Look Back, Look Ahead: Class 6A

We begin our popular ‘Look Back, Look Ahead' series with a comprehensive look back at the 2022 season in Class 6A and a look ahead to some of the key storylines, topics, players and questions going into the 2023 season. Less than eight months to kickoff!    LOOK BACK   Team of the Year: Cleveland. When former head coach Heath Ridenour left the Storm about a year ago to join the New Mexico staff, some were skeptical Cleveland would continue to dominate Class 6A. When the Storm lost its season opener to Centennial on a last second time, that skepticism seemed legitimate. But the following week Cleveland bounced back with a hard fought 33-29 victory over La Cueva, whom they would see again later in the 6A championship game. With that win, the Storm were off and running. Over the final 11 games, Cleveland averaged 51.9 points behind their talented offensive trio of QB [player_tooltip player_id='139521' first='Evan' last='Wysong'], RB [player_tooltip player_id='138204' first='Josh' last='Perry'] and WR [player_tooltip player_id='139523' first='Nic' last='Trujillo'] and rolled to their third straight 6A championship.                         Offensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='137862' first='Aidan' last='Armenta'], La Cueva. It was a very good year for Armenta, on and off the field. He threw for either 4,264 yards (NMAA) or 4,303 yards (MaxPreps), depending on whom you trust more, and 50 TD. Both his single season total passing yards and passing TD rank in the top seven all-time in the state. Armenta also just signed with New Mexico, and he could earn the Lobos' starting QB job within the next year or two. UNM head coach Danny Gonzales is very high on Armenta.           Defensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='138050' first='Kenyon' last='Singleton'], Hobbs. Singleton followed up a strong junior campaign in 2021 (132 tackles) with an even better season in 2022 with 137 tackles, 7 TFL, 3 sacks and 4 QB hurries from his linebacker position. Singleton has been offered by Arizona Christian University and Wayland Baptist.      Junior of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='275488' first='Elijah' last='Brody'], West Mesa. Not only did Brody finish second in passing yards (2,454 yards) and third in touchdown passes (29) among junior quarterbacks, he led ALL juniors in rushing yards with 765 on 101 attempts with 15 TD. He accounted for 44 TD for the Mustangs. He edged out La Cueva WR [player_tooltip player_id='274790' first='Jackson' last='Hix'] for the award.   Sophomore of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='351056' first='Mason' last='Posa'], La Cueva. Few defensive players in the state were as dominant this past season as the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Posa. In 12 games this past season, Posa totaled 77 tackles, including a staggering 24 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 5 INT and 2 forced fumbles.            Freshmen of the Year: Santiago Gonzales, Farmington. At the 6A level, freshman rarely make a significant impact, but Gonzales is one of the exceptions. He finished with 62 tackles to finish fourth on Farmington in that category.        Breakthrough Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='270020' first='Ian' last='Sanchez'], La Cueva. After serving as a secondary receiver for the Bears in 2021, Sanchez broke out in 2022 with a state record 99 receptions for 1,638 yards (4th most in state history) and 22 TD (tied for 5th most in state history). His connection with Armenta was often magical.   Game(s) of the Year: La Cueva 28, Centennial 21 AND La Cueva 42, Centennial 35. Two fantastic games between teams that earned top four seeds for the 6A playoffs. In Week 3, they battled back-and-forth until La Cueva scored with one second remaining to pullout the win. They met again in the semifinals of the 6A playoffs at Field of Dreams in Las Cruces and the Bears again scored late on a TD by [player_tooltip player_id='269525' first='Gabriel' last='Buie'], capping an 86-yard drive in the frantic final minutes. Centennial proceeded to drive to the LC 31 before a fumble on a lateral ended the drama.       LOOK AHEAD   Top Storyline for 2023: Can Anybody Beat Cleveland? Until somebody else holds the blue trophy aloft in celebration in late November, this will remain the dominant question for Class 6A. The Storm polished off the three-peat with that 75-62 victory over La Cueva Thanksgiving weekend and they've lost to just twice to New Mexico teams since the start of the 2019 campaign. However, with offensive stalwarts Wysong, Perry and Trujillo departing, is Cleveland vulnerable to a regime change in 2023? The Storm might need some new pieces on offense but the defense led by FBS prospect [player_tooltip player_id='274701' first='Stratton' last='Shufelt'] should still be solid. Bolstered by an abundance of first-rate facilities, talented players and undying fan support, Cleveland doesn't rebuild, they reload. The door is slightly ajar.  We'll see if anybody takes advantage in 2023.            Player To Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='274791' first='Trel' last='Griego'], Farmington. In its first year in Class 6A, Farmington reached the quarterfinals of the state playoffs, falling to La Cueva for the second time in three weeks. No shame in that. The Scorpions were carried by Griego in his first season as the starting QB. Listed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, opposing defenses discovered this past season that Griego is a load to tackle. He threw for nearly 2,900 yards and 31 TD while rushing for 526 yards in 2022. The guess here is Griego will add an inch or two and about 10-15 pounds to his frame before next season. Promising rising junior WR Michael Beck returns in 2023, giving Griego a nice target. Watch out for Farmington in 2023.          Team On The Rise: Atrisco Heritage. The Jaguars slipped into the playoffs as the No. 12 seed (essentially beating out West Mesa for the final spot) before losing to Volcano Vista by a lopsided margin in the first round. But Atrisco appears headed in the right direction under head coach Howard Knezevich. Most of their major contributors on offense return in 2023, including QB [player_tooltip player_id='275207' first='Dean' last='Marquez'] and WR Latavious Morris. If the Jaguars figure out to improve the defense, they'll make some noise in 2023.       Team Looking To Bounce Back: Las Cruces. It was definitely unusual – and rare - to see the Bulldawgs at home when the 6A playoffs began in early November. Las Cruces finished 2-7 with the only two wins coming over city rivals Mayfield and Organ Mountain. The offense struggled to score points in the second half of the season, just 52 in the last 4 games. Freshman QB Gunnar Guardiola started one game for the Bulldawgs and he could face a spirited QB competition in the spring and summer. Blueblood programs typically don't stay down for long, so look for Las Cruces to bounce back in 2023 and earn a spot back in the playoffs.   Player Ready to Blow Up: Cameron Dyer, La Cueva. The likely successor to [player_tooltip player_id='137862' first='Aidan' last='Armenta'] at quarterback, Dyer was utilized in a variety of ways by the Bears in 2022. He rushed for 275 yards and caught 34 passes for 583 yards and 5 TD. He also returned kickoffs, including one for a TD in the 6A state championship game. We got our first look at Dyer last summer during 7-on-7 season, and we'll get an even better look in 2023. He's got the size (6-foot-3) and arm strength to succeed at QB.                       5 Key Questions:   1. Who will be the new stars of Cleveland's offense? Start with RB Harris Mbueha, who had 475 rushing yards in 2022, including 108 yards and 4 TD on 16 carries in the 6A title game. [player_tooltip player_id='274977' first='Andres' last='Aguirre'] should get some carries as well. He was a very good RB at Albuquerque High before transferring to Cleveland.     2. Is Rio Rancho ready to become elite again? After reaching the 6A championship game in 2019 and 2021, Rio Rancho fell back to 7-5 and a quarterfinal loss in 2022, but most folks expected the Rams to endure a rebuilding year after losing standouts such as RB Zach Vigil following the 2021 campaign. The Rams need rising junior QB J.J. Arellano to continue showcasing his superb dual threat skills in 2023.       3. Besides Las Cruces, who else is looking to bounce back from disappointing seasons in 2022? Clovis, Eldorado and Santa Fe. All three teams missed the playoffs in 2022. Clovis enters its second year with the flexbone offense. Eldorado had significant defensive issues this past season. Santa Fe was poor on both sides of the ball.   4. How will Los Lunas and Farmington fare in their second seasons in Class 6A? Los Lunas, of course, must find a replacement for dynamic QB Paul Cieremens. Leading receiver [player_tooltip player_id='274796' first='Fabian' last='Trujillo'] is back, though. As we mentioned above, Farmington could be a dangerous team with [player_tooltip player_id='274791' first='Trel' last='Griego'] at QB.      5. Which district will be the strongest in 2023? The inclination is always to go with 6A-1 with Cleveland, Rio Rancho, Volcano Vista and others. But watch out for 6A-3, which could be a very competitive district in 2-023. The gap between Centennial, Las Cruces, Hobbs, Carlsbad, Alamogordo and Organ Mountain appears to be as small as it's been in a while. Every week will be a battle.

We begin our popular ‘Look Back, Look Ahead' series with a comprehensive look back at the 2022 season in Class 6A and a look ahead to some of the key storylines, topics, players and questions going into the 2023 season. Less than eight months to kickoff!