2022 Team Preview: Volcano Vista Hawks

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Volcano Vista 2022 Preview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Head Coach</strong>: Chad Wallin &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mascot</strong>: Hawks &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Twitter</strong>: @vvhsfootball; @CoachWallin</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Colors</strong>: Black, Platinum and White &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2021 Record</strong>: 7-5 (Class 6A quarterfinals) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Overview</strong>: With Volcano Vista alum Diego Pavia close to securing the starting quarterback job at New Mexico State after leading NMMI to the JUCO national championship last fall, the spotlight is shining brightly on the Hawks' QB position. Josh Gerardo, last season's starting QB, threw for 2,713 yards and 26 TD in  his only season as the Hawk's starting signal caller. In 2019, Pavia led Volcano Vista to an unbeaten regular season and the No. 1 seed in the 6A playoffs, accounting nearly 2,000 total yards. Thus, new starting QB  <strong>Eliot Paskett-Bell</strong> has large shoes to fill. But he seems up to the task after throwing for 900 yards and 6 TD as Gerardo's backup and catching 20 passes in 2021. Paskett-Bell is familiar with being in the spotlight. The 6-foot-3 Paskett-Bell, a triple threat in 2021, is very athletic, has great size and should add a different dimension to the Hawks' offense with his ability to run with the football.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Volcano Vista's leading rusher in 2021 was a senior (Nico Salazar), so somebody new will take over that role. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274709' first='Alijah' last='Gonzales']</strong>, also an elite linebacker, looks to have the inside track to claiming the job. The talented Gonzales has a high football IQ. He averaged 7.0 yards per carry in limited action at RB last season but had several carries in the playoff loss to La Cueva. Behind Gonzales, the RB role will largely be by committee with <strong>Christian Rey</strong> involved. But Gonzales should get the majority of the carries as Volcano Vista looks to boost its ground game from a season ago. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hawks must replace the dynamic WR duo of Kaden Valdez and Kieran Cordova, who combined for 114 receptions and nearly 2,400 receiving yards. Cordova's younger brother, <strong>Tristen Cordova</strong>, is now one of the headliners at the position. He runs track and catches the ball well. Senior <strong>Isaiah Crespin</strong> will also take on a larger role. Behind them are several juniors: speedy slot receiver <strong>Aden Cardiel</strong>, <strong>Tyler Stuart</strong> and 6-foot-1, 185-pound <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274989' first='Juelz' last='Hartzog']</strong>, who could also play outside linebacker. Volcano Vista must replace four of five offensive line starters from last season, including Izaiyah John, who is walking on at New Mexico. But the Volcano Vista coaching staff is confident plenty of size and talent remains. Center <strong>Steven Torres</strong> returns to anchor the O-Line after starting six games last season. <strong>Anthony Ortiz</strong> is back after having his 2021 season short circuited after four games due to an injury.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively, Volcano Vista must replace our Class 6A Defensive Player of the Year, LB Tyler Martinez. He finished with over 140 tackles. The only returning starter at ILB is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='269622' first='Nathan' last='Wallin']</strong>, son of head coach Chad Wallin. Gonzales had a great [player_tooltip player_id='269622' first='Nathan' last='Wallin'] will shift to Martinez's former spot and anchor the LB corps. <strong>Conrad Black</strong> will start at weakside LB. <strong>Carlos Lozoya</strong> will line up in the middle. Promising junior <strong>Kian Vanderwilt</strong> shifts from DE to LB. Gonzales had a great season at outside linebacker in 2021 and he'll return to that spot. <strong>Hunter Martinez</strong> moves from free safety to outside linebacker after a solid sophomore campaign.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hawk coaches plan to rotate six to eight players along the D-Line, making it one of the deepest positions on the team. Senior <strong>Latrell Treadwell</strong>, senior <strong>Marcus Perea</strong> and junior <strong>Zachary Markham</strong> will likely be the three starters in Volcano Vista's 3-3-5 scheme. In the secondary, free safety <strong>Gabe Pino</strong> is one of four returning starters on the defense. <strong>Joseph Quijano</strong> finally gets his chance at cornerback following the graduation of four seniors at that position. Senior <strong>Joseph</strong> <strong>Gomez</strong> is the likely starter at the opposite CB spot, giving the Hawks two new corners. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Schedule</strong>: Volcano Vista&nbsp; opens the season by hosting Las Cruces as the Bulldawgs make their annual trip to Albuquerque. Four consecutive road games follow, although three against Duke City schools. The lone lengthy trip is a Week 3 journey to Carlsbad. After that, the Hawks stay in the Albuquerque Metro region. District play begins Sept. 30 at Cleveland. The Hawks will again have to maneuver through the toughest district in the state. They may be the only school in&nbsp; the state that faces Las Cruces, La Cueva, Cleveland and Rio Rancho. Challenging, to say the least. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 19 LAS CRUCES</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 26 at West Mesa</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 2 at Carlsbad</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 9 at La Cueva</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 16 at Sandia</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 23 ELDORADO</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 30 at Cleveland*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 7 CIBOLA*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 14 Bye</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 21 at Rio Rancho*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 28 ATRISCO HERITAGE*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>* District Game</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Storyline</strong>: With new players in prominent positions, will Volcano Vista continue its winning ways?&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Final Thoughts</strong>: Volcano Vista is 29-10 over the past four seasons, making the Hawks one of the winningest programs in Albuquerque. But now the Hawks coaching staff must deal with losing many of their top players from a year ago, including QB, RB, WR and LB. Sure, there are plenty of new names but Volcano Vista usually finds a way and this upcoming season should be no different. However, the schedule is brutal. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Coach's Comments</strong>: “We've been quiet this offseason, which is good. The culture in our football program has been very good since about 2018. It took &nbsp;some changes on our part as coaches. We had to get rid of some kids that were talented but were bad for our culture. The last few years we've had a pure buy-in. Eliot is our guy at quarterback. He has followed the mold of some of our past quarterbacks. He played wide receiver as a younger guy and got some backup reps last year. He played the entire games against Rio Rancho and Cleveland. We're excited about where he's going to lead the team. He's had a very good off-season.” – Volcano Vista coach Chad Wallin. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/44_atrain/status/1548756016405221376","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/44_atrain/status/1548756016405221376 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/HartzogJuelz/status/1536740203133513728","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/HartzogJuelz/status/1536740203133513728 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/perea_marcus/status/1548489259409031170","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/perea_marcus/status/1548489259409031170 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->