Baker’s Dozen: Top 13 Games of Week 1
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Week 1 of the New Mexico High School football season gets underway Thursday night at various locations in Albuquerque and around the state, and continues in earnest Friday night and Saturday afternoon. It’s a three-day celebration of high school football…
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Continue ReadingWeek 1 of the New Mexico High School football season gets underway Thursday night at various locations in Albuquerque and around the state, and continues in earnest Friday night and Saturday afternoon. It’s a three-day celebration of high school football in the Land of Enchantment. Here’s our Baker’s Dozen look at the Top 13 games of Week 1:
GAME OF THE WEEK: La Cueva at Rio Rancho (Fri., 7 p.m.)
When these two teams last squared off, they produced arguably the Game of the Year in New Mexico high school football. Rio Rancho’s dramatic 35-34 comeback victory over the Bears in last November’s 6A playoff semifinals was a remarkable and highly entertaining affair. Expecting that same type of game is unfair to the player and coaches of the two teams. But this one still promises to be a close, hard-fought contest that might not be decided until the final possession.
The two teams are ranked No. 2 (La Cueva) and No. 4 (Rio Rancho) in the MaxPreps 6A preseason poll. Even without WR Exodus Ayers Exodus Ayers 6'2" | 175 lbs | ATH Proctor Academy | 2024 State NewE , who left the state and enrolled at a prep school in New England, La Cueva has plenty of weapons offensively, starting with quarterback Aidan Armenta Aidan Armenta 6'3" | 190 lbs | QB La Cueva | 2023 State NM and running back Gabriel Buie Gabriel Buie 5'10" | 185 lbs | RB La Cueva | 2023 State NM . Both players possess Division 1 talent. In fact, Armenta has been offered by New Mexico. Ayers’ absence means Ian Sanchez Ian Sanchez 5'10" | 160 lbs | WR La Cueva | 2023 State NM , Jackson Hix Jackson Hix 6'0" | 175 lbs | WR La Cueva | 2024 State NM and others must step up. You know the deep Rio Rancho defensive line is coming after Armenta.
“The Bears are obviously talented,” Rio Rancho head coach Nate Pino told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “They bring a lot back, especially offensively. But I think we have a heckuva defense, so it will be a great matchup. We need to play smart offensively and play with tempo and play with efficiency. That will be a big part of it. It’s going to be a great football game.”
Pino makes his head coaching debut for the Rams after being promoted from offensive coordinator following the sudden resignation of Gerry Pannoni, who returned to Virginia following the passing of his wife. Also debuting for the Rams is an entirely new offensive backfield. Junior QB Noah Nelson Noah Nelson 5'11" | 170 lbs | DB Rio Rancho | 2024 State NM won the job in preseason camp with his dual threat skill set, one that Pino hopes gives the La Cueva defense trouble.
Centennial at Cleveland: The Cleveland Storm haven’t lost since the middle of the 2019 season, so the key question coming into this season is this: Can anybody beat Cleveland? Centennial is Next Man Up and the Hawks certainly have the talent to keep the game close, at least for while. They have a new quarterback ( Daniel Hernandez Daniel Hernandez QB Centennial | 2024 State NM ) but a proven RB ( Mikah Gutierrez Mikah Gutierrez 5'8" | 160 lbs | RB Centennial | 2023 State NM ) and a reliable WR ( Isaiah Abeyta Isaiah Abeyta 5'10" | 155 lbs | WR Centennial | 2023 State NM ). Centennial’s defensive front seven ranks among the best in the state. When you talk about Cleveland, everybody who follows New Mexico HS football knows the key names by now: QB Evan Wysong Evan Wysong 5'10" | 165 lbs | QB Cleveland | 2023 State NM , RB Josh Perry Josh Perry 5'10" | 185 lbs | RB Cleveland | 2023 State NM , WR Nic Trujillo Nic Trujillo 6'1" | 160 lbs | WR Cleveland | 2023 State NM and LB Stratton Shufelt Stratton Shufelt 6'3" | 220 lbs | LB Cleveland | 2024 State NM . At least three of those four standouts will play FBS football. But there’s a lot more from a talent perspective. The Storm are loaded again and should be considered the favorite to win a third straight 6A state championship.
Las Cruces at Volcano Vista: The Las Cruces Bulldawgs typically make at least one trip to Albuquerque every year, and this year they’re bringing a new quarterback ( Matthew Lashley Matthew Lashley 6'1" | 170 lbs | QB Las Cruces | 2024 NM ) and running back (David Barela) and a rebuilt offensive line along with a stout defense to the Duke City. The Bulldawgs should again be in the thick of the fight for the district title. Volcano Vista will definitely be lying in wait for them. New Hawks QB Eliot Paskett-Bell has large shoes to fill considering the last two Volcano Vista starting QBs are playing at the next level, one of them being probable New Mexico State starter Diego Pavia. Alijah Gonzales Alijah Gonzales 5'10" | 175 lbs | RB Volcano Vista | 2024 State NM , already an elite linebacker, takes over at RB, handing him an opportunity to become one of the top two-way players in Class 6A.
Carlsbad at Artesia: It’s Eddy County War time. Just like most great rivalries, these two teams don’t like each other very much. Former New Mexico State assistant Oliver Soukup makes his head coaching debut for the Cavemen. Fortunately, he has an experienced QB in Dane Naylor Dane Naylor QB Carlsbad | 2023 State NM and a very fast WR in Eli Asay Eli Asay WR Carlsbad | 2023 State NM . Jeremy Maupin led Artesia to the Class 5A state championship game in his first season as head coach. The Bulldogs’ new QB is Payton Dean while their best WR is Peyton Greathouse Peyton Greathouse 5'9" | 175 lbs | WR Artesia | 2024 TN . Surely, the Payton and Peyton Show will be a huge hit in the ultimate ‘Friday Night Lights’ town in New Mexico. The Bulldog Bowl will be rocking for this one. Expect a sellout crowd, or something close to it.
Lovington at Roswell: There won’t be many better 4A vs. 5A matchups this season. Lovington, of course, is the reigning Class 4A champion and if you believe the preseason MaxPreps 4A poll, they’re the best team in that classification again. A key reason for that is QB Ashton Aranda Ashton Aranda 6'0" | 175 lbs | QB Lovington | 2023 State NM returns and he has two promising young running backs to help him out in Ondalis Cardenas and Alex Holguin. Who will step up at WR? We’ll find out. Roswell has mostly been a run-dominated team under Jeff Lynn (65-35 run-pass ratio in 2021) but the Coyotes could throw the ball more this season with talented junior Manny Fuentez starting at quarterback. RB Bryce Sanchez Bryce Sanchez 5'10" | 195 lbs | RB Roswell | 2024 State NM eyes a breakout season after rushing for almost 900 yards as a sophomore in 2021.
Clovis at Hobbs: One of the fiercest rivalries in eastern New Mexico is renewed. Clovis has a new head coach (Andrew McCaw) and a brand new offense, the flexbone. McCaw coached at ENMU under Kelley Lee, who ran the flexbone with great success during his tenure in Portales. Hobbs has plenty of talent returning this season, as the Eagles proved at the Elite 150 Combine in June. RB Diego Baeza Diego Baeza 5'5" | 160 lbs | RB Hobbs | 2023 State NM and WR Kaden Trevino Kaden Trevino 5'11" | 175 lbs | WR Hobbs | 2023 State NM and Ethan Vanlandingham Ethan Vanlandingham 5'10" | 175 lbs | WR Hobbs | 2023 State NM give new QB Omar Argott a lot of choices in term of distributing the football. Some folks have probably conceded the District 6A-3 title to Las Cruces or Centennial but watch out for Hobbs.
Santa Fe at West Mesa (Thur.): Sophomore quarterback Elijah Brody Elijah Brody 6'3" | 185 lbs | QB West Mesa | 2024 State NM makes his much anticipated debut for West Mesa after transferring from Cleveland in June. His father, Landrick Brody, is the new head coach of the Mustangs. Brody has an array of WR targets to throw to, including senior Chris Johnson Chris Johnson 5'9" | 135 lbs | WR West Mesa | 2023 State NM . Santa Fe has a lot of new faces, especially on defense, as they prepare for what they hope will be a second consecutive winning season. Considering last year marked their first winning record in 23 years, that hasn’t happed in a long, long time.
Taos at St. Michael’s (Sat.): This Week 1 matchup feature two of the most intriguing prospects in northern New Mexico. Taos DE Leonard Archuleta Leonard Archuleta 6'2" | 215 lbs | DL Taos | 2023 State NM is 6-foot-4, 210 pounds and has attracted interest from New Mexico State, Middle Tennessee State and several other schools. Saturday marks the varsity debut for St. Michael’s 6-foot-5, 225-pound TE Taven Lozada Taven Lozada 6'4" | 220 lbs | TE St. Michael's | 2023 State NM , who has already been offered by Eastern New Mexico and recently competed in the O-D All American game in Memphis.
Goddard at Santa Teresa: This game marks the return of Goddard RB Javyn Morales Javyn Morales 5'10" | 155 lbs | RB Goddard | 2023 State NM from a serious injury he suffered midway through last season. He showed during the state track & field championships that he’s still one of the fastest players in the state. Santa Teresa reached the Class 5A quarterfinals last November with a prolific rushing attack that gained nearly 3,500 yards in 12 games. Goddard’s mission on defense is simple – contain the Desert Warriors on the ground and make them throw the ball.
Los Lunas at Belen: Reigning Class 5A champions, Los Lunas launches life as a Class 6A program with a rivalry game against its Valencia County foe. Paul Cieremans Paul Cieremans 5'10" | 195 lbs | QB Los Lunas | 2023 State NM , a serious 2022 New Mexico Heisman contender, would like nothing more than getting the season off to a strong start. The Tigers have plenty of returning talent on both sides of the ball along with the best kicker in the state in Kaden Bell Kaden Bell 5'10" | 150 lbs | K Los Lunas | 2023 State NM . Belen is led by speedy RB Diego Avila Diego Avila 5'6" | 160 lbs | RB Belen | 2024 State NM , who eyes a breakout season. Avila showed at the Elite 150 Combine that he’s one of the fastest players in the state.
Piedra Vista at Farmington: Once fierce district rivals, these two schools now exist in different galaxies as a result of Farmington’s move to Class 6A. Junior Trel Griego Trel Griego 6'3" | 225 lbs | QB Farmington | 2024 State NM makes his first start for the Scorpions after serving as Brandon Furbee’s backup in 2021. He’s 6-foot-3, 225 pounds and capable of running – and passing – over opponents. Piedra Vista was assigned a new district by the NMAA. The Panthers love to run the football. Look for PV senior running backs Zach Mora-Dotsonand Jacob Ramsted Jacob Ramsted 6'1" | RB Piedra Vista | 2023 State NM to get plenty of carries in this one.
Cibola at Eldorado: The most significant news surrounding Cibola hasn’t involved this game. It has been the return of Elite 11 quarterback Aden Chavez to the Cougars after spending the last few months in Florida. He’s been practicing this week. However, he’s not eligible to play until at least Week 2 IF the NMAA restores his eligibility. As a result, Daniel Benham Daniel Benham 6'3" | 180 lbs | WR Cibola | 2023 NM will quarterback Cibola in the opener. Brandon Olivas Brandon Olivas 5'10" | 160 lbs | QB Eldorado | 2024 State NM takes the reins as the Eldorado starting QB. Nathan Velez Nathan Velez 5'9" | 195 lbs | RB Eldorado | 2023 State NM returns as the Eagles RB after missing all of last season with an injury.
Bloomfield at St. Pius X (Sat.): Watch out Class 4A, Bloomfield quarterback Ryan Sharpe Ryan Sharpe QB Bloomfield | 2023 State NM is healthy again after missing a significant chunk of last season with injuries. If he brings his ‘A’ game to Albuquerque, Sharpe will make life very difficult for the St. Pius X defense. Sartans QB Alejandro Sapien Alejandro Sapien 5'11" | 155 lbs | QB St. Pius X | 2023 State NM was sharp during 7×7 season and looks to carry the momentum into the regular season.
BEST OF THE REST
Manzano at Mayfield (Sat.)
Albuquerque High at Organ Mountain
Kirtland Central at Silver
Highland at Portales
Atrisco Heritage at Sandia
Valley at Bernalillo
Gadsden at Ruidoso
OTHER GAMES
Eunice at Raton (at Tucumcari)
Deming at Del Norte
Pojoaque Valley at Socorro
Alamogordo at Valencia
Santa Fe Indian at Cuba
Albuquerque Academy at Rio Grande
Aztec at Miyamura
Espanola Valley at Los Alamos
Grants at Capital
Shiprock at Tohatchi
West Las Vegas at Escalante
Hot Springs at Tularosa
Dexter at Santa Rosa
Cobre at Chaparral
Mescalero Apache at NMMI
Gallup at Moriarty
Hatch Valley at Laguna Acoma
McCurdy at Hope Christian
Estancia at Texico Clayton at Questa