strong>: Cobre makes the long trip from southwestern New Mexico to Las Vegas, a 700-mile round trip. Cobre had last week off when Hot Springs forfeited. This will actually be Cobre’s second trip to Las Vegas this season. They traveled to Robertson in Week 2. West Las Vegas QB <strong>C.J. Perea</strong> is just a freshman but plays with the poise and fearlessness of a upperclassmen. He has thrown for nearly 1,900 yards and 21 TD. <strong>Thoreau (12) at NMMI (5)(Sat, 11 a.m.)</strong>: Situated within Navajo Nation, Thoreau makes the 600-mile round trip to Roswell to face NMMI, which earned the No. 5 seed after winning the district title over Hope Christian. Thoreau’s run-dominated attack is led by QB <strong>Houston Garoutte</strong> (786 yards on 92 carries) and RB <strong>Dylan Butler</strong> (882 yards on 123 carries). Like Thoreau, NMMI likes to run the football but the Colts have a more balanced attack with three rushers amassing 275+ yards. Don’t blink because the clock is probably going to run quickly in this game. https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1454654972264542208 &nbsp;