Look Back, Look Ahead: Class 4A

We continue our ‘Look Back, Look Ahead’ series with a comprehensive look back at the 2021 season in Class 4A 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>Lovington</strong>. The Wildcats didn’t win the most games in Class 4A but they finished as champions and knocked off three Class 5A schools to start the season. They shook off a three-game losing streak in the middle of the year and won seven straight games on the road to the 4A title, including a 41-21 victory over Ruidoso in the state championship game. Led by one of the top wide receiver corps in the state, the Wildcats scored a bunch of points and played good defense too. <strong>Offensive Player of the Year</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26233" first="Isaac" last="Hinson"]</strong>, Lovington. This is as much of an award for Hinson’s all-around excellence as it is for his accomplishments on offense. He did everything  on offense, catching 45 passes for 727 yards and a staggering 15 TD (that means one of every three passes he caught resulted in a TD), rushed for 259 yards and 3 TD and completed 14-of-22 passes for 207 yards and 1 TD. He also returned kicks. Overall, he accounted for 1,300 all-purpose yards. Hinson  edged out Albuquerque Academy QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137884" first="A.J." last="Rivera"]</strong> for the award. Rivera threw for 2,531 yards and 23 TD. <strong>Defensive Players  of the Year</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135336" first="Joseph" last="Perez"]</strong>, Lovington and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135137" first="Kavin" last="Chavez"]</strong>, Bernalillo. Perez was the leader for an underappreciated Lovington defense, finishing with 137 tackles, 14 TFL and 3 sacks. Chavez led the state in tackles with 152 and was the backbone of a solid Bernalillo defense <strong>Junior of the Year</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="208819" first="Aidan" last="Granado"]</strong>, Silver. The unheralded Granado quietly had a spectacular season by rushing for 1,632 yards – third most in the state – and 5 TD. He averaged over 11 yards per attempt. Albuquerque Academy QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137884" first="A.J." last="Rivera"]</strong> would have been a nice choice here too. <strong>Sophomore of the Year</strong>: <strong>Brody Whitaker</strong>, Albuquerque Academy. A two-way lineman for the Chargers, Whitaker led AA with 72 tackles, 12 TFL and 9 sacks. Little wonder colleges are already expressing interest. Willamette University in Oregon has visited. Whitaker has a 4.0 GPA. If he grows a few more inches - and no doubt he will – Whitaker could attract D-1 or D-2 interest by his senior season in 2023. <strong>Freshman of the Year</strong>: <strong>Ondalis Cardenas</strong>, Lovington. Quarterback <strong>Ashton Aranda</strong> and the talented wide receiver corps grabbed the headlines but Cardenas was the heart and soul of the Wildcats’ running game. He finished with 771 yards and 11 TD on 107 carries. His future is bright. With Lovington losing its top three receivers, Cardenas could take on a larger role in the Lovington offense next season. <strong>Breakthrough Player of the Year</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26257" first="Marco" last="Ybarra"]</strong>, St. Pius X. Ybarra has already put together an impressive life resume on and off the field. After battling injuries as a sophomore and junior, Ybarra rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and 22 TD this past season. He’s also student body president and very active in the community. A true scholar-baller, as they say. He’ll definitely play at the next level. He just has to decide where he wants to go. Ybarra plans to take recruiting visits in January prior to the start of the late signing period in early February. Wyoming and Northern Arizona have expressed interest. Ivy League schools are still on the table, as well. <strong>Top 5 Passers (per MaxPreps)</strong>: 1. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137884" first="A.J." last="Rivera"]</strong>, Albuquerque Academy (2,531 passing yards); 2. <strong>Ashton Aranda</strong>, Lovington (2,180); 3. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137890" first="Alejandro" last="Sapien"]</strong>, St. Pius X (1,464); 4. <strong>Landan Frost</strong>, Aztec (1,325); 5. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="208750" first="Jacob" last="Pino"]</strong>, Bernalillo (1,271). <strong>Top 5 Rushers (per MaxPreps)</strong>: 1<strong>. [player_tooltip player_id="208819" first="Aidan" last="Granado"]</strong>, Silver (1,632); 2. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26251" first="Zakk" last="Thomas"]</strong>, Kirtland Central (1,537); 3. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26248" first="Braxton" last="Hall"]</strong>, Ruidoso (1,503); 4. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26257" first="Marco" last="Ybarra"]</strong> (1,497); 5. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="198250" first="Dominic" last="Esquibel"]</strong> (1,496). <strong>Top 5 Receivers (per MaxPreps)</strong>: 1. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137928" first="Kellan" last="Gehres"]</strong>, Albuquerque Academy (67 receptions); 2. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26256" first="Adam" last="Aguilera"]</strong>, Lovington (62); 3. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135136" first="Tristen" last="Ludi-Herrera"]</strong>, Bernalillo (51); 4. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26233" first="Isaac" last="Hinson"]</strong>, Lovington (45); 5. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135303" first="Dominic" last="Esparza"]</strong> (45). <strong>Top 5 Tacklers (per MaxPreps)</strong>: 1. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135137" first="Kavin" last="Chavez"]</strong>, Bernalillo (152 tackles); 2. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135336" first="Joseph" last="Perez"]</strong>, Lovington (137); 3. <strong>Eloy Vigil</strong>, Bernalillo (118); 4. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="198283" first="Diego" last="Snell-Martinez"]</strong>, Bloomfield (116), 5. <strong>Gavon Hall</strong>, Ruidoso (116). <strong>Game of the Year: St. Pius X 14, Albuquerque Academy 13</strong>. The district title and a probable top four seed were on the line when the Sartans and Chargers squared off at Community Stadium on the final weekend of the regular season. In the end, only a missed PAT in the fourth quarter separated the two rivals. St. Pius X got the ball back after the miss and drained the final seven minutes with a well-executed drive. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26257" first="Marco" last="Ybarra"]</strong> had two TD runs in the third quarter when the Sartans grabbed the lead for good. <strong>LOOK AHEAD</strong> <strong>Player To Watch</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137884" first="A.J." last="Rivera"]</strong>, Albuquerque Academy.  Rivera has been the Chargers’ starting QB since his freshman year in 2019. He now has 4,735 career passing yards, affording him an opportunity to eclipse 7,000 career passing yards and 60 TD passes by this time next year. <strong>5 Key Questions</strong>: 1. Will Lovington tweak its offensive philosophy after losing its top three receivers to graduation? [player_tooltip player_id="26256" first="Adam" last="Aguilera"], [player_tooltip player_id="26233" first="Isaac" last="Hinson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="134985" first="Tayten" last="Hilliard"] combined for 143 receptions this past season. All three will graduate in May. The Wildcats also have one of the top young running backs in the state with rising sophomore Ondalis Cardenas. So, does Lovington continue with its passing-oriented attack or does it switch to a more run-based attack? We’ll find out in August. 2. Will Class 4A become pass happy with the top seven passing quarterbacks all returning next season? Led by [player_tooltip player_id="137884" first="A.J." last="Rivera"], the top seven quarterbacks in Class 4A in passing yardage this past season are set to return in 2022. So, does this mean we’ll see a bunch of teams committed to throwing the football? Not Moriarty, of course. They’ll continue to run the football over and over. 3. Who are the next great running backs in 4A? Six of the top eight rushers in 4A this past season were seniors. The only two non-seniors in that group are [player_tooltip player_id="208819" first="Aidan" last="Granado"] (Silver) and [player_tooltip player_id="138056" first="Cole" last="Conway"] (Albuq. Academy). Expect Granado to lead 4A in rushing again next season with Lovington’s Odalis Cardenas close behind. 4. What’s the toughest new district in 4A? Class 5A may have its “super district,” but the new District 4A-4 with Albuquerque Academy, Bernalillo, Lovington and Portales deserves the same title. The good news? High school football fans in the Albuquerque Metro area should get an opportunity to see Lovington at least once per season in 2022 and 2023. The October battle between AA and Lovington will be a ‘must-watch’ game in 2022. 5. Who will be the best 4A team in the Four Corners? The new District 4A-1 features three evenly matched schools in the Four Corners: Aztec, Bloomfield and Kirtland Central. Should be a heckuva race. <strong>Player Ready to Blow Up</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137928" first="Kellan" last="Gehres"]</strong>, Albuquerque Academy. Gehres led all of 4A with 67 receptions for 1,111 yards and 12 TD in the just completed season.  Next year, Gehres will have the same talented quarterback ([player_tooltip player_id="137884" first="A.J." last="Rivera"]) throwing him the ball. When you consider the Chargers also bring back their leading rusher ([player_tooltip player_id="138056" first="Cole" last="Conway"]), they could potentially have the most explosive offense in 4A next season. Prediction: Gehres will have a monster senior season. https://twitter.com/AndresAJRivera1/status/1466459661171773444 https://twitter.com/AndresAJRivera1/status/1468388887961559040 https://twitter.com/tayten_hilliard/status/1471321319069282305