2022 Team Preview: West Mesa Mustangs

West Mesa 2022 Preview Head Coach: Landrick Brody Mascot: Mustangs Twitter: @mesa_school; @WestMesaHS; @elijahobrody; @chris_2_shifty Colors: Royal Blue, Red & White 2021 Record: 3-6 Overview: As it turns out, the Brody family was a package deal for West Mesa High School. First, Landrick Brody was named head coach in January. Four months later, when the 20231-22 school year ended, son [player_tooltip player_id="275488" first="Elijah" last="Brody"] transferred from Cleveland, where he was the backup QB to [player_tooltip player_id="139521" first="Evan" last="Wysong"] as a sophomore in 2021 (and would have likely been the backup again in 2022). Brody stands about 6-3, possesses a high football IQ and, as he has proven during 7x7 season, is very capable of making all the throws, so look for the Mustangs to fire the ball around the field. How high is Brody’s ceiling? He has yet to start a varsity game but he has already been offered by New Mexico Highlands. Brody has a talented group of receivers to throw to as well, led by the charismatic and fearless senior [player_tooltip player_id="138047" first="Chris" last="Johnson"], one of the top receivers in the Albuquerque metro region. Johnson runs precise routes, has great hands, elite speed and can leap to the moon. His jumping ability makes him a lot taller than his 5-foot-7 frame suggests. Senior Chris Jinzo is another talented WR for the Mustangs. He will likely play the role of West Mesa’s possession receiver. When you add senior Robert Ramirez, junior [player_tooltip player_id="340311" first="Ricky" last="Martinez"], 6-foot-2, 215-pound junior TE Marcus Sharp and junior Elias Gutierrez into the mix, you understand the dilemma for opposing defenses. Wide receiver depth is definitely the strength of West Mesa’s offense. Landrick Brody say the Mustangs have six receivers who could see significant action. The top running back is Elijah Espinoza, a 5-foot-10, 200-pounder with elusiveness. West Mesa plans to run a zone read scheme and Espinoza has the size to flourish in that system. The offensive line struggled in 2021 and improvement at that position has been a major priority for Brody since taking over as head coach. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="138048" first="Brandon" last="Brewton"] will be the anchor. Promising 6-foot-4 junior tackle Javier Marquez has enormous potential. Defensively, senior DL Amine Gallegos earned all-district honors in 2021 but is flying under the radar. He’s explosive and can multiple positions along the defensive front and linebacker. Sharp will play DE. The secondary looks to be the strength of the West Mesa defense. Twins Zebadiah Thompson and Zedekiah Thompson, both of whom have been offered by Eastern New Mexico, have excellent range and are extremely athletic. Safety/Nickel [player_tooltip player_id="274992" first="Tavon" last="Archibald"] has thrived in 7-on-7 since the early spring with NM Legacy and NM Heat, He brings good size and technique to the secondary. Schedule: New Mustangs head coach Landrick Brody will make his Mustangs coaching debut on Thur., Aug. 18 against Santa Fe at Nusenda Community Stadium. It is one of six games West Mesa will play on Thur. night this season. District play begins Oct. 6 against Class 6A newcomer Farmington. West Mesa doesn’t leave the Albuquerque Metro area this season. Aug. 18 SANTA FE (Thur.) Aug. 26 VOLCANO VISTA Sept. 2 at Cibola Sept. 9 at Albuquerque High Sept. 16 at Atrisco Heritage Sept. 23 Bye Sept. 29 at Sandia (Thur.)* Oct. 6 FARMINGTON* (Thur.) Oct. 13 LA CUEVA* (Thur.) Oct. 20 RIO GRANDE (Thur.) Oct. 27 at Eldorado (Thur.)* * District Game Top Storyline: After a disappointing season in 2021, will West Mesa turn their fortunes around with a new head coach, new quarterback and, most importantly, a new culture? Final Thoughts: One of Landrick Brody’s most important tasks since taking over as head coach has been changing the mindset and culture of a program that has experienced just one winning season since 2012 (excluding the shortened spring 2021 campaign). Certainly, he has the pieces in place to do that in 2022 with his talented son at QB and one of the deepest WR corps in the state. Without a doubt, West Mesa has the talent to compete. But it always takes more than just talent to win football games. There’s a huge difference between expecting to win and hoping to win. Right now, West Mesa is trying to cross that bridge. Coach’s Comments: “Coaching my son is definitely a positive, something anybody would want to do. He has done a good job blending in well with the kids we have. He has developed a nice IQ for the game. He will be a great asset for our program. He learned a lot at Cleveland under Coach Ridenour that he can carry throughout his high school career but possibly at the next level. He understands coverages well. He can use his legs pretty well. He makes good decisions whether to pull (the ball down and run) or throw. I did watch a lot of film from last year and offensive line definitely is one of our biggest needs for improvement. We’re trying to get that intact before we start. We have some defensive backs who can matchup against some of the great receivers we’re going to see on our schedule. Right now we’re just looking to put our program in position to be competitive every week. Our guys are trying to understand the proper aspects of a culture. They have to play for and with each other, and it works better when they work together.” – West Mesa coach Landrick Brody. https://twitter.com/chris_2_shifty/status/1538686238990905344 https://twitter.com/elijahobrody/status/1507911682672185348 https://twitter.com/chris_2_shifty/status/1537843821702090752 https://twitter.com/rickymtz11_/status/1537445761251651584 https://twitter.com/chris_jinzo/status/1538686137157316609