Look Back, Look Ahead: Class 3A

We continue our ‘Look Back, Look Ahead’ series with a comprehensive look back at the 2021 season in Class 3A and a look ahead to some of the key storylines, topics and questions going into the 2022 season. <strong>LOOK BACK</strong> <strong>Team of the Year</strong>: <strong>Robertson</strong>. Not only did the Cardinals roll to the Class 3A championship, but in doing so they crafted one of the best stories in all of New Mexico high school football. Because the Las Vegas School District opted out of the spring season, Robertson was off for nearly two years before kicking off the 2021 season. They quickly shook off the rust and finished with an 11-2 record, losing only to a 6A school (Santa Fe) and to Raton in a 28-26 thriller. <strong>Offensive Player of the Year</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138053" first="Cayden" last="Walton"]</strong>, Raton. Robertson QB/DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26261" first="Matthew" last="Gonzales"] </strong>made a late season surge, but Walton, a junior, was the best player in Class 3A from beginning to end. He led the state in rushing with 1,905 yards and 24 TD on 188 carries. He has already amassed nearly 5,000 career rushing yards. Two thousand rushing yards in 2022 is not out of the question. He should generate plenty of recruiting interest next fall. <strong>Defensive Player  of the Year</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138091" first="Ace" last="Gonzalez"]</strong>, Robertson. Son of the Cardinals head coach, Gonzalez finished a sensational junior season with 148 tackles, second most in the state. He finished with double digit tackles in 10 of Robertson’s 13 games. Gonzalez is always around the football, one of the best compliments you can give a defensive player. <strong>Junior of the Year (Not Named [player_tooltip player_id="138053" first="Cayden" last="Walton"])</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138082" first="Brent" last="Miller"]</strong>, Hope Christian. Miller was often overshadowed by prolific dual threat QB [player_tooltip player_id="26270" first="James" last="Jenkins"], but he enjoyed a splendid season as well on both sides of the ball. He rushed for 892 yards and 11 TD while making 120 tackles on defense. That’s the definition of a solid two-player player. <strong>Sophomore of the Year</strong>: <strong>Mateo Contreras</strong>, Robertson. The super sophomore for the Cardinals was one of the top wide receivers in Class 3A this season with over 40 receptions. And he saved his best for last, catching 3 TD passes in Robertson’s semifinal win over Socorro. In the state championship game, he made key plays on both sides of the ball. He finished with nearly 100 tackles on defense. Contreras is listed at 6-foot-3, so colleges are going to come calling. <strong>Freshman of the Year</strong>: <strong>C.J. Perea</strong>, West Las  Vegas. Perea led Class 3A in passing by a wide margin, throwing for 2,229 yards and 24 TD in 11 games. He also rushed for 337 yards, displaying a bruising, physical running style. WLV looks to be in good hands with Perea calling signals for the next three years. By the time he’s a senior, Perea could be the most-talked about quarterback in the state. <strong>Breakthrough Player of the Year</strong>: <strong>Chance Middlebrook</strong>, Raton. Coming into this season, Middlebrook had caught 14 passes in his first 12 career games for the Tigers. As a senior, he averaged nearly three receptions per game, finishing the year with 33 receptions for 491 yards and 5 TD. <strong>Top 5 Passers (per MaxPreps)</strong>: 1. <strong>C.J. Perea</strong>, West Las Vegas (2,229 passing yards); 2. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26234" first="Dylan" last="Quartieri"]</strong>, Raton (1,418); 3. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26261" first="Matthew" last="Gonzales"]</strong>, Robertson (1,320); 4. <strong>Dontrelle Donetsco</strong>, Navajo Prep (1,219); 5. <strong>Juan Badillo</strong>, NMMI (1,169). <strong>Top 5 Rushers (per MaxPreps)</strong>:  1. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138053" first="Cayden" last="Walton"]</strong>, Raton (1,905 rushing yards); 2. <strong>Damian Gallegos</strong>, West Las Vegas (1,595); 3. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26270" first="James" last="Jenkins"]</strong>, Hope Christian (1,515); 4. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26261" first="Matthew" last="Gonzales"]</strong>, Robertson (1,206); 5. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134967" first="Juan" last="Fuentes"]</strong>, Dexter (1,062). <strong>Top 5 Receivers (per MaxPreps)</strong>: 1. <strong>Josh Gonzales</strong>, West Las Vegas (42 receptions); 2. <strong>Mateo  Contreras</strong>, Robertson (40); 3. <strong>Damian Gallegos</strong>, West Las  Vegas (35); 4. <strong>Chance Middlebrook</strong>, Raton (33); 5. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135313" first="Matthew" last="Quartieri"]</strong>, Raton (31). <strong>Top 5 Tacklers (per MaxPreps)</strong>: 1. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138091" first="Ace" last="Gonzalez"]</strong>, Robertson (148 tackles); 2. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138082" first="Brent" last="Miller"]</strong>, Hope Christian (120); 3. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26261" first="Matthew" last="Gonzales"]</strong>, Robertson (96); 4. <strong>Mateo Contreras</strong>, Robertson (92); 5. <strong>Bodie Schlinger</strong>, Robertson (87). <strong>Game of the Year: Raton 28, Robertson 26. </strong>In a back-and-forth struggle, the outcome wasn’t decided until the game’s final seconds when the Cardinals failed to convert a two-point attempt, giving Raton the hard-fought win. The stars came out with [player_tooltip player_id="138053" first="Cayden" last="Walton"] rushing for 191 yards on 24 carries, while Robertson’s [player_tooltip player_id="26261" first="Matthew" last="Gonzales"] threw for 208 yards and rushed for 100 more. <strong>LOOK AHEAD</strong> <strong>Player To Watch</strong>: The expected response here is [player_tooltip player_id="138053" first="Cayden" last="Walton"] or perhaps Mateo Contreras or C.J. Perea. But we’ll go in a different direction and tell you about <strong>Kyun Tate</strong>, Navajo Prep’s dynamic RB and DB. This past season he rushed for 934 yards and 16 TD, amassed over 1,000 total yards, and made 76 tackles with 3 interceptions on defense. Tate goes into the 2022 season as one of the top two-way players in Class 3A. <strong>3 Key Questions</strong>: 1. How far up the career rushing list will [player_tooltip player_id="138053" first="Cayden" last="Walton"] finish? Only three running backs in the history of New Mexico high school football have amassed more than 7,000 career rushing yards. Walton could join that exclusive group if he manages to eclipse 2,200 yards in 2021. 2. Is District 3A-2 worthy of being described as a ‘super district’? Class 5A and 4A have their so-called super-districts (early leader for best phrase of the 2022 season). What about 3A? Well, Raton, Robertson, Santa Fe Indian, St. Michael’s and West Las Vegas dominated 3A football last season and they look to do it again. Most likely the 2022 champion will come from this district. 3. Who’s the best team outside of District 3A-2? Good question. Early contenders are Navajo Prep, Cobre, Socorrro, Hope Christian, Dexter, Ruidoso and NMMI. District 3A-4 features several quality teams. <strong>Player Ready to Blow Up</strong>: <strong>Taven Lozada</strong>, St. Michael’s.  No, you haven’t heard of him. Word began to filter out about Lozada, who plays tight end, late in the season. He transferred from Santa Fe High School to St. Michael’s before the 2021 season. He petitioned the NMAA for immediate eligibility, but was denied. As a result, he had to play JV this season. Well, the 6-foot-5 Lozada dominated. He hopes to do the same at the varsity level in 2022 when he’s a senior.                   <strong>  </strong>