Prospects Primed to Blow Up in 2022 (Part 1)

We’re about 4-1/2 months from the start of preseason camp for all New Mexico high school football teams. Here are 5 players (Part 1) we believe are primed to blow up in 2022. Don’t be surprised if these players are household names by November. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="269871" first="Taven" last="Lozada"], St. Michael’s</strong>: We told you about Lozada back in December. He transferred from Santa Fe High School to St. Michael’s before the 2021 season. He petitioned the NMAA for immediate eligibility, but was denied. As a result, he had to play JV last fall. Well, the 6-foot-5 Lozada dominated. He hopes to do the same at the varsity level in 2022 when he’s a senior. With his size and skill set, he’ll play at the next level. Our pick for 2022 Breakout Player of the Year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="269612" first="Leonard" last="Archuleta"], Taos</strong>: Possessing a 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame, Archuleta was one of the top defensive ends in Class 4A in 2021. Now he’s ready to become one of the top defensive ends in the state. He finished the 2021 season with 63 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble. The Taos defense should be solid with Archuleta on the field in 2022. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="274977" first="Andres" last="Aguirre"], Cleveland</strong>: High school football aficionados in the Albuquerque Metro Area know about Aguirre because he had excellent seasons for Albuquerque High last spring and fall, rushing for close to 1,200 yards in 12 games. Now he gets to carry the ball for the state’s #1 program. He’ll split carries with [player_tooltip player_id="138204" first="Josh" last="Perry"], but Aguirre  could be on the verge of something special. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="275049" first="Joshua" last="Carrasco"], Lovington</strong>: Carrasco had one of the best season nobody knew about in 2021 when as a sophomore he made 87 tackles for a Lovington defense that played a pivotal role in the Wildcats’ Class 4A championship run. But Carrasco was overshadowed by Lovington’s prolific offense (led by the trio of senior receivers) and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="135336" first="Joseph" last="Perez"] (137 tackles). In fact, Carrasco’s 87 tackles were just fourth highest on the team. This coming season, Carrasco will be one of the leaders of the Wildcats defense. <strong>Andres Alvarado, Hobbs</strong>: With many of its top performers returning in 2022, the Hobbs defense could enjoy a monster season. If they do, Alvarado will likely be major reason why. He proved at a camp in Denver this past weekend that he’s ready to take his game to the next level after making 41 total tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss and 7 QB hurries in 2021. https://twitter.com/TavenLozada/status/1507737215203516426 https://twitter.com/LeonardArchule5/status/1504008691472900098 https://twitter.com/AndresGAguirre6/status/1486829669827624967 https://twitter.com/carrasc16/status/1500585391186870273 https://twitter.com/coachwes_23/status/1508613745576226817 &nbsp;