November Madness: Preview of 3A Semifinals, 2A Title game
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In our final preview for the weekend ahead, we take a look at the two Class 3A semifinal games. Three of the four teams involved come from the same district. In addition, we take a look at the Class 2A…
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Continue ReadingIn our final preview for the weekend ahead, we take a look at the two Class 3A semifinal games. Three of the four teams involved come from the same district. In addition, we take a look at the Class 2A state championship game between two Lea County rivals
CLASS 3A
Raton (1) at St. Michael’s (4)(Sat., 1 p.m.): The top-seeded Raton Tigers return to Santa Fe to face St. Michael’s three weeks after beating the Horsemen, 14-0, in a grinding, physical, hard-hitting game on Oct. 29. A sizeable contingent from Raton was there to cheer on the Tigers, and presumably even more will be on hand Saturday afternoon.
Raton brings 3A’s top rushing attack into the semifinals. Cayden Walton Cayden Walton 5'9" | 180 lbs | RB Raton | 2023 State NM , of course, has been the ‘go to’ running back since he was a freshman in 2019. Whenever the Tigers need to hammer out a scoring drive or drain clock, they usually give the ball to Walton (1,809 rushing yards) over and over again.
They did against West Las Vegas during the regular season and again three weeks ago in the second half when they snapped a scoreless deadlock with a pair of second half TDs to secure the district title and the overall No. 1 seed. Senior QB Dylan Quartieri Dylan Quartieri 6'1" | QB Raton | 2022 State NM and senior TE Matthew Quartieri Matthew Quartieri 6'3" | 215 lbs | WR Raton | 2022 State NM are the major figures in the Tigers passing attack.
St. Michael’s is looking to reach a state championship game for the first time in nine years. The Horsemen have managed to overcome plenty of adversity along the way this season, most notably a season-ending injury to QB Lucas Coriz Lucas Coriz 6'2" | QB St. Michael's | 2022 State NM in Week 2. However, the offensive exploits of RB Daymon Lujan Daymon Lujan 5'10" | 165 lbs | RB St. Michael's | 2022 State NM , WR Isaac Ruiz and WR Devin Flores have helped overcome his absence.
@caydenwalton4 could not be denied pic.twitter.com/lRcRPdNm8F
— ©️oach 🅱️illy 🅿️ier (@_CoachPier) November 15, 2021
Socorro (2) at Robertson (3)(Sat., 1 p.m.): Two of the top dual threat quarterbacks in Class 3A duel Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas. Socorro junior Marco Armijo and his brother, RB Jordan Armijo Jordan Armijo 5'6" | 145 lbs | RB Socorro | 2022 State NM , fuel the Warriors offense. For Robertson, their own brother act leads the Cardinal offense.
Cardinals senior QB Matthew Gonzales Matthew Gonzales 5'5" | QB Robertson | 2022 State NM is a member of the prestigious 1,000-1,000 club with 1,203 yards passing and 1,051 yards rushing. He’s accounted for 30 touchdowns. His younger brother, freshman RB Jesse James Gonzales (still the best name in NM high school football) , enjoyed a sensational first season with the varsity with 775 yards and 7 TD on the ground.
This has all the ingredients for a high-scoring shootout. So, a key storyline is which defense will come up with enough stops to allow their team to win the game. Matthew Gonzales Matthew Gonzales 5'5" | QB Robertson | 2022 State NM leads the Cardinal defense with 85 tackles, while sophomore Mateo Contreras has 82 and junior Adrian Rivera 71.
Final
Robertson 27
West Las Vegas 6@_NMAA @WLV_Athletics @JnorthSports @JamesDYodice @sfnmsports— Richard Tripp (@rick_tripp58) November 13, 2021
Class 2A (State Championship Game)
Eunice (3) at Jal (1)(Sat., 1 p.m.): The final game in the distinguished career of our top 2022 prospect in the state, Jal OL Roger Carreon Roger Carreon 6'5" | 305 lbs | OL Jal | 2022 State NM , should be a doozy between two Lea County schools located a few miles apart in the far southeastern corner of the state. Eunice and Jal have been two of the top two teams in Class 2A all season long, and six weeks ago they engaged in a 40-38 thriller with Jal pulling out the win.
Roger Carreon Roger Carreon 6'5" | 305 lbs | OL Jal | 2022 State NM , a Boise State commit, has helped pave the way all season long for his younger brother Alexavier Carreon Alexavier Carreon 6'1" | RB Jal | 2023 State NM , a quarterback who is also one of the state’s top rushers with 1,773 yards on 168 carries and 29 TD. He also threw 5 TD passes, so he has accounted for 34 TD this season. RB Jacob Lujan Jacob Lujan 5'8" | RB Jal | 2023 State NM rushed for 1,444 yards and 23 TD on 105 carries.
While Jal wants to keep the ball on the ground, Eunice loves to put the ball in the air. Senior QB Conagher Pierce Conagher Pierce 5'11" | 190 lbs | RB Eunice | 2022 State NM has thrown for 2,338 yards and 30 TDs on 131 completions. Micah Tippett is a 1,000- yard rusher, so the Cardinals can grind out yards as well. Overall, Eunice has generated over 4,500 yards of total offense (2,368 passing + 2,140 running) in 11 games, so the Jal defense will be severely tested.
Cardinals Win! 45-6! Once again, 7 years straight, GOING to the SHIP! We are proud of you! #CardinalStrong pic.twitter.com/kZOOz1Km49
— Eunice High School (@eunice_high) November 13, 2021