NMHSCA Small School All Star Game: 10 Players To Watch

The New Mexico High School Coaches Association will hold two all-star football games Saturday afternoon at the Wool Bowl in Roswell. The small school game (Classes 2A and 3A) kicks off at noon. The big school game (Classes 4A, 5A and 6A) kicks off at 3 p.m. Here are 10 players to watch in the Small School Game: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26261" first="Matthew" last="Gonzales"], Robertson</strong>: The Class 3A Co-Player of the Year (along with Raton RB [player_tooltip player_id="138053" first="Cayden" last="Walton"]) just happens to be one of the most dynamic dual threat quarterbacks (and two-way players) in the state. He rushed for over 1,500 yards and threw for over 1,400 yards. Gonzales saved his best for last in leading Robertson past St. Michael’s in last weekend’s 3A championship game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26228" first="Roger" last="Carreon"], Jal</strong>: Our No. 1 prospect for the 2022 class played his final game for the Panthers last week in the Class 2A championship game. Carreon now gets ready to head to Boise State. He’ll likely sign with the Broncos during the early signing period in a couple of weeks. <strong>Devin Flores, St. Michael’s</strong>: He was probably St. Michael’s main offensive threat late in the season. He caught the only TD in the 7-0 semifinal victory over top-seeded Raton and then caught a 60-yard TD pass for the Horsemen’s only points in the 3A championship game last Saturday. Standing 6-foot-2 with outstanding leaping ability, Flores is a tall target as he showed against Raton. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26234" first="Dylan" last="Quartieri"], Raton</strong>: Quartieri threw for 1,418 yards for the Tigers but he also played both ways, a common occurrence at the small school level. He’s listed as an outside linebacker for Saturday’s game, and that possibly could be his best position at the next level. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26250" first="Daymon" last="Lujan"], St. Michael’s</strong>: Lujan is best known as St. Michael’s top RB, but like Quartieri he plays both ways and for Saturday’s game he’s listed as an inside linebacker. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26270" first="James" last="Jenkins"], Hope Christian</strong>: If Gonzales and Walton were the top two players in Class 3A this season, Jenkins was No. 3. He was lethal running the football this season, amassing 1,515 rushing yards and an eye-opening 24 TD. Jenkins running with the football was usually Hope Christian’s best play call. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134902" first="Conagher" last="Pierce"], Eunice</strong>: While [player_tooltip player_id="26228" first="Roger" last="Carreon"] may have been the best known player in Class 2A this season, Pierce was one of the top offensive skill position players. He threw for 2,586 yards and 33 TD to lead the Cardinals to the Class 2A title. Only five QBs in the state thew for over 2,500 yards this season and Pierce was one of them. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26269" first="Damien" last="Gallegos"], West Las Vegas</strong>: While freshman QB C.J. Perea was doing his thing in the pocket (2,229 passing yards), Gallegos was fueling West Las Vegas’ ground game with 1,595 yards, giving the Dons one of the best 1-2 punches in Class 3A. Gallegos was the state’s #4 rusher. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135313" first="Matthew" last="Quartieri"], Raton</strong>: Possessing great size (6-3, 215 pounds) and hands, Quartieri has tight end at the next level written all over him. And that is the position he’ll play in this game. He caught 31 passes for 585 yards and 12 TD in 12 games. <strong>Dontrell Donesto, Navajo Prep</strong>: Navajo Prep was one of the pleasant surprises of Class 3A this season, earning the No. 9 seed for the playoffs. Donesto was the major reason the Eagles reached the post-season as he accumulated over 2,100 total yards throwing and running. <strong>Honorable Mention</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id="210966" first="Logan" last="Fuller"], Hope Christian. If one player from the state of New Mexico signs with a Power 5 program, it could be Fuller. He’s the top placekicker in the Land of Enchantment and has visited Colorado. He has already been accepted into Montana State, so FCS football could be in his future. He possesses a booming leg and easily drills field goals from beyond 40 yards, a rarity for a high school kicker. https://twitter.com/Roger_52_/status/1462487800125792269 https://twitter.com/LoganFuller34/status/1466081637209309190 https://twitter.com/MatthewQuartier/status/1465158137535631362