Game Week: Top 10 Underrated Players

We're one day away from the start of the 2022 New Mexico high school football season. Here are 10 of the most underrated players in the state heading into the new season, highlighted by a Silver running back who averaged over 11 yards per carry and has emerged as one of the top Class 4A players in the state:   Santa Fe head coach Andrew Martinez has certainly heard of Silver running back [player_tooltip player_id='208819' first='Aidan' last='Granado']. After all, the Fightin' Colts make the long trip to the New Mexico capitol on Sept. 9 for an intriguing regular season matchup against the Demons.   Unfortunately, Granado is still a mystery to many high school football fans, and maybe even a few coaches as well. But he shouldn't be after rushing for 1,632 yards (10 100+ rushing games), averaging 11.1 yards per carry and making eight interceptions on defense. Simply, Granado is one of the top two-way players in Class 4A.   “I don't really view myself as an underrated player,” Granado told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “I don't really know because I don't like to hype myself up too much. My 2021 season was good but I believe I had it in me to do a lot better than I did. I'm still grateful for having a good season, though.”        Geographically isolated from the rest of New Mexico by the Gila National Forest, Silver doesn't receive much media attention from the mainstream media in the state's major markets. As a result, good players like Granado go virtually unnoticed.   Silver reached the Class 4A quarterfinals last November before falling to eventual champion Lovington in a defensive slugfest, 14-7. This year, Silver was placed in a new district (4A-3) by the NMAA, joining Grants, St. Pius X and Valencia. The move will significantly reduce Silver's travel compared to the last two seasons.   Under second-year head coach Jerome Ortiz, Silver seeks to win a district title and advance further in the Class 4A playoffs. In order to accomplish that, you can expect Granado to have the ball in his hands a lot.   “I've improved this season on my footwork and in the weight room trying to get bigger and faster for this upcoming season,” Granado said. “I'm playing both sides of the ball - running back and outside linebacker.”   Will Granado surpass his 1,632 yard rushing total from last fall? That's his goal.   “My strengths as a running back are seeing the field and following my blockers,” Granado said. “My expectations this year are to break 2,000 rushing yards for myself and my main goal is to win the state championship in 4A. I think my teammates and I deserve it.”   Here are nine more underrated players heading into the 2022 season:   [player_tooltip player_id='138047' first='Chris' last='Johnson'], West Mesa: Johnson is one of the best wide receivers in the Albuquerque Metro region. He's shifty, elusive and possesses soft hands. He rarely drops a pass. With [player_tooltip player_id='275488' first='Elijah' last='Brody'] playing quarterback for the Mustangs, Johnson should enjoy a big season.   [player_tooltip player_id='138091' first='Ace' last='Gonzalez'], Robertson: Already one of the top linebackers in northern New England, Gonzalez has now taken on the huge responsibility of playing quarterback for the defending Class 3A champions. Based on what we saw during 7x7 season, Gonzalez has the chops to excel at QB.   [player_tooltip player_id='269975' first='Christian' last='Valenzuela'], Organ Mountain: Valenzuela was an all-district selection as a defensive tackle last season, and he has an eye on earning all-state honors for a Knights team that return seven likely starters on both sides of the ball. Organ Mountain has its sights set on finishing with a winning record for the first time since 2016, and Valenzuela is a major reason for the optimism.     [player_tooltip player_id='137891' first='Adam' last='Pacheco'], Pojoaque Valley: How excited were Pacheco and his Pojoaque Valley teammates to start preseason camp on Aug. 1? The Elks held a Midnight Madness practice, getting a jump on the rest of the state. Pacheco, who has been offered by Rose-Hulman Instit. of Technology in Indiana, threw for 1,257 yards and 17 TD in 2021.        [player_tooltip player_id='138072' first='Michael' last='Ash'], Bernalillo: This marks the fifth year Ash has played varsity football for Bernalillo. He is one of the best and most 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'll anchor the Spartans defensive line again. But he's also an outstanding offensive lineman as well.   [player_tooltip player_id='137923' first='Malachi' last='Thymes'], Sandia: If [player_tooltip player_id='138047' first='Chris' last='Johnson'] (see above) is the most underrated player in Albuquerque, Thymes should be considered a close No. 2. Thymes led the Matadors to the Class 6A playoffs in 2021 by rushing for 1,158 yards and amassing about 1,300 all-purpose yards. If you think Sandia is going away, forget it. QB [player_tooltip player_id='269568' first='Dalen' last='Moyer'] , a 1,000-yard passer in 2021, also returns. Watch out for the Matadors. They'll battle for a Class 6A playoff berth again.   [player_tooltip player_id='208831' first='Miguel' last='Andrade'], Los Lunas: Sometimes lost in the all the hoopla surrounding QB Paul Cieremens and others, Andrade isn't the biggest linebacker you'll find, but he's a tackling machine for the Tigers. Last season he amassed 102 tackles, 8.5 TFL and 1 INT. Andrade has a nose for the football and just makes plays. Like everybody else on Los Lunas, we're intrigued to see how Andrade and the Tigers fare in Class 6A this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='138069' first='Ryan' last='Stovall'], Alamogordo: The Tigers struggled to win games in 2021 but Stovall was outstanding with 59 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. Stovall possesses great size at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds. That will capture the attention of college coaches. Alamogordo moved to Class 6A for at least the next two seasons and face a challenging district slate against Carlsbad, Centennial, Hobbs, Las Cruces and Organ Mountain.   [player_tooltip player_id='138058' first='Tristen' last='McNeal'], Aztec: Being a Class 4A program, Aztec is often overshadowed by the bigger schools in the Four Corners such as Farmington and Piedra Vista. That's why few people appreciate the talents of McNeal, a dynamic two-way player for the Tigers. Last season he caught 27 passes for 511 yards and 4 TD, adding 90 tackles on defense.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1547414251488231424 </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/CoachCiscoAHS/status/1540126974261075968 </div></figure>

We're one day away from the start of the 2022 New Mexico high school football season. Here are 10 of the most underrated players in the state heading into the new season, highlighted by a Silver running back who averaged over 11 yards per carry and has emerged as one of the top Class 4A players in the state: