2022 Team Preview: Roswell Coyotes

<strong>Roswell 2022 Preview</strong> <strong>Head Coach</strong>: Jeff Lynn <strong>Mascot</strong>: Coyotes <strong>Twitter</strong>: @CoyotesRising; @JeffJefflynn1 <strong>Colors</strong>: Dark Crimson, Black &amp; White <strong>2021 Record</strong>: 5-6 (Class 5A Quarterfinals) <strong>Overview</strong>: Roswell has been a run-dominated team under Jeff Lynn (65-35 run-pass ratio in 2021) for most season but the Coyotes could throw the ball more this season with talented junior <strong>Manny Fuentez</strong> holding a sizeable edge in the quarterback battle going into preseason camp. Junior <strong>Peyton Kennard</strong> is involved in the competition as well. If he doesn’t win the job, Kennard will likely move to fullback. Because Fuentez can make all the throws and is extremely accurate, he has the potential to become one of the top quarterbacks in the state. And he’s pretty fast too, running the 40 in about 4.6 seconds. Five-foot-10, 195-pound junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="340165" first="Bryce" last="Sanchez"]</strong> started at running as a sophomore last season and looks to continue where he left off in 2021. He rushed for nearly 900 yards a season ago and finished third in his weight class at the state powerlifting championships. He’s a physical back that’s not afraid of contact. <strong>Christian Hernandez</strong> will get some carries as well after missing most of last season with an injury. Just like Sanchez, he’s fast and strong. He qualified for the state track meet in the 100. Appropriate Roswell refers to Sanchez and Hernandez as ‘Thunder and Lightning.’ Wide receiver is Roswell’s biggest question mark offensively. The Coyotes have five or six player vying for starting spots this summer and the competition will probably last into preseason camp. <strong>Josh Estrada</strong> and <strong>Sebastian Mendoza</strong> return at slot receiver. One of them could move to outside receiver, though. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138207" first="Remi" last="Villa"]</strong> anchors the offensive line and is one of three returning starters. He’s a next level prospect at either OL or DL. Center <strong>Lucius Moore</strong> is back as well as guard <strong>Jesus Campos</strong>. Defensively, the Coyotes lost outstanding DL Jeff Irish to graduation but the back seven returns en masse. They all have two things in common: they can run and they’re physical. DE <strong>Jorge Gomez</strong> and DT <strong>Sylvester Lomeli</strong> return to the D-Line. All-state LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="270046" first="Jorge" last="Chavez"]</strong> is back to lead the second level of Roswell’s defense. <strong>Kelvin Alarcon</strong> will be the middle LB again. In the secondary, <strong>Jeremiah Moriel</strong> will be one of the cornerbacks along with <strong>Wesley Gallegos</strong>. Both started as sophomores in 2021. The two safeties will be <strong>Kaiden George</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="335468" first="Adrian" last="Anaya"]</strong>, who might be the best college prospect on the team. He has good size (5-10, 185 pounds) and great speed (4.5 in  the 40) and can cover receivers like a blanket. <strong>Schedule</strong>: Before district play begins, the 2022 schedule for Roswell features contests against traditional geographic rivals such as Lovington, Hobbs, Carlsbad and Clovis (latter three opponents are 6A schools), but also intriguing matchups with Santa Fe, Los Lunas and Piedra Vista. Their new look district in Class 5A will be one of the toughest in the state regardless of classification with the addition of Mayfield. Aug. 19 LOVINGTON Aug. 26 at Santa Fe Sept. 2 HOBBS Sept. 9 at Los Lunas Sept. 16 CARLSBAD Sept. 23 at Clovis Sept. 30 PIEDRA VISTA Oct. 7 Bye Oct. 14 at Artesia* Oct. 21 at Mayfield* Oct. 28 GODDARD* * District Game <strong>Top Storyline</strong>: With a roster largely intact from last season, will Roswell again secure a top four seed playing a very challenging schedule featuring matchups against five Class 6A Schools and three tough district foes? <strong>Final Thoughts</strong>: Roswell won consecutive Class 5A championships in 2018 and 2019 and then bounced back strongly from an 0-4 start to grab the district championship and a top four seed in the 5A playoffs. The Coyotes are a proud program that knows how to win. The pieces seem to be in place for another run to the playoffs in 2022. The back seven on defense is the strength of the team, which is saying something.  The Coyotes’ offensive philosophy is simple: they’re coming right at you. Now that they have a QB who has proven he can throw the football accurately and with some zip, the run-pass ratio this season could be different from previous seasons. 50-50? Maybe. <strong> </strong><strong>Coach’s Comments</strong>: “We were very young and inexperienced last year. We ended up starting six sophomores. We had just three seniors playing on offense and two on defense. It was the youngest team we’ve had in a while. We played a rough schedule as we always do. We got off to a slow start but the kids kept getting better. After we got a top four seed, our youth caught up with us in the playoffs. But when you combine the experience our young guys got on varsity last year with the fact our JV team went 8-0 and our freshmen team was 9-0, it bodes pretty well for the future. Coming out of the spring testing, this is our fastest team we’ve had, on paper.” – Roswell coach Jeff Lynn. https://twitter.com/mannyfuentez0/status/1535759629648441345 https://twitter.com/CoyotesRising/status/1535260584014278656 https://twitter.com/BryceSanchez_/status/1527312691550793728 https://twitter.com/anaya1k/status/1517991226284429315 https://twitter.com/mannyfuentez0/status/1540759749360115713