Look Back, Look Ahead: Class 6A

We begin our ‘Look Back, Look Ahead’ series with a comprehensive look back at the 2021 season in Class 6A and a look ahead to some of the key storylines, topics and questions going into the 2022 season. LOOK BACK Team of the Year: Cleveland. It’s not just the fact the Storm went undefeated on the road to the 2021 6A Championship. It’s how they did it. In 12 games against New Mexico opponents, Cleveland won by an average margin of 32.8 points. And that includes the 1-point win over rival Rio Rancho in the regular season finale. Take away that game and the margin increases to 35.7 points. We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again: The Storm surge likely won’t subside in 2022 as their top three offensive skill players (QB [player_tooltip player_id="139521" first="Evan" last="Wysong"], RB [player_tooltip player_id="138204" first="Josh" last="Perry"] and WR [player_tooltip player_id="139523" first="Nic" last="Trujillo"]) are all back along with defensive stalwarts Stratton Shufelt (team-leading 56 tackles) and OLB/SS Devonte Shendo (33 tackles). Offensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id="26227" first="Zach" last="Vigil"], Rio Rancho. An easy choice considering we awarded Vigil the 2021 New Mexico Heisman. In 10 games, Vigil amassed 1,583 yards on the ground (158.3 yards per game), averaged 9.1 yards per carry, accounted for 2,000+ all-purpose yards and scored 30 touchdowns. His Heisman moment came in the final regular season game when he rushed for 323 yards and multiple TDs against rival Cleveland. Defensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id="135101" first="Tyler" last="Martinez"], Volcano Vista. Few players saw their stock rise faster this season than Martinez. He finished third in the state in tackles with 145, collecting 10+ tackles 10 times in 12 games. He added 7 sacks and 13 QB hurries. In other words, he was always around the football. Junior of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id="137861" first="Aden" last="Chavez"], Cibola. Chavez was one of our three New Mexico Heisman finalists after throwing for over 3,000 yards and 32 TD in 11 games. He’ll be the top QB in the state in 2022 and should sign with a Div. I team next December during the early signing period. Sophomore of the Year: Stratton Shufelt, Cleveland. MaxPreps named Shufelt as the best player in the state prior to the season. Shufelt led the outstanding (and probably underrated) Cleveland defense with 56 tackles. He was offered by New Mexico as a freshman. Remember, he still has two more years of prep football ahead of him. It’s scary to think how good he’ll be as a senior. Freshmen of the Year: Latavious Morris, Atrisco Heritage and Mason Posa, La Cueva. Morris was Atrisco’s most productive receiver, catching 28 passes for 205 yards and 1 TD. We believe he’ll develop into one of the top receivers in Class 6A next season and one of the top 2025 prospects in the state. The 6-foot-2 Posa finished with 50 tackles, including 42 solo, for the Bears. With seniors Hunter Haemker and Deven Dyer graduating, Posa should be one of La Cueva’s top defensive players as a sophomore in 2022. Breakthrough Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id="139521" first="Evan" last="Wysong"], Cleveland. People forget Wysong was just a backup wide receiver for the Storm in the spring. But Storm coach Heath Ridenour recognized Wysong’s skill set and converted him to quarterback. In just one season, Wysong has already become one of the top dual threat quarterbacks in the state. He came close to joining the quarterback’s prestigious 1,000-1,000 club. Top 5 Passers (per MaxPreps): 1. [player_tooltip player_id="137861" first="Aden" last="Chavez"], Cibola (3,075 yards); 2. [player_tooltip player_id="26247" first="Josh" last="Gerardo"], Volcano Vista (2,713); 3. [player_tooltip player_id="137862" first="Aidan" last="Armenta"], La Cueva (2,696); 4. [player_tooltip player_id="134908" first="Colton" last="Graham"], Hobbs (2,233); 5. [player_tooltip player_id="139521" first="Evan" last="Wysong"] (1,787). Top 5 Rushers (per MaxPreps): 1. [player_tooltip player_id="26265" first="Martell" last="Mora"], Santa Fe (1,230 yards); 2. [player_tooltip player_id="137923" first="Malachi" last="Thymes"], Sandia (1,158); 3. [player_tooltip player_id="198231" first="Aidan" last="St. John"], Eldorado (1,136); 4. [player_tooltip player_id="26227" first="Zach" last="Vigil"], Rio Rancho (1,049); 5. Gabriel Buie, La Cueva (988). Top 5 Receivers (per MaxPreps): 1. [player_tooltip player_id="134963" first="Nathan" last="Lopez"], Cibola (88 receptions); 2. (Tie) [player_tooltip player_id="135097" first="Kaden" last="Valdez"], Volcano Vista (62) and [player_tooltip player_id="198052" first="Kieran" last="Cordova"], Volcano Vista (62); 4. [player_tooltip player_id="137921" first="Kaden" last="Trevino"], Hobbs (59); 5. [player_tooltip player_id="137936" first="Branden" last="Castillo"], Volcano Vista (57). Top 5 Tacklers (per MaxPreps): 1. [player_tooltip player_id="135101" first="Tyler" last="Martinez"], Volcano Vista (145 tackles); 2. [player_tooltip player_id="198321" first="Kenyon" last="Singleton"], Hobbs (132); 3. A.J. Otero, Eldorado (108); 4. Manuel Bustillos (106); 5. [player_tooltip player_id="208835" first="Hector" last="Armendariz"], Hobbs (95). Game of the Year: Rio Rancho 35, La Cueva 34 (OT). Rio Rancho, missing injured RB [player_tooltip player_id="26227" first="Zach" last="Vigil"], rallied from a 21-7 halftime deficit to pull out the dramatic OT victory. After stopping La Cueva in the red zone, the Rams drove 80 yards for a [player_tooltip player_id="198295" first="Devin" last="Rice"] 12-yard TD run to pull within 21-14. Rio Rancho then perfectly executed an onsides kick, which led to a 10-play drive capped by QB Dominick Priddy’s game-tying 10-yard TD run. Rio Rancho foregoed a chip shot field goal in the final minutes and were stopped on fourth down. In the second OT, La Cueva chose to go for 2 but QB [player_tooltip player_id="137862" first="Aidan" last="Armenta"]’s pass fell incomplete, securing Rio Rancho’s spot in the 6A title game. LOOK AHEAD Year of the Quarterback: Between [player_tooltip player_id="137861" first="Aden" last="Chavez"] (Cibola), [player_tooltip player_id="139521" first="Evan" last="Wysong"] (Cleveland), [player_tooltip player_id="137862" first="Aidan" last="Armenta"] (La Cueva) and Paul Cieremens (Los Lunas), the 2022 season has the potential to become the Year of the Quarterback. Several other prominent schools are looking to replace prolific signal callers – Rio Rancho, Volcano Vista, Farmington, Centennial, Las Cruces and Clovis. Player To Watch: La Cueva WR [player_tooltip player_id="208744" first="Exodus" last="Ayers"] has the potential to become the most exciting player in 6A next season. Already an outstanding basketball player, Ayers’ first year playing football for the Bears was a rousing success with 41 receptions for 901 yards and 15 TD. He had 8 receptions for 170 yards and 4 TD in La Cueva’s 35-21 quarterfinal win over Volcano Vista. Between QB [player_tooltip player_id="137862" first="Aidan" last="Armenta"], RB Gabriel Buie (988 rushing yards) and Ayers, La Cueva’s offense could rival Cleveland’s as potentially be the most explosive in 6A. 5 Key Questions: 1. Can anybody beat Cleveland? The Storm carry a 22-game winning streak into the 2022 season. They haven’t lost a regular season game since midway through the 2019 season. Few teams can match their returning offensive trio of QB [player_tooltip player_id="139521" first="Evan" last="Wysong"], RB [player_tooltip player_id="138204" first="Josh" last="Perry"] and WR [player_tooltip player_id="139523" first="Nic" last="Trujillo"]. 2. How will Los Lunas, Farmington, Capital and Alamogordo fare in their first season in Class 6A? Los Lunas has the players to compete and will play in a favorable district. Farmington must find a new QB. Alamogordo appealed the decision to move the Tigers to Class 6A, asking to return to Class 5A, but the request was denied. Capital had sporadic success in 5A. The Jaguars must boost their commitment to football to compete at the 6A level. 3. How high will Cibola QB [player_tooltip player_id="137861" first="Aden" last="Chavez"] rise in the New Mexico record books? Despite Cibola playing just two games in the spring, Chavez enters his senior season with 5,090 career passing yards. If he matches (or exceeds) his output from the recently competed season, he’ll become just the 10th QB in state history to throw for 8,000+ yards in a career. Cibola’s appeal to change districts was denied, so we’ll see Chavez against Cleveland, Rio Rancho and Volcano Vista next fall. 4. Who will be the King of Las Cruces? Centennial and Las Cruces will renew in 2022 the battle for the right to be called the best team in the city of Las Cruces. Both teams will have new quarterbacks as [player_tooltip player_id="26267" first="Ian" last="Lopez"] (Centennial) and [player_tooltip player_id="26253" first="Dallas" last="Boyd"] (Las Cruces) are set to graduate in June. Both have the talent to play at the next level. 5. How good will Rio Rancho be in 2022? The Rams must replace RB [player_tooltip player_id="26227" first="Zach" last="Vigil"] and QB Dominick Priddy. Rising junior Noah Nelson looks to be the successor at QB for the Rams. Who will run the football is a more urgent question. Receivers Michael Wood and Traiven Williams return. It will be an interesting offseason in Rio Rancho. Player Ready to Blow Up: [player_tooltip player_id="137921" first="Kaden" last="Trevino"], Hobbs. Because of geography, Trevino doesn’t get a lot of attention from some folks in the state. But as he showed this past season, he’s a baller. The Eagles like to put the ball in his hands as often as possible. He catches passes (59 receptions in 2021), runs the ball and returns kickoffs. Don’t be surprised if Trevino develops into one of the top two or three offensive threats in 6A in 2022.