Growing Up Fast: Top 2025 Prospects In New Mexico, Part 1

Over the past month, we’ve released updated rankings for the 2022 ad 2023 classes and the first rankings for the 2024 class. Now we tell you some of the top 2025 prospects (rising sophomores) in New Mexico. Many of these players enjoyed solid freshman seasons and proved they belonged on the varsity: C.J. Perea, West Las Vegas: If there is an early leader in the clubhouse for New Mexico’s No. 1 2025 prospect, Perea would be the choice. He was one of the top players in Class 3A last season, throwing for 2,229 yards and 24 TD in 11 games. As we’ve mentioned before, he’s also a fearless runner. WLV has its QB for the next three seasons. Mason Posa, La Cueva: Posa was overshadowed by a pair of FBS signees (Hunter Haemker signed with UNM; [player_tooltip player_id="265002" first="Deven" last="Dyer"] signed with NM State) but he finished fourth on La Cueva in tackles.  The top three were all seniors. This will be Posa’s defense for the next three seasons. He’s already listed at 6-foot-2. If he brows a few more inches, he’ll be a coveted  D1 prospec.t Latavious Morris, Atrisco Heritage: The Jaguars have some impressive young talent with Morris as the headliner. He was Atrisco’s top receiver. Most of the Jaguars’ key weapons on offense return in 2022. Ondalis Cardenas, Lovington: Not only did the Wildcats have the best receiving corps in Class 4A (if not the state), Cardenas proved himself as the top young running back in the classification. He rushed for 771 yards and 11 TD in 10 games. He should be a 1,000 yards rusher in 2022. Jesse James Gonzales, Robertson: Not only does he have the best name in New Mexico high school football, he’s an outstanding young running back as well. His older brother Matthew just led Robertson to the 3A title. Jesse James was the featured running back for the Cardinals and combined with his older brother for over 2,000 rushing yards. Manny Chavez, Portales: Few freshmen come close to 100 tackles over the course of the season, but that’s what Chavez did. He had 97 tackles and 6 TFL for the Rams. He’s already close to 6 feet tall, so by the time he’s s senior he should have added three or four inches. If he does (and continues to rack up tackles), he’ll be a major college prospect. Randon Matthews, Kirtland Central: In addition to averaging 8 yards per carry on offense, Matthew made 49 tackles on defense from his linebacker spot. He’ll be one of the top players in the Four Corners in 2022. Jedrick Jozwiak, Taos: Jozwiak is hidden in the mountains in northern New Mexico, so folks in the larger metro areas probably haven’t heard of him. But he enjoyed a solid freshman campaign in 2021 with 37 tackles in 8 games. He’s already listed at 6-foot-2, so he could be a monster by the time he’s a senior. Alec Holguin, Lovington: Here’s the second half of Lovington’s dynamic freshman RB duo. Holguin didn’t put up the rushing numbers Cardenas did, but he still contributed to the Wildcats’ offense. Watching Holguin and Cardenas do their thing over the next three seasons is going to be a lot of fun. Alex Lopez, Highland: The Hornets were one of the youngest teams in the state and Lopez was one of the sparkplugs. He played quarterback and running back on offense, rushing for nearly 250 yards, and lined upon defense as well. Highland took their lumps in 2021 but a lot of promising young players gained valuable experience, and that could pay dividends in 2022. https://twitter.com/CoachCarlos62/status/1485721348164898816 https://twitter.com/MasonPosa/status/1457572373226528770 https://twitter.com/lvtwildcatsfb/status/1466497100951302147