2023 Rankings: Fastest Stock Risers, Part 1

Photo: Prep Redzone

Scott Hood December 14, 2022 @ 02:02 PM

<p>The new 2023 rankings have been released. Some players made significant leaps up the rankings due to their outstanding performance throughout the just completed 2022 season. Here is Part 1 of our Fastest Stock Risers:</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='335475' first='Kaden' last='Bell'], Los Lunas</strong>: The football doesn't just rocket off Bell's foot, it thunders. You can hear the moment of impact halfway across the stadium. Bell led the state in field goals made with 11 with a long of 46 yards. He also averaged nearly 40 yards per punt and 62 of his 66 kickoffs ended in touchbacks.</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='542877' first='Marcus' last='Leyba'], St. Michael's</strong>: The 6-foot-1, 178 pound Leyba emerged this season for the Horsemen as one of the top running backs in the state, certainly one of the best in Class 3A. Amassed 1,245 all-purpose yards, including 900 rushing. He has been accepted into Arizona and New Mexico State, and could gets PWO opportunities with those schools.    </p>   <p><strong>David ‘Rocket' Llanez, Bernalillo</strong>: Llanez is nicknamed ‘Rocket' for a reason. He's blazing fast, as he proved last spring during track season and the fall during football season. Bernalillo struggled winning games, but Llanez enjoyed a solid season by rushing for almost 900 yards and returning kickoffs. He had 1,420 all-purpose yards.<strong>  </strong></p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='269871' first='Taven' last='Lozada'], St. Michael's</strong>: We predicted last spring Lozada would be THE Breakout Player in 2022 and he didn't disappoint. Because the NMAA denied his waiver after transferring from Santa Fe to St. Michael's, Lozada had to play JV in 2021, so few people knew about him. The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder became one of St. Michael's top offensive threats. Eastern New Mexico and Western New Mexico have offered. His nickname is '505Gronk.'</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='269559' first='Teke' last='Nieto'], Los Alamos</strong>: Hidden in the northern New Mexico mountains, Nieto rushed for 1,140 yards and averaged over 8 yards per carry, as well as 20.4 yards for his 16 receptions. Defensively, he made 87 tackles with 7 interceptions. He led Los Alamos to a winning season and a berth in the Class 5A playoffs. He's also an elite wrestler. Nieto shouldn't be a secret anymore, and deserves an opportunity to play at the next level.</p>   <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/1594394848026501120 </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/MarcusLeyba2023/status/1602653861009063942 </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/Llanez_Jr/status/1594371841233063936 </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/TavenLozada/status/1589018947399340032 </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/TekeNieto/status/1602860800648978432 </div></figure>

The new 2023 rankings have been released. Some players made significant leaps up the rankings due to their outstanding performance throughout the just completed 2022 season. Here is Part 1 of our Fastest Stock Risers: