Week 7: Top Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 7 of the New Mexico High School football season is complete and there were plenty of outstanding individual performances around the state in all classifications. Here are some of Week 7's top performers:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='137862' first='Aidan' last='Armenta'], La Cueva</strong>: Armenta threw for 555 yards (5^th highest single game total in NM history) and 3 TD in La Cueva's 63-21 rivalry win over Eldorado. He now has 2,318 passing yards for the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='269564' first='Ashton' last='Aranda'], Lovington</strong>: The Wildcats won their first game of the season at Santa Fe as Aranda completed 12-of-16 passes for 183 yards and 3 TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138083' first='Marcus' last='Armijo'], Socorro</strong>: The No. 1 player on the No. 2 team in Class 3A (per MaxPreps). He threw for 240 yards and 3 TD while rushing for 64 yards and 1 TD .</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138043' first='Eli' last='Asay'], Carlsbad</strong>: Again taking advantage of his blazing speed, Asay rushed for 191 yards on 19 carries in Carlsbad's district-opening victory over Alamogordo. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274725' first='Diego' last='Avila'], Belen</strong>: Avila rushed for 157 yards on 20 carries in Belen's loss to Goddard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208821' first='Diego' last='Baeza'], Hobbs</strong>: Rushed for 116 yards and 4 TD on 21 carries as the Hobbs offense totaled 453 yards in a 44-28 win over Las Cruces.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>David Barela, Las Cruces</strong>: Accounted for all 4 of the Bulldawgs' TDs in their loss to Hobbs with 3 rushing TD and 1 pass reception TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1595733' first='Julian' last='Butkivich'], Valley</strong>: The Vikings QB threw for 249 yards on 16-of-28 passing to spark Valley to a thrilling 48-47 shootout win over Portales. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='269529' first='Branden' last='Castillo'], Cibola</strong>: 13 receptions for 153 yards and 1 TD in Cib olka's win over Atrisco Heritage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Aden</strong> <strong>Chavez, Cibola</strong>: Completed 34-of-48 passes for 380 yards and 3 TD in Cibola's 36-20 victory over Atrisco Heritage in the District 6A-1 opener for both teams. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Creed Chavez, St. Michael's</strong>: Scored on&nbsp; a punt return for a TD and a 43-yard run as the Horsemen trampled West Las Vegas, 51-20, to stay unbeaten in Class 3A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Manny Chavez, Portales</strong>: The Rams' sensational sophomore LB had 16 tackles in the loss to Valley. He now has 76 tackles in 6 games with 11+ tackles 5 times.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='137885' first='Paul' last='Cieremans'], Los Lunas</strong>: The Tigers snapped a 4-game losing streak with a 44-21 win at Capital as Cieremans flashed his dynamic dual threat skills, passing for 251 yards on 11-of-15 completions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='269567' first='Daemon' last='Ely'], Taos</strong>: The 6-foot-7 QB for the Tigers threw a pair of TD passes as Taos won its fifth straight game and improved to 5-1.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bowdy Evans, Miyamura</strong>: In Miyamura's 56-6 win over Del Norte, Evans totaled 151 all-purpose yards, 66 receiving and 85 on two kickoff returns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='425194' first='Manny' last='Fuentez'], Roswell</strong>: Opened the scoring against Piedra Vista with a short TD run and later made one of the best plays of the year, flipping a pass to an open receiver in the end zone on fourth down while parallel to the ground as he was being tackled by a PV defender. Patrick Mahomes would have been proud. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wesley Gallegos, Roswell</strong>: Gallegos jumpstarted Roswell's strong defensive effort in the 5A showdown with Piedra Vista by returning an interception for a TD to give the Coyotes a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>JJ Garcia, Hot Springs</strong>: Garcia led Hot Springs to its 1^st win of the season by rushing for 204 yards and 2 TD on 22 carries, and catching 8 passes for 104 yards. In all, he had 314 all-purpose yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Andres Gordo, Bloomfield</strong>: Scored 2 TD as Bloomfield stayed unbeaten with a 28-12 victory over Bayfield (CO). &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138076' first='Tomas' last='Herrera'], Gadsden</strong>: The Panthers' QB rushed for 139 yards on 19 carries in a win over Valencia.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alec Holguin, Lovington</strong>: 3 receptions for 106 yards and 2 TD in Lovington's lopsided rod win at Santa Fe.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138047' first='Chris' last='Johnson'], Wes Mesa</strong>: Made the biggest play of the game in West Mesa's 21-14 win over Sandia when he caught an 85-yard TD pass from [player_tooltip player_id='275488' first='Elijah' last='Brody'] in the final minutes to secure the win. 5 receptions for 154 yds. For the season he has 27 receptions for 550 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138089' first='Caedan' last='Jojola'], Valley</strong>: Rushed for 147 yards and 1 TD on 16 carries in Valley's wild 48-47 win over Portales.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='269560' first='David' last='Llanez'], Bernalillo</strong>: Llanez rushed for 200+ yards in Bernalillo's heartbreaking 35-34 loss to Los Alamos, which ended on a controversial call by the officials, nullifying an apparent go-ahead TD by the Spartans. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marcus Leyba, St. Michael's</strong>: Rushed for 139 yards and 1 TD in the Horsemen's big win at West Las Vegas. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208812' first='Andres' last='Madrid'], Santa Rosa</strong>: Madrid is one of the top running backs in Class 2A and he had 152 yards on 21 carries as the Lions beat Estancia, 35-0. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Arnold Marquez, Atrisco Heritage</strong>: &nbsp;Made 19 tackles for the Jaguars in the loss to Cibola.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Landen Martinez, Albuq. Academy</strong>: Helping to fill the void left by the injured [player_tooltip player_id='138056' first='Cole' last='Conway'], Martinez rushed for 100 yards on a workhorse 24 carries to lift the Chargers past St. Pius X, 24-13.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138082' first='Brent' last='Miller'], Hope Christian</strong>: Scored a walk-off 2-point conversion to give Hope Christian a thrilling 29-28 win over NMMI.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ty Molina, Carlsbad</strong>: Made 15 tackles, including 6 solo, in the Cavemen's win over Alamogordo. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275510' first='Elijah' last='Montoya'], Alamogordo</strong>: Threw for 211 yards and 1 TD on 18-of-29 passing in a loss to Carlsbad. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='137935' first='Brayden' last='Mummert'], Cibola</strong>: 10 receptions for 129 yards and 1 TD vs. Atrisco Heritage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='269559' first='Teke' last='Nieto'], Los Alamos</strong>: Nietos is one of the most underrated players in the state, certainly in northern NM. In the Hilltoppers wild 35-34 win over Bernalillo, he carried 20 times for 143 yards and added 2 receptions for 87 yards. He also had 16 tackles on defense. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>R.J. Nora, Clovis</strong>: Rushed for 173 yards and 2 TD on just 9 carries as Clovis edged Albuquerque High, 31-28. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138204' first='Josh' last='Perry'], Cleveland</strong>: Part of the Storm's Lethal Weapon 3 on offense (QB [player_tooltip player_id='139521' first='Evan' last='Wysong'] and WR [player_tooltip player_id='139523' first='Nic' last='Trujillo'] are the other 2 members), Pery rushed for 239 yards and 5 TD in Cleveland's 56-21 victory over Volcano Vista.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kaden Quinones, Mayfield</strong>: He was a special teams terror in Mayfield's 28-27 victory at Deming with a 98-yard kickoff return and then a 73-yard punt return for a TD in the final minutes as the Trojans roared back from a deficit to stun the Wildcats.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275303' first='Kash' last='Roberts'], Clovis</strong>: It's been a difficult season for Clovis but they finally pulled out a win as Roberts booted a 27-yard field goal with 3 seconds left to snap a tie and give the Wildcats a dramatic 31-28 victory over Albuquerque High. Robert also rushed for 88 yards and 1 TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275558' first='Joziah' last='Rodriguez'], Highland</strong>: Sparked the Hornets' strong defensive effort against Manzano with 2 sacks + 56 rushing yards + 8 tackles. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138050' first='Kenyon' last='Singleton'], Hobbs</strong>: 14 tackles in the Eagles' win at Las Cruces. He now has 80 tackles in 6 games. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='137923' first='Malachi' last='Thymes'], Sandia</strong>: Finished with 134 yards rushing on 16 carries in the Matadors' hard-fought loss to West Mesa.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='137921' first='Kaden' last='Trevino'], Hobbs</strong>: Caught 6 passes for 136 yards as Hobbs beat Las Cruces at the Field of Dreams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274796' first='Fabian' last='Trujillo'], Los Lunas</strong>: 4 receptions for 163 yards and 2 TD in the Tigers' road win at Capital.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138053' first='Cayden' last='Walton'], Raton</strong>: Already the state's leading rusher by a wide margin, Walton continued his assault on the record books by rushing for 261 yards and 3 TD on just 6 carries against SFIS.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/ArnoldM44916550/status/1577370244686848000","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/ArnoldM44916550/status/1577370244686848000 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Dalton_le3/status/1577282305248239617","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/Dalton_le3/status/1577282305248239617 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/jacob_baca55/status/1576944491096772608","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/jacob_baca55/status/1576944491096772608 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/camdyer7/status/1576756879505510401","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/camdyer7/status/1576756879505510401 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/MarcusLeyba2023/status/1576752734706941952","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/MarcusLeyba2023/status/1576752734706941952 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/BraydenMummert/status/1576693598279507969","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/BraydenMummert/status/1576693598279507969 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/IanSanchezNM/status/1576652598710411264","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/IanSanchezNM/status/1576652598710411264 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->