Weekly Whiparound: Quarterfinal Playoff Round Edition
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The quarterfinal round of the 2021 New Mexico High School Football playoffs is complete, and that means we’re down to the Final 4 in Classifications 6A-3A and the Terrific Two in Class 2A. Here are some of the best performances,…
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Continue ReadingThe quarterfinal round of the 2021 New Mexico High School Football playoffs is complete, and that means we’re down to the Final 4 in Classifications 6A-3A and the Terrific Two in Class 2A. Here are some of the best performances, best games, fascinating numbers and other fun stuff from the weekend. The semifinal round of the playoffs begins Fri. night.
Team of the Week: Goddard. Much like their first meeting of the season a couple of weeks ago, longtime cross-town rivals Goddard and Roswell (they have squared off since 1965) engaged in another close, hard-hitting, low-scoring defensive duel at the Wool Bowl. This time, though, Goddard prevailed, 14-3, snapping a lengthy losing streak to the hated Coyotes. The Rockets hadn’t beaten Roswell since 2014, so they picked a good time to change the script. After Roswell kicked a field goal for a 3-0 lead, Goddard RB Jon Silva broke loose for a long TD run with 1:32 left before halftime to hand the Rockets a lead they would never relinquish. The defenses dominated the second half as neither offense scored. Goddard clinched the win with a Pick-6 by Elias Armendariz (2 INT) with 4:21 left in the fourth quarter.
Honorable Mention: Ruidoso; Las Cruces; Artesia.
Player of the Week: Gabriel Buie, La Cueva. With Bears QB Aidan Armenta Aidan Armenta 6'3" | 190 lbs | QB La Cueva | 2023 State NM enduring a rare off night – particularly in the first half when he was intercepted three times – Buie led a dominant La Cueva ground game as he rushed for 200 yards and 1 TD in the Bears’ 35-21 victory over Volcano Vista Friday night at Wilson Stadium. He rushed 16 times for 149 yards in the second half. Buie’s success running the football forced Volcano Vista to devote more players to the box and opened things up in the passing game. Armenta threw a pair of 4th quarter TDs to WR Exodus Ayers Exodus Ayers 6'2" | 175 lbs | ATH Proctor Academy | 2024 State NewE as La Cueva cemented the win. Ayers finished with 8 receptions for 170 yards and 4 TD.
Best Team Offensive Performance: Jal. Except for a close win over Eunice, the Panthers have dominated Class 2A this season and it continued in the playoff semifinals. Jal QB Alexavier Carreon Alexavier Carreon 6'1" | RB Jal | 2023 State NM , younger brother of Boise State-bound OL Roger Carreon Roger Carreon 6'5" | 305 lbs | OL Jal | 2022 State NM , rushed for 302 yards and passed for 71 yards on just three completions as the Panthers crushed Texico, 53-12. Jal faces Eunice in the Class 2A championship game Saturday afternoon. Jal prevailed, 40-38, earlier this season in a thrilling matchup between the two schools.
Best Team Defensive Performance: Ruidoso. The Warriors limited St. Pius X to seven first downs and 85 rushing yards in a dominant 33-8 victory at Community Stadium. The second quarter proved pivotal as Ruidoso stopped St. Pius X twice in the red zone, the first time on downs and the second on a sack and fumble at the 10-yard line. Ruidoso outscored St. Pius X, 26-6, in the second half as RB Bracxton Hall ran for two TD for the Warriors. Hall and senior Griffin Hooker combined for 253 rushing yards and 3 TD for Ruidoso. The only TD for the Sartans came on a 76-yard kickoff return by Dominic Esparza Dominic Esparza 5'10" | 170 lbs | DB St. Piux | 2022 State NM .
Best Game: Moriarty 20, Albuq. Academy 14. These two teams met in the spring, so they were somewhat familiar with each other. Albuquerque Academy knew they had to find a way to stop Moriarty’s vaunted ground assault, and they did enough to stay in the game. But Moriarty RB Cayden Dunn Cayden Dunn 6'1" | 180 lbs | RB Moriarty | 2022 State NM rushed for two TD for the Pintos as they advanced to the Class 4A semifinals against No. 1 seed Lovington.
Honorable Mention: Lovington 14, Silver 7; Artesia 35, Mayfield 21.
They Were Who We Thought They Were: All eight schools seeded No. 1 or No. 2 in Classes 6A-3A won their quarterfinal matchups, many by lopsided scores. In Class 6A, Cleveland pulled away from Hobbs in the second half for a 42-14 win. The score was tied at 7-7 late in the second quarter when QB Evan Wysong Evan Wysong 5'10" | 165 lbs | QB Cleveland | 2023 State NM showed off his blazing speed with a 73-yard TD run around left end. The Storm scored a pair of TDs in the 3rd quarter for a 28-7 lead. RB Jaiden Nunez scored on a 22-yard run before Wysong added a TD on the option. Wysong finished with 151 rushing yards. . .Rio Rancho RB Zach Vigil Zach Vigil 5'9" | 190 lbs | RB Rio Rancho | 2022 State NM , a New Mexico commit, scored 4 TD on short runs and 5 TD overall as the No.2 seeded Rams handled district rival Cibola for the second time this season, winning 44-20. The score was tied, 7-7, after the first quarter before the Rams pulled away by scoring 3 TD, all by Vigil, in the second quarter. Rio Rancho led, 30-7, at halftime.
In Class 5A, Farmington overcame five turnovers for a 28-6 victory over Santa Teresa. But it was far from easy. The Scorpions led by just one point, 7-6, at halftime. However Farmington scored 14 points in the third quarter to pull away. Kayden Gonzalez returned two punts for TDs in the second half. . .No. 2 seed Los Lunas blanked Belen, 31-0, in the second meeting between the two local rivals in 2 weeks. Emilio Mora returned the opening kickoff for a TD. Los Lunas QB Paul Cieremans Paul Cieremans 5'10" | 195 lbs | QB Los Lunas | 2023 State NM ran for a TD and threw for another. The Tigers scored three TD in the first quarter for a 21-0 lead and cruised home from there.
In Class 4A, Bloomfield avenged its lone loss of the season with a 48-13 victory over Valencia. Jesse Seitzinger scored 3 TDs for the Bobcats, including a fumble return on the Jaguars’ opening drive. Seitzinger later scored on a short run to give Bloomfield a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Bloomfield led, 21-0, after the first quarter and never looked back. Bloomfield rushed for 180+ yards. . .No. 1 seed Lovington slipped past Silver, 14-7, as Tayten Hilliard Tayten Hilliard 6'0" | 175 lbs | WR Lovington | 2022 State NM ’s TD reception late in the third quarter proved the difference. The Wildcats host Moriarty in the semifinals on Saturday.
In Class 3A, Raton improved to 11-0 on the season with a 49-12 home victory over Hope Christian. The Tigers scored TDs on all five first half possessions and added a Pick-6 for a 42-0 halftime lead. Prolific RB Cayden Walton Cayden Walton 5'9" | 180 lbs | RB Raton | 2023 State NM scored 4 TD for Raton, including runs of 28, 19 and 53 yards. Walton ran the Wildcat offense for part of the second half when Tigers QB Dylan Quartieri Dylan Quartieri 6'1" | QB Raton | 2022 State NM was injured early in the third quarter. Walton has rushed for 1,809 yards and 24 TD so far this season. . .No. 2 seed Socorro blanked Dexter, 41-0. The Warriors are the only team from outside District 3A-2 to reach the semifinals. Socorro travels to No. 3 seed Robertson Saturday.
Artesia Wins Battle Of Traditional Powers: One of the most fascinating quarterfinal matchups was Mayfield-Artesia as two traditional powers battled at the Bulldog Bowl. And the game lived up to the hype. Mayfield led, 14-13, at halftime as the Trojans rushed for 156 yards in the first 24 minutes. The score was tied at 21-21 early in the fourth quarter when Artesia mounted a drive that produced a 1-yard TD run by Payton Deans Payton Deans 5'10" | 200 lbs | ATH Artesia | 2023 State NM . Ahead 28-21, the Artesia defense forced a fumble recovered by the Bulldogs’ Thomas Riley at the Mayfield 34. Next snap, Jake Barrera scamped 34 yards for the TD, giving Artesia a 35-21 lead, and that was the final score. In the final minutes, Artesia stopped Mayfield in the red zone. The Bulldogs host No. 1 seed Farmington Saturday at 1 p.m. in a Class 5A semifinal.
Bulldawgs Capture Las Cruces Rematch: For the second time this season, the Las Cruces Bulldawgs jumped out to a quick 2+ score lead over rival Centennial. This time, though, Las Cruces held on to advance to the semifinals, when they’ll host Cleveland. Early TD passes from QB Dallas Boyd Dallas Boyd 5'10" | 175 lbs | QB Las Cruces | 2022 State NM to WR Zakye Hawkins gave Las Cruces a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter. The Bulldawgs led, 28-14, at halftime. Centennial scored first in the second half to cut the deficit to 28-21. But the Bulldawgs didn’t flinch, holding the Hawks scoreless the rest of the way for an emotional 35-21 victory. Las Cruces stopped Centennial on downs at the 10-yard line in the fourth quarter.
Things You Need To Know: 2023 Cibola QB Aden Chavez Aden Chavez 6'5" | 210 lbs | QB Cibola | 2023 State NM surpassed the 3,000-yard single season passing plateau in the Cougars’ quarterfinal loss at Rio Rancho Friday night. Chavez finished his junior season with 3,075 passing yards and 32 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for an impressive TD-to-INT ration of better than 3-to-1. Chavez averaged 280 passing yards per game and completed 62.1 percent of his passes. . .Cibola WR Nathan Lopez Nathan Lopez 5'5" | 135 lbs | WR Cibola | 2022 State NM capped his career with 88 receptions for 1,216 yards and 10 TD as a senior. . .Besides Raton, St. Michael’s and Robertson also reached the Class 3A semifinals from District 2. The Horsemen beat NMMI, 34-14, Saturday in Santa Fe to advance to the semifinals for the first time in 5 years. RB Daymon Lujan Daymon Lujan 5'10" | 165 lbs | RB St. Michael's | 2022 State NM rushed for 163 yards and St. Michael’s returned two kicks for scores. . .In Las Vegas, Robertson QB Matthew Gonzales accounted for 159 yards and the Cardinals shut down the West Las Vegas offense in a 27-6 victory. The Robertson defense intercepted three WLV passes and special teams blocked a punt and a field goal. . .Teams from District 3A-2 are a combined 4-1 in the playoffs and the only loss was by West Las Vegas to its crosstown rival, another 3A-2 team. . .The Farmington offense is more than just QB Brandon Furbee Brandon Furbee 6'3" | QB Farmington | 2022 State NM standing in the pocket and spraying the ball around the field. The Scorpions came into the semifinal matchup with Santa Teresa with 22 rushing TDs on the season.
SEMIFINAL ROUND SCHEDULE: Here is the semifinal round schedule for Classes 6A-3A (Nov. 19-20). Games will be played Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
CLASS 6A:
La Cueva (3) at Rio Rancho (2), Fri. 7 p.m.
Cleveland (1) at Las Cruces (5), Fri., 7 p.m.
CLASS 5A:
Goddard (6) at Los Lunas (2), Sat., 1 p.m.
Farmington (1) at Artesia (4), Sat., 1 p.m.
CLASS 4A:
Moriarty (4) at Lovington (1), Sat., 1 p.m.
Ruidoso (6) at Bloomfield (2), Sat., 3 p.m.
CLASS 3A:
Raton (1) at St. Michael’s (4), Sat., 1 p.m.
Socorro (2) at Robertson (3), Sat., 1 p.m.
CLASS 2A
Eunice (3) at Jal (1), Sat., 1 p.m. (Championship Game)
Sat. Quarterfinal Scores
Cleveland 42, Hobbs 14
Artesia 35, Mayfield 21
Los Lunas 31, Belen 0
Lovington 14, Silver 7
Ruidoso 33, St. Pius X 8
Robertson 27, West Las Vegas 6
Raton 49, Hope Christian 12
St. Michael's 34, NMMI 14
Eunice 45, Tularosa 6 (2A semis) pic.twitter.com/aQXY7C6AIw— Prep Redzone New Mexico (@PrepRedzoneNM) November 14, 2021
FRI. NIGHT FINAL SCORES
Las Cruces 35, Centennial 21 (6A)
La Cueva 35, Volcano Vista 21 (6A)
Rio Rancho 44, Cibola 20 (6A)
Farmington 28, Santa Teresa 6 (5A)
Goddard 14, Roswell 3 (5A)
Moriarty 20, Albuq. Academy 14 (4A)
Bloomfield 48, Valencia 13 (4A) pic.twitter.com/iYsS3AucGR— Prep Redzone New Mexico (@PrepRedzoneNM) November 13, 2021
HERE WE GO!!!!!!! #FE pic.twitter.com/mBXH9pwDTd
— Wildcat Football (@lvtwildcatsfb) November 14, 2021
Our Semifinal game is set!
Dawgs vs Cleveland
Friday, November 19
7:00 pm at the FOD
Ticket info TBA pic.twitter.com/7Mdb2HnlxW— Bulldawg Football (@LCHSFOOTBALL) November 13, 2021
AAA State Semifinals
Saturday November 20th
Raton @ St Michaels
1 PM Kickoff@sfnmsports @JnorthSports @SportsPrimo @StMikesBlueCrew— St. Michael's HS (@StMikesHorsemen) November 14, 2021