2022 Team Preview: Albuquerque Academy Chargers
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<p><strong>Albuquerque Academy 2022 Preview</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Head Coach</strong>: Shaun Gehres </p>
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<p><strong>Mascot</strong>: Chargers </p>
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<p><strong>Twitter</strong>: @AAChargersFball; @CoachGehres; @AndresAJRivera1; @KellanGehres23; @BrodyWhitaker2</p>
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<p><strong>Colors</strong>: Red and Black </p>
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<p><strong>2021 Record</strong>: 9-3 (Class 4A Quarterfinals) </p>
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<p><strong>Overview</strong>: After seeing a 9-win season end in the Class 4A quarterfinals last November, Albuquerque Academy is primed for a championship run behind one of the top offensive trios in the state (Click HERE) – quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='137884' first='A.J.' last='Rivera']</strong>, wide receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='137928' first='Kellan' last='Gehres']</strong> and power running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138056' first='Cole' last='Conway'] </strong>- and a defense led by junior linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275045' first='Brody' last='Whitaker']</strong>. The Chargers are ranked No. 2 behind Lovington in Class 4A in the Max Preps preseason poll and the newly released preseason coaches poll.</p>
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<p>Rivera threw for over 2,500 yards and 23 TD and completed 70 percent of his passes in 2021. Rivera, a four-year starter, has spent countless hours this offseason improving his decision-making and recognizing defenses. Gehres caught 67 passes for 1,111 yards and 12 TD. Conway rushed for 1,037 yards and 17 TD, and is expected to see action at tight end as well. Whitaker made 72 tackles as a sophomore and has moved to linebacker in order to take better advantage of his speed, strength and mobility. All four aforementioned players will likely play at the next level. Gehres has a PWO offer from FCS Sacred Heart as well as multiple offers from Div. III schools in the Pacific Northwest.</p>
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<p>The No. 2 RB behind Conway is senior <strong>Rylee Bleicher</strong>, who averaged 6.5 yards per carry and scored 1 TD in limited duty last season. Promising junior <strong>Kenai Parker</strong> is poised to take over at RB next season. He got a lot of reps at the JV level last season. Who will be the No. 2 WR for the Chargers? Academy I expected to take a by-committee approach with junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590742' first='Carter' last='Speegle']</strong> expected to make a strong bid for the job along with senior <strong>Jaewon Choi</strong>. Senior <strong>Ben Montoya</strong> is another option. The job of the No. 2 WR fr Academy is simple: Be productive and dependable enough to make teams hesitant to double team Gehre.</p>
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<p>The experienced offensive line returns four starters: sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='416094' first='Ryan' last='Ramirez']</strong> (6-3, 250), freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853021' first='Isaiah' last='Rivera']</strong> (younger brother of A.J.; expected to start at center this season), senior <strong>Michael Hulett</strong> and Whitaker. Right now, Hulett is the lone returning senior expected to start for the Chargers, so Academy's O-Line looks to be in good shape for the next couple of seasons. Defensively, Academy will rotate between a three-man front and a four-man front. Besides the aforementioned offensive linemen, junior <strong>Sam Franco</strong> will line up at defensive end with 6-foot-5 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='380547' first='Spencer' last='Lyon']</strong> on the opposite side. Conway could play some DE because of his size and speed.</p>
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<p>Whitaker switches from D-Line to inside linebacker because of his ability to make plays and roam sideline-to-sideline. Last year, many teams ran the ball away from Whitaker, putting him out of the play. This year, that won't happen as much. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='238625' first='Dalton' last='Lee']</strong> will be the other inside LB. Lee, who made 66 tackles in 2021, enjoyed a strong camp season. Choi and <strong>Kiedis Connell</strong> are the outside linebackers. Parker, Speegle and <strong>Aidan Burdge</strong> will be in the mix as well. In the secondary, Gehres and Bleicher will be the cornerbacks with senior <strong>Landen Martinez</strong> expected to move to free safety. </p>
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<p><strong>Schedule</strong>:</p>
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<p>Aug. 18 at Rio Grande</p>
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<p>Aug. 27 MORIARTY (Sat.)</p>
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<p>Sept. 3 HOPE CHRISTIAN (Sat.)</p>
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<p>Sept. 9 BLOOMFIELD</p>
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<p>Sept. 16 at Capital</p>
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<p>Sept. 24 LOS ALAMOS (Sat.)</p>
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<p>Oct. 1 ST. PIUS X (Sat.)</p>
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<p>Oct. 7 Bye</p>
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<p>Oct. 14 PORTALES* (Fri., 3 p.m.)</p>
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<p>Oct. 21 at Lovington*</p>
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<p>Oct. 28 at Bernalillo*</p>
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<p>* District Game</p>
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<p><strong>Top Storyline</strong>: Led by a top-notch offensive trio, will Albuquerque Academy take the next step and emerge as a serious contender for the Class 4A title? </p>
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<p><strong>Final Thoughts</strong>: Many of Albuquerque Academy's best players are seniors, so it's ‘Go Time' for the Chargers. The offense should be as prolific as any in the state. The non-district matchups with Moriarty and Bloomfield should tell us a lot about Academy. Then Academy must compete with Bernalillo, Lovington and Portales in undoubtedly the top Class 4A district. All four teams could make the playoffs. Right now, the four teams in District 4A-4 are ranked No. 1 (Lovington), No. 2 (Albuq. Academy), No. 6 (Portales) and No. 8 (Bernalillo) in the MaxPreps preseason 4A ranking. All 4 teams are ranked in the Top 10 of the 4A preseason coaches poll. The Oct. 21 Academy-Lovington matchup has the potential to be the Class 4A Game of the Year if both teams hold serve in the first 9 weeks f the season. </p>
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<p><strong>Coach's Comments</strong>: “One thing we learned from last year is our guys can compete game-to-game. We can hang with most teams, even if we're undersized or undermanned. Our guys learned about the importance and impact of the weight room, which is something they perhaps didn't realize in previous years. This year, our guys have been very committed because they saw how we competed against most teams.” - Albuquerque Academy coach Shaun Gehres.</p>
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Albuquerque Academy 2022 Preview
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