Baker’s Dozen: Top 13 Games of Week 5

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 5 of the New Mexico High School Football season is here! It begins Thursday night with a handful of games around the state, and continues with a full slate on Friday and Saturday. Here are the Top 13 Game of Week 5:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>GAME OF THE WEEK</strong>: <strong>Artesia (3-1) at Cleveland (3-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two blueblood programs battle in Rio Rancho. Cleveland has bounced back nicely from the stunning Week 1 loss at Centennial with consecutive impressive road wins over La Cueva, Amarillo (TX) and Las Cruces. This week they're finally back at Thunderbolt Stadium to play in front of the home fans. The Storm's defense led by Power 5 caliber LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274701' first='Stratton' last='Shufelt']</strong> will have its hands full with an Artesia offense averaging 44.8 points per game. Bulldogs QB <strong>Nye Estrada</strong> has already thrown for over 1,000 yards, while WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274793' first='Peyton' last='Greathouse']</strong> has 25 receptions. Artesia will need to score plenty of points because the Cleveland offense is as explosive as any in the state with QB<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='139521' first='Evan' last='Wysong']</strong>,RB<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='138204' first='Josh' last='Perry']</strong>, WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='139523' first='Nic' last='Trujillo']</strong> and others. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>La Cueva at Los Lunas</strong>: The top quarterback matchup of the week with La Cueva's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='137862' first='Aidan' last='Armenta']</strong> and <strong>Paul Cieremens</strong> of Los Lunas ready to battle. Armenta is off to a fantastic start with 1,173 yards, 11 passing TD and 59.3 completion percentage through four games. In the wake of [player_tooltip player_id='208744' first='Exodus' last='Ayers']' departure for prep school in New England, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='270020' first='Ian' last='Sanchez'] </strong>has emerged as one of the state's most dangerous receivers with 38 receptions for 534 yards and 7 TD. Los Lunas, playing its first season in Class 6A, is looking to snap a two-game losing streak with both losses coming at home to Farmington (Cieremens didn't play) and Class 5A power Roswell. But it doesn't get any easier with La Cueva and Cibola on the schedule the next two weeks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rio Rancho at Hobbs</strong>: A few weeks ago, this was a solid candidate for the most intriguing Week 5 game. However, Rio Rancho is now battling injuries with QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274972' first='Noah' last='Nelson']</strong> and WR <strong>Mikey Woods</strong> sidelined for a while. Even with those players, the Rams' offense wasn't lighting it up, scoring fewer than 21 points in three of their first four games. Translation: Rio Rancho is winning with a defense led by [player_tooltip player_id='269511' first='Chris' last='Montoya']. Now they must find a way to slow down an explosive Hobbs offense firing on all cylinders (46+ points in all 4 games) with QB <strong>Omar Argott </strong>(972 passing yards), RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208821' first='Diego' last='Baeza']</strong> and a trio of talented receivers led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='137921' first='Kaden' last='Trevino']</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>      </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":445832,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/Screenshot-2022-09-14-at-12-41-07-NMAA-on-Twitter.png" alt="" class="wp-image-445832"/><figcaption>Photo: Twitter</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Goddard at Piedra Vista</strong>: Ranked No. 1 in the latest MaxPreps Class 5A poll, Piedra Vista has arguably become the state's most surprising team after four weeks, crashing the party thrown by district rivals Artesia, Goddard, Mayfield and Roswell. Senior<strong> Logan</strong> <strong>Howell</strong> has developed into a very good quarterback. Last week he threw for 2 TD and ran for another in a 46-7 win over 6A Eldorado. In&nbsp; fact, Piedra Vista has beaten 3 6A teams so far this season – Farmington, Sandia and Eldorado. Goddard has won two games in a row (Deming and Miyamura) since losing to Carlsbad in Week 2. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mayfield at Las Cruces</strong>: The state's best rivalry from a historical perspective is renewed. Both teams are sputtering lately, though. The Bulldogs are 0-3 after lopsided losses to El Paso (TX) Eastwood and Cleveland the past two weeks, and must still face Hobbs and Centennial in district play. Mayfield has been outscored 67-13 the past two weeks by Organ Mountain and Centennial. Both teams are looking to turn their seasons around. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Volcano Vista at Sandia</strong>: Volcano Vista won its first three games before running into the La Cueva buzzsaw in Week 4. Hawks QB <strong>Elliot Pasket-Bell</strong> is enjoying a sensational season with 1,061 total yards (747 passing + 314 rushing) with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274709' first='Alijah' last='Gonzales']</strong> being a major piece of the offense as well. Sandia's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='137923' first='Malachi' last='Thymes']</strong> is one of the most dynamic players in Albuquerque. You might need a calculator to keep track of the scoring in this game.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":445833,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/Screenshot-2022-09-14-at-12-41-53-NMAA-on-Twitter.png" alt="" class="wp-image-445833"/><figcaption>Photo: Twitter</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Mesa at Atrisco Heritage</strong>: Speaking of potentially high scoring games, this is it. Per MaxPreps, only four quarterbacks in the state have thrown for 1,000+ yards going into Week 5. One of them is Atrisco Heritage QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275207' first='Dean' last='Marquez']</strong>, who is third with 1,027 passing yards. The Jaguars have one of the best WR corps in the state led by sophomore Latavious Morris. West Mesa QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275488' first='Elijah' last='Brody']</strong> is No. 6 in the state in passing with 939 yards. He also has a talented WR corps catching his throws. How many points will be scored? Plenty.            </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Albuquerque Academy at Capital</strong>: A fascinating cross-classification matchup between two teams that have suffered close losses in the last two weeks. Albuquerque Academy lost a defensive slugfest to Bloomfield last Friday night. QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='137884' first='A.J.' last='Rivera']</strong> has thrown for 773 yards and 7 TD. WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='137928' first='Kellan' last='Gehres']</strong> has 26 receptions, third most in the state. Capital QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208737' first='Julian' last='Munoz']</strong> is a dynamic playmaker. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bernalillo at Moriarty</strong>: The matchup between Moriarty's ‘spread the wealth' run-dominated Wing-T  offense (4 rushers with 200+ yards) and Bernalillo‘s physical defense led by DT [player_tooltip player_id='138072' first='Michael' last='Ash'] (state record 27 tackles two weeks ago) is ‘must-watch' football. Big non-district game in Class 4A that could have playoff seeding implications down the road. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":445835,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/Screenshot-2022-09-14-at-12-42-38-NMAA-on-Twitter.png" alt="" class="wp-image-445835"/><figcaption>Photo: Twitter</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Carlsbad at Roswell</strong>: Carlsbad is off to an encouraging start under first-year head coach Oliver Soukup. The Cavemen trounced Clovis last week. Carlsbad has become a run-oriented team under Soukup with the speedy [player_tooltip player_id='138043' first='Eli' last='Asay'] leading the way with 547 rushing yards in 4 games. QB [player_tooltip player_id='137916' first='Dane' last='Naylor'] has 450 rushing yards. Roswell has been one of the top running teams in the state the past several years under coach Jeff Lynn. The Coyotes are coming off a huge road win at Los Lunas last week. Win this one and at Clovis next week and that would set up a possible No. 1 vs. No. 2 Class 5A showdown with Piedra Vista on Sept. 30.        </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Aztec at Silver</strong>: Silver is 4-0 after making the long trip to Santa Fe last week and coming way with&nbsp; weather-delayed 32-0 win. The Fighting Colts defense has posted 3 shutouts and given up just 9 points all season. Rarely publicized Aiden Granado is one of the state's top running backs and one of Silver's defensive leaders. Aztec must find ways to score more points. The Tigers have totaled just 20 points in the last 3 games. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Farmington at Albuquerque High (Sat.)</strong>: Farmington is just 1-3 in their first season&nbsp; in Class 6A but the Scorpions lost a heartbreaker to Cibola last week. Farmington's defense has to find a way to stop people. They've given up 40+ points in 3 of their first 4 contests. AHS also lost a close game last week, dropping an OT thriller to West Mesa. DB Jabby Cooper, offered by all three D-2 schools in NM, is one of the fastest players in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gadsden at Organ Mountain</strong>: The saga of hospitalized Organ Mountain player Abraham Romero continues to dominate the news. To their credit, the Knight players have carried on with the season as a way to honor their fallen teammate. Gadsden QB [player_tooltip player_id='138076' first='Tomas' last='Herrera'] can throw it and run it at a high level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":445836,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/Screenshot-2022-09-14-at-12-43-20-NMAA-on-Twitter.png" alt="" class="wp-image-445836"/><figcaption>Photo: Twitter</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BEST OF THE REST</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eldorado at Clovis: One of these teams will win their first game of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Santa Teresa at Valencia: Santa Teresa has won 2 games in a row.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Deming at Belen: Both teams looking to get back on the winning track.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Espanola Valley at Gallup: Espanola Valley has won two games in a row.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Raton at Escalante: Raton RB [player_tooltip player_id='138053' first='Cayden' last='Walton'] is close to the 6,000 career rushing yardage mark.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Portales at St. Pius X: Portales is 4-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class 4A by MaxPreps.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OTHER GAMES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Highland at Del Norte</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Santa Fe at Manzano</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hope Christian at Grants</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Las Vegas at Rio Grande (Thur.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eunice at Dexter (Thur.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shiprock at Zuni</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Farwell (TX) at Texico</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Santa Rosa at Tucumcari</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Denver City (TX) at Lovington</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ruidoso at Cobre</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chaparral at Hatch Valley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Riverside (TX) at Alamogordo</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crownpoint at Newcomb</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pojoaque Valley at Los Alamos</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Miyamura at Socorro</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Santa Fe Indian at McCurdy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hot Springs at NMMI</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/rick_tripp58/status/1569881052021424128","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/rick_tripp58/status/1569881052021424128 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/artesiafootball/status/1569458675466792960","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/artesiafootball/status/1569458675466792960 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/LaCuevaFootball/status/1569788704344150017","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/LaCuevaFootball/status/1569788704344150017 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/HobbsEaglesFB/status/1569335509792481280","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/HobbsEaglesFB/status/1569335509792481280 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/LCPSnet/status/1569826786690699268","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/LCPSnet/status/1569826786690699268 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/AlamoTSPN/status/1569355321294094336","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/AlamoTSPN/status/1569355321294094336 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->