2022 Team Preview: Los Lunas Tigers
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<p><strong>Los Lunas 2022 Preview</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Head Coach</strong>: Greg Henington </p>
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<p><strong>Mascot</strong>: Tigers </p>
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<p><strong>Twitter</strong>: @LosLunasFB; @GregHenington; @CieremansPaul</p>
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<p><strong>Colors</strong>: Orange and Blue </p>
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<p><strong>2021 Record</strong>: 13-0 (Class 5A Champions)</p>
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<p><strong>Overview: </strong>How Los Lunas fares after moving from Class 5A to 6A promises to be one of the most fascinating storylines of the 2022 season. The bad news for opponents? The Tigers have plenty of talent returning from the team that won the Class 5A title last November, capping off a perfect 13-0 season with a victory over Artesia. The key returner, of course, is dynamic dual threat quarterback <strong>Paul Cieremens</strong>, who accounted for nearly 2,900 yards and 40 TD as a junior in 2021. Cieremens' strength is definitely running the football but as he proved last season and again during 7x7 season, he can throw a pretty ball as well. He runs fearless and his 195-pound frame can take a lick from opposing defenders. Cieremens personifies Los Lunas' run-first offensive philosophy that's based on being physically tough. He's one of four returning Tigers to earn First Team All-State honors in 2021.</p>
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<p>When pre-season camp began on Aug. 1, the No. 1 running back was wide open. The contenders included senior <strong>Cash Aragon</strong>, who appeared to be the favorite. The coaches were eying him to seize the job based on his experience in the system. The other contenders were sophomore <strong>Emiliano De La Torre</strong> and senior <strong>Dustin Lujan</strong>. Following an injury to another receiver, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274796' first='Fabian' last='Trujillo']</strong> took his place and finished with 17 receptions for 402 yards (23.6 yards per catch) an 4 TD. After a great offseason, the junior is now poised to take his game to the next level. The outside receivers will be junior <strong>Ethan Baca </strong>(18 receptions in 2021) and 6-foot-1 sophomore <strong>Jalin Holland</strong>, a basketball standout who had 14 receptions as a freshman in 2021.</p>
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<p>Two-year starter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274794' first='Jasiah' last='Baca']</strong>, a 275-pound junior, anchors the offensive line from his center spot. Senior tackle [player_tooltip player_id='270044' first='Casey' last='Herrell'] and 295-pound senior <strong>David Perea </strong>return to the O-Line as well. The defensive line will be led by senior NT Joseph Trujillo, sophomore <strong>Gage Marquez</strong> (started in state championship game as a freshman), <strong>Dominic Caldwell</strong> and senior <strong><a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/diego-gutierrez/eJPQoezwEeyA0wqb9tl3hA/default.htm">Diego Gutierrez</a></strong>. The undisputed leader of the Los Lunas defense is senior MLB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208831' first='Miguel' last='Andrade']</strong>, who made 102 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss last season. The remaining LB pots are up for grabs. A strong candidate to win one of those jobs is senior <strong>Gabe Castillo</strong>. Senior <strong>Nico Torres</strong> returns to spearhead the secondary after collecting 81 tackles, 4 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles in 2021. He'll be joined by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274795' first='Dominic' last='Trujillo']</strong>, twin brother of Fabian, and promising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274991' first='Jason' last='Ussery']</strong>, who excelled on the 7x7 circuit for NM Legacy this past spring.</p>
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<p>Don't look for Los Lunas to lose many special teams battle this season because the Tigers have arguably the top kicker in the state in senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='335475' first='Kaden' last='Bell']</strong>. As he proved during Wednesday night's scrimmage at Rio Rancho, Bell booms the ball, whether it's field goals, kickoffs or punts. The ball explodes off his foot. Out of his 84 kickoffs last season, he had 61 touchbacks. He also averaged close to 37 yards per punt. With his strong leg, Los Lunas will be in scoring range whenever they cross the opponents' 30-yard line. </p>
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<p><strong>Schedule</strong>: We'll find out in September if Los Lunas can stick with some of the best teams in Class 6A. After road tests at local rival Belen and Alamogordo to open the season, the Tigers face fellow Class 6A newcomer Farmington, La Cueva and Cibola in September. Los Lunas should be favored to win its district (6A-5) which includes Albuquerque High, Capital, Clovis and Santa Fe. Interestingly, Los Lunas faces the three other schools moving from 5A to 6A: Alamogordo, Farmington and Capital. The Tigers also face former Belen head coach Andrew McCraw in the regular season finale.</p>
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<p>Aug. 19 at Belen</p>
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<p>Aug. 26 at Alamogordo</p>
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<p>Sept. 2 FARMINGTON</p>
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<p>Sept. 9 ROSWELL</p>
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<p>Sept. 16 LA CUEVA</p>
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<p>Sept. 24 at Cibola (Sat.)</p>
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<p>Sept. 30 at Capital*</p>
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<p>Oct. 7 ALBUQUERQUE HIGH*</p>
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<p>Oct. 14 at Santa Fe*</p>
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<p>Oct. 21 Bye</p>
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<p>Oct. 28 CLOVIS*</p>
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<p>* District Game</p>
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<p><strong>Top Storyline</strong>: After winning the Class 5A title in 2021, how will Los Lunas fare in its maiden voyage in Class 6A?</p>
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<p><strong>Final Thoughts</strong>: Based on population trends, Los Lunas' move to Class 6A, the state's largest classification, is likely permanent. In short, Los Lunas is now one of the ‘big boys' of New Mexico high school football. With Paul Cieremens at quarterback and a solid supporting cast, the Tigers are capable of beating anybody on their schedule. Their contests against Farmington, La Cueva, Cibola and Clovis will be ‘must watch' high school football. The Tigers were placed in a favorable district and should rightly be considered as strong favorites to win their district and earn a spot in the Class 6A playoffs. </p>
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<p><strong>Coach's Comments</strong>: “The 6A decision was completely out of our control, so we accepted that a long time ago. Right now, we've just got to play football. Our motto this year is ‘Line ‘Em Up' because it exemplifies that (the 6A) decision was made for us. So, we're just going to continue playing football and continue to do what we do – working hard to be successful. We've played some pretty tough teams in 5A such as Roswell, Goddard and Artesia. We definitely know the challenges that are coming and we're excited about that. Our kids are confident but they're not naïve about what it's going to take to get after the top teams in 6A. Overall, our schedule is perfect for a team transitioning into 6A. We should be battle tested when district play begins.” – Los Lunas coach Greg Henington. </p>
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Los Lunas 2022 Preview
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