2022 Team Preview: Clovis Wildcats
Photo: Twitter
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<p><strong>Clovis 2022 Preview</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Head Coach</strong>: Andrew McCraw </p>
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<p><strong>Mascot</strong>: Wildcats </p>
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<p><strong>Twitter</strong>: @coachmccraw; @robertnora8; @kashhh02; @jett23995477; @Greg_Cordova_71; @SemajSatchel</p>
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<p><strong>Colors</strong>: Purple and White </p>
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<p><strong>2021 Record</strong>: 3-7 </p>
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<p><strong>Overview</strong>: A lot of things are new at Clovis under first-year head coach Andrew McCraw, including the offensive scheme. McCraw was an Eastern New Mexico assistant under former Greyhounds head coach Kelley Lee, who ran the flexbone offense during his successful tenure in Portales. The flexbone is a version of the triple option. Translation: Clovis is going to play a physical brand of football with a major emphasis on the ground game. The new quarterback will be junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275376' first='Jett' last='Stone']</strong>, who mostly played wide receiver and defensive back last season. Stone is a great athlete, quick and possesses a high football IQ, exactly what McCraw is looking for to run his flexbone scheme. He's also a good passer when the Wildcats choose to throw the ball.</p>
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<p>The flexbone features three running backs: fullback and two in the slot. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275303' first='Kash' last='Roberts']</strong> is the fullback while junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275425' first='Josh' last='Mondragon']</strong> has worked out at both fullback and slotback. Seniors <strong>Cam Dickson</strong> and <strong>J.D. Burton</strong> are in the mix along with several promising young players. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138039' first='Robert' last='Nora']</strong> led Clovis in receiving yardage last season, and enters the new season as the No. 1 pass catcher. Most of the Wildcats' passing game will flow from play-action. When Nora is double-teamed, that should open up space for the ground game. Clovis, though, definitely plans to take advantage of Nora's skill set catching the ball. Nora might play some slot running back as well. Th running backs are also big targets in the flexbone scheme.</p>
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<p>Six-foot-4, 315-pound senior <strong>Braxton Masters</strong> anchors the offensive line from his guard spot. Juniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1103208' first='Aiden' last='Brown'], [player_tooltip player_id='275427' first='Jeremiah' last='Johnson']</strong> and senior <strong>Gregorio Cordova</strong> join him. Johnson played defensive tackle in 2021. Defensively, explosive DE <strong>Samej Satchel</strong> enjoyed a solid junior campaign (7.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks) in 2021 and looks to take his game to the next level. He is an excellent pass rusher. Johnson will play both ways. Clovis plans to utilize a lot of guys on the D-Line. At linebacker, Clovis must replace the graduated Manuel Bustillos (100+ tackles in 2021). Mondragon will also play both ways and should be a very good LB in the Wildcats' 3-3-5 scheme. He has emerged as one of Clovis' defensive leaders. Promising junior <strong>Kohen Matus</strong> got some experience last season and eyes an increased role in 2022.</p>
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<p>In the secondary, cornerback is wide open<strong>. </strong>Sophomore <strong>Kyrese Phillips</strong> is a leading candidate to claim a starting job. Stone could see action at CB besides playing QB in the flexbone. <strong>Shawn Schiller</strong> will play CB too. Burton, Nora and Roberts are the safeties while senior <strong>Matthew Cruz</strong> has potential.</p>
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<p><strong>Schedule</strong>: Clovis has a road-heavy schedule in the first four weeks of the season with trips to Hobbs, Amarillo (TX) and Carlsbad. But they play just one game on the road in October. Between Sept. 16 and Oct. 20, the Wildcats play four of five games at home. Clovis was placed in a new 6A district by the NMAA along with Albuquerque High, Capital, Los Lunas and Santa Fe. </p>
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<p>Aug. 19 at Hobbs</p>
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<p>Aug. 26 CANYON (TX)</p>
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<p>Sept. 2 at Amarillo (TX) Randall</p>
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<p>Sept. 9 at Carlsbad</p>
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<p>Sept. 16 ELDORADO</p>
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<p>Sept. 23 ROSWELL</p>
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<p>Sept. 30 at Albuquerque High*</p>
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<p>Oct. 7 SANTA FE*</p>
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<p>Oct. 14 Bye</p>
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<p>Oct. 20 CAPITAL*</p>
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<p>Oct. 28 at Los Lunas</p>
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<p>* District Game</p>
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<p><strong>Top Storyline</strong>: How will Clovis fare with a new head coach and new offensive scheme as they battle to regain their stature as one of the top programs in the state? </p>
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<p><strong>Final Thoughts</strong>: Everything was set up perfectly in 2020 for Clovis to compete for the Class 6A state championship. They had the best quarterback in the state (Chance Harris), the best running back (Jeston Webskowski), a top notch offensive line, a FBS prospect at defensive end and much more. Most likely, Clovis was the only team that could have gone toe-to-toe with Cleveland. But then the Covid pandemic struck, the 2020 fall season was postponed and Harris enrolled early at Colorado State. You can make a reasonable argument Clovis hasn't been the same since. They have struggled offensively to score points, registering 14 or fewer points six times in 10 games last season. Enter McCraw, who brings an entirely new offensive system to Clovis. Is this the tonic the Wildcats needed to get back on track after a rough 2021? We'll find out.</p>
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<p><strong>Coach's Comments</strong>: “June is a tough time to start but it's a lot better than July 18 like I did last year. It took a while to get some coaches. The kids have adapted well. They are pretty resilient. When we got here we asked them to work hard and that's what they've done. People have been real good to me, so I have no complaints. There are only a few true blueblood programs in the state of New Mexico and Clovis is definitely one of them. It's a great program with great kids and great community support. This was definitely a challenge worth taking. We have a tough schedule but it will prepare us for district. It will take some time to get things right. Our guys are still learning. We have an idea of who can play. Hopefully, by the time district rolls around, we'll know what we have.” – Clovis coach Andrew MCraw. </p>
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<p> </p>
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Clovis 2022 Preview
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