2022 Team Preview: Bernalillo Spartans

Bernalillo 2022 Preview   Head Coach: John Cobos               Mascot: Spartans                   Twitter: @BernalilloF; @j2cobos; @CoachMillerBHS; @jarmaine94; @jahvonmac;   Colors: Red, Gray and White                       2021 Record: 5-6 (4A Playoffs First Round)                              Overview: The No. 1 task for Bernalillo head coach John Cobos this summer was fixing an offense that scored seven or fewer points in six of the final seven games last season. He hired Barry Calloway as Bernalillo's new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='208750' first='Jacob' last='Pino'] returns as the starting quarterback after throwing for nearly 1,300 yards and 11 TD in 9 games last season. Pino suffered a late season injury, which forced [player_tooltip player_id='208791' first='Jahvon' last='McChriston'] into action before he suffered his own serious injury in the playoff game at Albuquerque Academy. With the speedy Pino healthy again (he's probably the 2nd fastest player on the team), the 6-foot-1, 175-pound McChriston will move back to tight end. He has already been offered as DE/OLB by New Mexico Highlands.     McChriston's younger brother, junior [player_tooltip player_id='275206' first='Mason' last='Espinda']-McChriston, is a star in the making at wide receiver based on what we witnessed during 7x7 season. He takes over the No. 1 WR role from the graduated Tristen Ludi-Herrera. Espinda-McChriston moves to ‘Z' receiver with junior [player_tooltip player_id='275601' first='Shawn' last='Armijo'] taking over at ‘X'. Armijo was a tight end and linebacker in 2021. Last season's leading rusher, David ‘Rocket' Llanez, returns as the No. 1 RB after gaining 575 yards and 5 TD on the ground in 2021.  Llanez – as you can probably guess from his nickname – is extremely fast. The backup RBs are senior Ricardo Pena and junior [player_tooltip player_id='275621' first='Diego' last='Molinar']. The Bernalillo coaches hope a three-headed monster develops at RB.   Senior OL/DL [player_tooltip player_id='138072' first='Michael' last='Ash'], a five-year starter, is one of the best and dominant two-way linemen in Class 4A. He had 61 tackles in 2021, including a staggering 24.0 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. He is one of 18 returning starters for Bernalillo in 2022. Senior center Jaiden Dayzie will help Ash, the right tackle, anchor the Spartans' offensive line. The Bernalillo defense, nicknamed the ‘Goon Squad,' is highlighted by arguably the top front seven in Class 4A. Six-foot-3 DE [player_tooltip player_id='269608' first='Daylen' last='Chosa'] (68 tackles in 2021) and Ash are a lethal combination in the trenches. The linebacker corps in Bernalillo's 3-4 scheme features [player_tooltip player_id='208791' first='Jahvon' last='McChriston'] at outside  linebacker with Molinar on the opposite side. The two main inside LBs are Eloy Vigil (118 tackles + 22.0 TFL in 2021)  and Armijo (62 tackles in 2021) with sophomore Lee Miller a key part of the rotation as well. He saw action as a freshman last season. The secondary is led by safety [player_tooltip player_id='275206' first='Mason' last='Espinda']-McChriston and sophomore Nate Encinias with Uriel Castro rotating into the lineup. The cornerbacks are [player_tooltip player_id='208790' first='Rocket' last='Llanez'] and Ricardo Pena.   Schedule: It will be a family affair in the opener when Bernalillo head coach John Cobos squares off against his uncle, Valley head coach Billy Cobos. Bernalillo face three schools from northern New Mexico during non-district play: Espanola Valley, Taos and Los Alamos. They also host three APS Class 5A schools: Valley, Del Norte and Highland. District play begins Oct. 14 with a tasty home matchup against defending Class 4A champions Lovington. That district (4A-4/6) is clearly the toughest in Class 4A.      Aug. 18 VALLEY (at Cleveland)   Aug. 26 at Espanola Valley   Sept. 2 DEL NORTE   Sept. 9 HIGHLAND   Sept. 16 at Moriarty   Sep. 23 TAOS   Sept. 30 at Los Alamos   Oct. 7 Bye   Oct. 14 LOVINGTON*   Oct. 21 at Portales*   Oct. 28 ALBUQUERQUE ACADEMY*   * District Game   Top Storyline: How far will a stout defense and an improving offense carry Bernalillo in this year's Class 4A race?   Final Thoughts: After years of struggling, Bernalillo football appears to be on the rise thanks in large part to a talented senior class. The Spartans are aiming for their fourth straight full season playoff appearance (2018-19, 2021). If they make it, the defense will undoubtedly have a significant role. The Bernalillo D was nasty a season ago and they promise to be nasty again. Just like last season, don't expect Bernalillo to be involved in many offensive shootouts. The defense is simply too good. If the offense shows some life, the Spartans could make a deep run in the Class 4A playoffs.           Coach's Comments: “The biggest change we made is our new offensive coordinator. We had the same offensive coordinator for a lot of years. But this year I made some changes, moved some people around and promoted from within my staff. We're excited to roll out the new offense with Coach Calloway. We have to score points. We lost six games last year, five of them when we didn't give up more than 14 points. We've been working hard this offseason to find ways to score more points on offense. We're very excited about the defense. It kept us in ballgames last year. We're right there in the mix. We feel our front seven is going to take away opponent's game plans and force them to throw the football. Then we hope our secondary holds up. We have athletes there.” – Bernalillo coach John Cobos.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/jahvonmac/status/1556401668350099456 </div></figure>     <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/j2cobos/status/1535482671479939072 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/jarmaine94/status/1555572504583778304 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BernalilloF/status/1550674026908897281 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BernalilloF/status/1558561653439967232 </div></figure>

Bernalillo 2022 Preview