Team MVPs: Class 4A

The 2021 New Mexico high school football season was filled with plenty of exemplary performances. This week, we tell you the Team MVPs for every team in Classes 6A-3A. Today, we present Class 4A. Teams are listed in alphabetical order: <strong>Albuquerque Academy</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137884" first="A.J." last="Rivera"]</strong>. Rivera directed one of the most prolific offenses in 4A this past season, throwing for 2,531 yards and 23 TD. The Chargers had a 1,000-yard passer (Rivera), 1,000-yard rusher (<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138056" first="Cole" last="Conway"]</strong>) and 1,000-yard receiver (<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137928" first="Kellan" last="Gehres"]</strong>). All 3 players return, so expectations will be incredibly high for the Academy in 2022. <strong>Aztec</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138058" first="Tristen" last="McNeal"]</strong>. Catching passes from promising sophomore QB Landan Frost, McNeal led the Tigers in receptions with 27 for 511 yards. He also made 90 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3 forced fumbles and 2 INT on defense. McNeal was one of the top two-way players in 4A. <strong>Bernalillo</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135136" first="Tristen" last="Ludi-Herrera"]</strong>. The Spartans featured one of the state’s top linebackers in [player_tooltip player_id="135137" first="Kavin" last="Chavez"] (152 tackles), but Ludi-Herrera gets the not because he was a two-way standout. Offensively, he caught 51 passes for 1,057 yards and 9 TD, while defensively he made 94 tackles with 7.0 TFL and 7 INT. <strong>Bloomfield</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="198283" first="Diego" last="Snell-Martinez"]</strong>. Another two-way standout who helped Bloomfield secure a top four seed and reach the semifinals of the 4A playoffs. Snell-Martinez rushed for 403 yards on 69 carries, caught 15 passes for 124 yards and made a team-high 116 tackles on defense. <strong>Espanola Valley</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135325" first="Ollie" last="Fell"]</strong>. It was a tough season for the Sundevils but Fell was able to utilize his superior size to excel as a wide receiver. Fell is also an outstanding basketball player. <strong>Grants</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135109" first="Tyler" last="Everhart"]</strong>. The Pirates struggled in Brandon Hernandez’s first year as head coach, but Everhart was Mr. Everything for Grants. He played QB and DB, so he rarely came off the field. He was the Pirates’ main offensive threat. <strong>Kirtland Central</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26251" first="Zakk" last="Thomas"]</strong>. Thomas finished sixth in the state in rushing with 1,537 yards and was the main threat for the Broncos. He also contributed as a pass catcher, kickoff and punt returner and middle linebacker. He recorded 67 tackles, second-most on the team. Little wonder he was named the Farmington Times Player of the Year. <strong>Lovington</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26233" first="Isaac" last="Hinson"]</strong>. Just as with Cleveland in 6A, picking a MVP for the Wildcats is tricky because there are so many worthy candidates. Lovington had 14 players named 4A First-Team All-State. 14! As arguably the state’s top two-way player, Hinson was the best of the best. He caught 45 passes for 727 yards and 15 TD, completed 14 passes for 207 yards, rushed for 259 yards and made 110 tackles on defense. Whew! <strong>Moriarty: [player_tooltip player_id="138054" first="Erik" last="Wolf"]</strong>. How do you determine the MVP for team that possesses one of the most balanced rushing attacks in the state? Wolf led the under-the-radar Pintos in rushing with over 600 yards. <strong>Pojoaque Valley</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="198250" first="Dominic" last="Esquibel"]</strong>. The running back returned to the Santa Fe area from Colorado and made the most of his senior year, rushing for 1,496 yards and making a team-high 80 tackles on defense. Esquibel has the size (6-2, 225) and skills to play at the next level. <strong>Portales</strong>: <strong>Manny Chavez</strong>. And a freshman shall lead them? Yes. Chavez emerged this season as one of the top 2025 prospects in the state with 97 tackles and 6 TFL. You’ll hear a lot more about Chavez next season. <strong>Ruidoso</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26248" first="Braxton" last="Hall"]</strong>. Is is Braxton or Bracxton? I’ve seen it spelled both ways. Regardless, the senior RB was on fire this season, leading the Warriors to the Class 4A championship game. Hall rushed for 1,503 yards and 17 TD on offense and collected 79 tackles on defense. How’s this for a career? Hall rushed for 2,785 yards and 28 TD and made 200 tackles with 8 INT for Ruidoso. Hall of Fame career. <strong>Silver</strong>: <strong>Aiden Granado</strong>. The junior was one of the state’s top rushers with 1,632 yards on 147 carries, meaning his averaged 11.1 yards per carry. Impressive. Silver is a solid 2022 contender with Granado running the football as they join a new district with Grants, St. Pius X and Valencia. <strong>St. Pius X</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26257" first="Marco" last="Ybarra"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135303" first="Dominic" last="Esparza"]</strong>. The Sartans have two players worthy of being named MVP and the margin between them is razor-thin, so we’ll give the award to both. Ybarra cemented his college football credentials by rushing for nearly 1,500 yards, many of those between the tackles, and 22 TD. His academic credentials are impeccable, which is why he could attend an Ivy League school. Esparza was one of the top all around players in 4A with 45 receptions for 685 yards and 9 TD on offense. He was also one of the top kickoff and punt returners in the state. Overall, he amassed 1,625 all-purpose yards. <strong>Taos</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135114" first="Matthew" last="Suazo"]</strong>. Class 4A is filled with outstanding two-way players and Suazo is another one. In 10 games he rushed for close to 1,000 yards and 10 TD, and made 61 tackles on defense. <strong>Valencia</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135310" first="Jonathon" last="Croker"]</strong>. Overshadowed by neighbor Los Lunas, Croker and the Jaguars flew under the radar most of the season. But they finished 7-5 and reached the quarterfinals of the 4A playoffs. Croker is one of the top offensive linemen in the state, and he has the college offers to prove it (more on him next week). https://twitter.com/AndresAJRivera1/status/1466459661171773444 https://twitter.com/FanaticBobcat/status/1470589689291808773 https://twitter.com/CoachBranTheMan/status/1424911192263258120 https://twitter.com/lvtwildcatsfb/status/1470590598944014344 https://twitter.com/DomEsqui30/status/1471891100172312578 https://twitter.com/zakkt_33/status/1475917201144045569 https://twitter.com/marcoayb/status/1471972114219552780 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;