Week 11 Preview: Nine WTA District Title Games And More

With NINE winner-take-all district championship games ready to kick off Friday night, Week 11 of the New Mexico High School Football season will deliver plenty of drama and intrigue as teams battle for the best seeding possible, or just to get into the playoffs. Here is a look at each of the aforementioned district championship games as well as other key games:   Farmington at La Cueva (District 6A-2): La Cueva still has its eye on the No. 1 seed for the 6A playoffs but winning this one is essential to keep those dreams alive. Farmington, meanwhile, hopes a victory gives them a first-round home game. Two of the top quarterbacks in 6A duel. La Cueva QB [player_tooltip player_id='137862' first='Aidan' last='Armenta'] has thrown for close to 3,000 yards, and with a deep playoff run by the Bears could reach 4,000 yards before his prep career ends. Six-foot-3, 225-pound Farmington QB [player_tooltip player_id='274791' first='Trel' last='Griego'] has led the Scorpions offense through a mostly successful first season in Class 6A. But Farmington will be tested by a La Cueva defense that has yielded more than 21 points once in the last five games.           Clovis at Los Lunas (District 6A-5): Many folks probably gave up on Clovis when the Wildcats started 0-6 and were seemingly getting trounced on a weekly basis. But they turned things around at the start of district play and now find themselves just one win away from an unlikely playoff berth. Clovis changed its offense to the run-dominated flexbone under first-year head coach Andrew McCraw. [player_tooltip player_id='275303' first='Kash' last='Roberts'] (735 rushing yards) is the primary running threat. Los Lunas lost four straight games in September but have feasted on district opponents. QB [player_tooltip player_id='137885' first='Paul' last='Cieremans'] is a dynamic dual threat signal caller. For Clovis, this is likely a must-win just to get into the playoffs. Alamogordo (No. 12) and Atrisco Heritage (No. 13) are certainly rooting for Los Lunas.     Gadsden at Deming (District 5A-3): This is what Gadsden dreamed of when they left Class 6A and played as an independent in 2021. Then they were assigned to Class 5A, and the new classification has proven to be a nice fit for the Panthers. Now they have the opportunity to win their first district title in 50 years. Deming's defense led by stellar DE [player_tooltip player_id='138095' first='Ian' last='Ortiz'] has one major task: contain Gadsden QB [player_tooltip player_id='138076' first='Tomas' last='Herrera']. He has rushed for 1,345 yards on 183 carries, averaging nearly 150 yards per game on the ground. Deming has closed out the season well with four victories in their last five games.              Lovington at Portales (District 4A-4): Lovington is another team that started 0-6 and is now playing for a district title. But those losses were to Hobbs (6A), Roswell, Artesia and Santa Teresa (5A) and two Texas schools. That's why Lovington is ranked fourth in 5A by MaxPreps with a 3-6 record. This game features one of the best QB duels in Week 11 with Lovington's [player_tooltip player_id='269564' first='Ashton' last='Aranda'] (1,511 passing yards + 580 rushing yards) matched up with Portales QB Paxton Culpepper (1,718 passing yards + 21 TD). The Rams are a 48-47 shootout loss to Valley away from being unbeaten going into Week 11.         Moriarty at Taos (District 4A-2): It's been a rollercoaster year for Taos. They started with a sluggish loss to St. Michael's but have reeled off 8 wins in a row. They lost their coach for a brief time when allegations of verbal and physical abuse were made against Art Abreu. Now they're dealing with a school tragedy following the death of a female student in an automobile accident. The Tigers' 6-foot-7 QB Dameon Ely is a physical specimen and not easy to tackle . Moriarty runs the Wing-T to perfection and has a stable of running backs ready to overpower opponents. Great matchup in the northern New Mexico mountains.      Silver at Valencia (District 4A-3): Hidden in the often overlooked southwestern corner of the state, Silver is No. 1 in the latest MaxPreps 4A poll. RB [player_tooltip player_id='208819' first='Aidan' last='Granado'] is one of the top running backs in the state and Ricky Vasquez is a solid No. 2. Valencia started 1-5 but have won three of their last four games, including wins over district rivals St. Pius X and Grants. Rey Garcia is a talented dual threat QB for the Jaguars.       Socorro at Cobre (District 3A-3): Cobre upset the apple cart in Class 3A last week by going to Hatch Valley and knocking off the Bears when everybody presumed a Hatch Valley-Socorro battle for the district title. Cobre's reward? A matchup with powerful (and unbeaten) Socorro, which has won its first two district games by a combined 96-0. QB [player_tooltip player_id='138083' first='Marcus' last='Armijo'] is the star of the Warriors offense with 2,010 total yards. The Socorro defense has posted SIX shutouts in 9 games and hasn't allowed a point since Sept. 23. Can Cobre pull off its second straight upset?           Wingate at Thoreau (District 3A-5): The winner is definitely into the Class 3A playoffs as District 3A-5 champions. The loser might be out. Thoreau's run-dominated attack is led by QB Ian Eagle Bear. Wingate has won three games in a row after a 2-4 start, including road wins at Zuni and Crownpoint.   Ruidoso at Dexter (District 3A-4): The drop to 3A has proven beneficial for Ruidoso as the Warriors are 8-1 and ranked No. 3 in the MaxPreps poll. So a win should earn them a first round bye. QB [player_tooltip player_id='269582' first='Cooper' last='Pritchett'] has thrown for 1,243 yards and 18 TD, and rushed for 344 yards and 1 TD. Ruidoso also has one of the top RBs in 3A, senior [player_tooltip player_id='138061' first='Kaden' last='Sago'], who has rushed for 1,287 yards and 19 TD. Dexter is battling to secure a home game in the first round.      OTHER KEY GAMES   Rio Rancho at Cleveland: Cleveland has dominated this rivalry of late with state championship[ game victories over the rams in 2019 and 2021. If the Storm win, they have a legitimate claim to the No. 1 seed. Rio Rancho is looking to host a 1st round playoff game. But a RR win and a Volcano Vista win over Atrisco would create a 3-way tie atop the standings.       Volcano Vista at Atrisco Heritage: Both teams need to win for different reasons. Volcano Vista is solidly in the playoffs but is still battling Hobbs for the No. 4 seed (and the 1st round bye) behind the Big Three of Cleveland, Centennial and La Cueva. Atrisco is ranked No. 13 by MaxPreps, so they are right on the bubble.   Centennial at Las Cruces (FOD): No Las Cruces in the 6A playoffs? Could happen. Especially of the Bulldawgs lose this one. Centennial has plenty of motivation, though, as they consider this their biggest rivalry game and a possible No. 1 seed is on the line.      Hobbs at Carlsbad: The Cavemen have gotten hot at the right time with victories in three of their last four games to climb to No. 7 in the MaxPreps 6A poll. Win here and they'll secure a home game in the 1st round of the playoffs. Hobbs is No. 4 and the final top four seed is probably their with a win.      Artesia at Mayfield: Artesia has emerged as the top team in 5A after walloping No.2 Roswell and No. 4 Goddard in the last two weeks. A victory by the Bulldogs would secure the No. 1 seed for the Class 5A playoffs. Mayfield is below .500 (4-5) but they don't appear to be a bubble team. Facing a bunch of 6A schools in the non-district schedule and joining one of the toughest districts in the state has boosted their grade.     Goddard at Roswell: This rivalry is so ferocious even the aliens stop what they're doing to watch this matchup at the Wool Bowl. Right now both teams are positioned to earn top four seeds. District 5A-4 has four of the top five schools in the latest MaxPreps 5A poll.       MORE GAMES TO WATCH   Sandia at Cibola   West Mesa at Eldorado (Thur.)   Organ Mountain at Alamogordo (THur.)   Highland at Miyamura   Belen at Piedra Vista   Robertson at West Las Vegas   Kirtland Central at Aztec   Espanola Valley at Pojoaque Valley   Capital at Santa Fe   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/AmericanRivalry/status/1585009962639843329 </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/LaCuevaFootball/status/1584698575056822272 </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/LosLunasFB/status/1584683535041863680 </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/GadsdenPanthers/status/1584377338317656064 </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/HHS_HornetsFB/status/1585492933507256321 </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/LosLunasFB/status/1584980026831024129 </div></figure>

With NINE winner-take-all district championship games ready to kick off Friday night, Week 11 of the New Mexico High School Football season will deliver plenty of drama and intrigue as teams battle for the best seeding possible, or just to get into the playoffs. Here is a look at each of the aforementioned district championship games as well as other key games: