Week 8: Top Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 8 of the New Mexico high school football season is complete. Here are last weekend's top performers:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275564' first='Trey' last='Archuleta'], Escalante</strong>: Escalante loves to run the football and Archuleta made of that offensive philosophy, rushing a workhorse 30 times for 160 yards and 2 TD as the Lobos beat Laguna Acoma, 22-14. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>J.J. Arellano, Rio Rancho</strong>: Arellano has been a revelation&nbsp; for the Rams since replacing the injured [player_tooltip player_id='274972' first='Noah' last='Nelson'] at QB. Most recently, he threw SIX touchdown passes, rushed for 137 yards on 23 carries and ran 70 yards for a score in the Rams' 49-27 win over Atrisco Heritage. Six of his 12 completions went for TDs. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138043' first='Eli' last='Asay'], Carlsbad</strong>: Asay had a season high 26 carries for 175 yards in the Cavemen's 33-36 road win at Organ Mountain. Carlsbad improved to 2-0 in the district and return to the Field of Dreams Saturday for an afternoon clash with Centennial.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1595733' first='Julian' last='Butkivich'], Valley</strong>: The Vikings kept their winning season going with a 49-23 win over Manzano a Butkivich threw for 3 TD to fuel the offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138093' first='Alexavier' last='Carreon'], Jal</strong>: Few teams made a bigger statement than Jal as the Panthers routed defending 2A champions Eunice, 50-0. Carreon rushed for 110 yards and 4 TD. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nate Chacon, Espanola Valley</strong>: Completed 10-of-11 passes for 270 yards and 3 TD as Espanola Valley continued to write of the season's best stories in Class 4A with a 54-0 win over Navajo Prep.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marcos Chavez, Santa Rosa</strong>: Rushed for 116 yards on 9 carries in the Lions' 61-6 win over McCurdy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tristen Cordova, Volcano Vista</strong>: Cordova was on the receiving end of 14 of Elliott Pasket-Bell's passes for 258 yards and 2 TD as the Hawks crushed Cibola, 57-7. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='269567' first='Daemon' last='Ely'], Taos</strong>: Taos won its sixth straight game as Ely threw TD passes of 49, 54 and 80 yards in a 44-0 Homecoming victory over Grants.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>JJ Garcia, Hot Springs</strong>: Rushed for 116 yards in a win over Mescalero Apache. He has 313 rushing yards in the last two games. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ace Gonzales, Robertson</strong>: He did everything in the Cardinals' 28-20 victory over St. Michael's, quarterbacking the offense, rushing for 98 yards on 13 carries, passing for 54 yards in a driving rain and making 11 tackles on defense. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kaesn Gorga, Dexter</strong>: Caught a TD and threw the winning 2-point conversion pass in double OT as Dexter nipped Hope Christian, 14-13.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274791' first='Trel' last='Griego'], Farmington</strong>: In a wild game, Griego completed 20-of-29 passes for 287 yards and 4 TD &nbsp;as Farmington outscored West Mesa, 48-41, in the District 6A-2 opener for the Scorpions. Farmington had 488 yards of total offense and punted just once. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208819' first='Aidan' last='Granado'], Silver</strong>: The Fighting Colts have ascended to No. 1 in both 4A polls largely on the shoulders of Granado, who rushed for 154 yards and 3 TD on 18 carries as Silver blasted Bloomfield, 45-6, in a neutral site game at Socorro.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Andrew Gustafson, Rio Rancho</strong>: 14 tackles (7 solo) and 3 TFL in a win over Atrisco Heritage. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208691' first='Mikah' last='Gutierrez'], Centennial</strong>: If the Hawks were going to beat Hobbs on the road, they needed a big game from Gutierrez. They got it as the senior RB ignited Centennial's strong second half with a 64-yard TD run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208776' first='Ricky' last='Henderson'], Valley</strong>: Rushed for 121 yards on 8 carries to help Valley beat Manzano.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138047' first='Chris' last='Johnson'], West Mesa</strong>: Caught 6 passes for 104 yards and 2 TD in West Mesa's shootout loss to Farmington.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jaylen Lakes, Manzano</strong>: 15 receptions for 191 yards in&nbsp; the Monarchs' loss to Valley Saturday afternoon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275207' first='Dean' last='Marquez'], Atrisco Heritage</strong>: Passed for 331 yards and 4 TD on 29-of-42 passing in the Jaguars' loss to Rio Rancho. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Arnold Marquez, Atrisco Heritage</strong>: Made 17 tackles (11 solo) in the loss to Rio Rancho. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Amiri Mumba, Highland</strong>: Rushed for 2 TD and returned a kickoff for another TD as Highland improved to 5-1 by battering Pojoaque Valley, 56-7. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275430' first='Brandon' last='Olivas'], Eldorado</strong>: Passed for 197 yards (21-35) and 6 TD as Eldorado outlasted Sandia, 42-39, in OT. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Elliott Pasket-Bell, Volcano Vista</strong>: Our Player of the Week is now on the list of New Mexico's all-time Top 10 passing performances after he threw for 517 yards and 5 TD in just 3 quarters as the Hawks walloped Cibola, 57-7. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138061' first='Kaden' last='Sago'], Ruidoso</strong>: 169 yards on 16 rushes as Ruidoso blanked NMMI, 50-0. Sago, one of the top running backs in 3A, now has 1,092 rushing yards and 17 TD on 125 carries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275376' first='Jett' last='Stone'], Clovis</strong>: The Wildcats won their second straight game, 53-0, over Santa Fe as Stone engineered the flexbone offense perfectly with 66 passing yards and 74 rushing yards. Clovis had 3 RB with 49+ rushing yards. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138069' first='Ryan' last='Stovall'], Alamogordo</strong>: Keyed the Tigers' strong defensive effort (5 forced turnovers) in&nbsp; 13-10 win at Las Cruces with 13 tackles, 2 TFL and a fumble recovery.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Logan Tarango, Organ Mountain</strong>: Threw for 200+ yards and 4 TD in the Knight's hard-fought loss to Carlsbad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Zebadiah Thompson, West Mesa</strong>: Thompson recorded 10+ tackles for the 4^th time this season with 12 tackles in West Mesa's loss to Farmington.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138099' first='NICHOLAS' last='TORRES'],, Los Lunas</strong>: Prior to last Friday's 27-0 win over Albuquerque High, Torres' highest single game rushing total this season had been 73 yards. However, Torres torched the Bulldogs for 157 yards and 1 TD on 13 carries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275563' first='Luka' last='Torrez'], Escalante</strong>: 149 rushing yards on just 9 carries in a win over Laguna Acoma. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='137921' first='Kaden' last='Trevino'], Hobbs</strong>: Caught 10 passes for 157 yards and ran 4 yards for a TD (4 carries, 43 yards), finishing with 219 total yards, the Eagles fell at home, 27-20, to Centennial.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138053' first='Cayden' last='Walton'], Raton</strong>: Walton is a fixture on this weekly list and for good reason. He has rushed for 215+ yards in every game this season and now has 2,166 yards on the season as he chases the state's all-time rushing record. In Raton's latest game, he rushed for 332 yards and five TD in a 42-7 victory over West Las Vegas. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138054' first='Erik' last='Wolf'], Moriarty</strong>: Nobody ‘spreads the wealth' on offense better than Moriarty. Wolf had 60 yards on 7 carries in the Pintos' 13-0 win over St. Pius X. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/agustafson26/status/1579869336293867520","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/agustafson26/status/1579869336293867520 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/ZacharyMarkham4/status/1579846358856798211","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/ZacharyMarkham4/status/1579846358856798211 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/ArnoldM44916550/status/1579623951596068864","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/1579623951596068864 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/IsaiahAbeyta2/status/1579298920059981824","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/IsaiahAbeyta2/status/1579298920059981824 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/tristancordovaa/status/1579177522347974656","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/tristancordovaa/status/1579177522347974656 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/BrandonOlivasQB/status/1578777520396066817","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/BrandonOlivasQB/status/1578777520396066817 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/chris_2_shifty/status/1579286586641874944","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/chris_2_shifty/status/1579286586641874944 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->