Week 9: Top Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 9 of the New Mexico high school football season is complete. Here are last weekend's top performers:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>JJ Arellano, Rio Rancho</strong>: Just a sophomore, Arellano was sensational again in leading the Rams offense against Cibola. In the first half alone he ran for two TD and completed all 10 of his passes for 233 yards and two TD as Rio Ranch jumped out t a 28-7 halftime lead. &nbsp;He finished as the Rams' leading rusher with 89 yards on 22 carries. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Omar Argott, Hobbs</strong>: Completed 17-of-25 passes for 272 yards and 4 TD as Hobbs rolled to a 47-3 win over Alamogordo. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='137862' first='Aidan' last='Armenta'], La Cueva</strong>: Armenta, probably the front runner for the New Mexico Heisman at the moment, has thrown for over 1,000 yards in the past two games. He passed for 475 yards and EIGHT touchdowns against West Masa last Thursday in one of the wildest and craziest games we've seen in a long time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138084' first='Brian' last='Armijo'], Socorro</strong>: The Warriors trounced Hatch Valley, 55-0, as Armijo excelled on both sides of the ball. He rushed for 100 yards and 1 TD and had 2 sacks and 1 fumble recovery on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274725' first='Diego' last='Avila'], Belen</strong>: 198 rushing yards in a 30-7 win over Highland. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275488' first='Elijah' last='Brody'], West Mesa</strong>: Completed 27-of-50 passes for 430 yards and 6 TD against La Cueva.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='269525' first='Gabriel' last='Buie'], La Cueva</strong>: Rushed for 169 yards and 4 TD on just 12 carries against West Mesa.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ondalis Cardenas, Lovington</strong>: Cardenas ignited the Wildcats' offense at Bernalillo as he rushed for 116 yards ad 3 TD in a 33-7 district victory over the Spartans.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Creed Chavez, St. Michael's</strong>: Caught 3 TD passes, including the game-winner with 38 seconds left, as the Horsemen drove 70 yards in the final minutes to topple Raton. Chavez finished with 10 receptions for 178 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Paxton Culpepper, Portales</strong>: Completed 10-of-14 passes for 236 yarsd and 3 TD in a 44-7 win for the rams at Albuquerque Academy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138093' first='Alexavier' last='Carreon'], Jal</strong>: The Panthers escaped Texico, 41-35, as Carreon rushed for 191 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nye Estrada, Artesia</strong>: Estrada continues to build his New Mexico Heisman resume. But even if he doesn't win it this season, he'll go into 2023 as one of the favorites. In Artesia's crucial 46-28 win over Roswell, Estrada threw for 288 yards and 3 TD. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274793' first='Peyton' last='Greathouse'], Artesia</strong>: 8 receptions for 120 yards and 2 TD in the Bulldogs' district win over Roswell.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274791' first='Trel' last='Griego'], Farming</strong>ton: Griego has emerged as a solid starter in his first season directing the Scorpions offense. Farmington improved to 2-0 in the district with a 43-7 win over Sandia as Griego threw 4 TD passes, three to Michael Beck.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gunnar Guardiola, Las Cruces:</strong> The freshman QB was thrown into the fire in a must-win game against Organ Mountain and he responded with a solid performance, leading a second half comeback that saw the Bulldawgs outscore the Knights, 21-7, over the final 24 minutes. He completed 11-of-16 passes for 142 yards and 1 TD. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208691' first='Mikah' last='Gutierrez'], Centennial</strong>: Fair to say Gutierrez is one of the top 3 contenders for the 2022 New Mexico Heisman. He rushed for 243 yards and 3 TD, two from 60+ yards, in a 44-7 win over Carlsbad at Field of Dreams last Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138076' first='Tomas' last='Herrera'], Gadsden</strong>: Herrera is one of the top dual threat QBs in Class 5A. He rushed for 227 yards and 5 TD on 23 carries as the Panthers beat Chaparral, 44-0.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274790' first='Jackson' last='Hix'], La Cueva</strong>: He had 124 receiving yards and 3 TD catches for the Bears against West Mesa.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Logan Howell, Piedra Vista</strong>: The Panthers opened district play with a 48-21 win over Miyamura. Howell threw 3 TD passes and ran for 1 TD. It was Piedra Vista's 3^rd straight road game. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138047' first='Chris' last='Johnson'], West Mesa</strong>: Johnson continues to be one of the most underrated players in Albuquerque. Against La Cueva, he had 9 receptions for 204 yards and 2 TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jesse Leroch, Artesia</strong>: Had 104 yards rushing on 12 carries in the win over Roswell.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594674' first='Tommy' last='Lopez'], Portales</strong>: Amassed 118 yards on just 3 receptions as the Rams beat Albuquerque Academy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138194' first='Jacob' last='Lujan'], Jal</strong>: He had 191 rushing yards in the close win over Texico.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Zaeden McPherson, Hobbs</strong>: 13 tackles in win over Alamogordo.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208812' first='Andres' last='Madrid'], Santa Rosa</strong>: Madrid continues to post impressive numbers, rushing for 149 yards on just 10 carries as Santa Rosa mercy ruled Laguna Acoma, 50-0. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='335455' first='Zach' last='Martinez'], St. Michael's</strong>: The Horsemen stunned Raton with a last-minute TD to win 28-21. Martinez threw for 227 yards and 3 TD, all the Chavez.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Elijah Melancon, Eunice</strong>: Competed 18-of-33 passes for 329 yards and 6 TD as the Cardinals beat Loving, 47-8.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138082' first='Brent' last='Miller'], Hope Christian</strong>: The Huskies bounced back from a double OT loss to Dexter with a lopsided win over Tucumcari, 44-0, as Miller rushed for 157 yards on 15 carries and completed 2-of-4 passes for 37 yards. He finished with 199 total yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208737' first='Julian' last='Munoz'], Capital</strong>: The Jaguars still harbor hopes of making the 6A playoffs in their first year in the state's highest classification. Munoz threw for 186 yards (9-17 passing) and 2 TD while scoring a 31-yard on the ground as Capital beat Albuquerque High.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='269559' first='Teke' last='Nieto'], Los Alamos</strong>: We said before that Nieto is a player you need to know. Against Manzano, he rushed for 134 yards and 1 TD on 15 carries while catching 2 passes for 37 yards. That's 171 all-purpose yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ethan Ramirez, Artesia</strong>: Led the Bulldogs' defensive effort against Roswell with 10 tackles and 2 sacks &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='270020' first='Ian' last='Sanchez'], La Cueva</strong>: Somebody has to be catching all those TD passes from Armenta, and Sanchez was definitely the guy against West Mesa. He had 5 TD receptions and totaled 201 receiving yards in the 89-62 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208748' first='Ryan' last='Sharpe'], Bloomfield</strong>: The Bobcats QB led a 58-8 win over Kirtland Central by throwing for 310 yards and 4 TD. Bloomfield total nearly 600 yards in total offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jonathan Silva, Goddard</strong>: Rushed for 294 yards and 3 TD on 19 carries to spark the Rockets to a win over Mayfield in a key district game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274788' first='Ashton' last='Thompson'], Eunice</strong>: 10 receptions for 116 yards and 5 TD in the Cardinals' big win over Loving.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='137921' first='Kaden' last='Trevino'], Hobbs</strong>: 6 receptions for 167 yards in the Eagles' big win over Alamogordo.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ricky Vasquez, Silver</strong>: Vasquez led the ground game for Silver as he rushed for 98 yards and 2 TD on 3 carries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138053' first='Cayden' last='Walton'], Raton</strong>: Became the state's all-time leader in career rushing yardage by amassing 234 yards on 30 carries against St. Michael's. He also had 15 tackles on defense. Now Walton has his sights on the single season rushing yardage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='139521' first='Evan' last='Wysong'], Cleveland</strong>: Wysong and the Cleveland offense made short work of Atrisco Heritage in a 54-0 victory. Wysong threw 3 TD passes, including a 55-yarder to fellow Lobos commit [player_tooltip player_id='139523' first='Nic' last='Trujillo'], in the first quarter and the Storm jumped out to a 35-0 lead, assuring a running clock for the remainder of the contest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/trujillo_nic/status/1582042942255923202","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/trujillo_nic/status/1582042942255923202 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Ondalis_33/status/1581803834816405504","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/Ondalis_33/status/1581803834816405504 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/drew1rodriguez/status/1581819607953723392","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/drew1rodriguez/status/1581819607953723392 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/gabrielbuie07/status/1581712437102800896","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/gabrielbuie07/status/1581712437102800896 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/kaylalujan/status/1581170496388767744","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/kaylalujan/status/1581170496388767744 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Kbell_31/status/1581150583909556224","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/Kbell_31/status/1581150583909556224 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/D3v_03/status/1582623799241048065","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/D3v_03/status/1582623799241048065 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/chris_2_shifty/status/1582030064798924800","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/1582030064798924800 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/TreGriego/status/1581771879559225344","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/TreGriego/status/1581771879559225344 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/jonsilva_3/status/1581703591584092161","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/jonsilva_3/status/1581703591584092161 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/IanSanchezNM/status/1581695223394013184","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/1581695223394013184 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->