Look Back, Look Ahead: Class 3A

We continue our popular ‘Look Back, Look Ahead' series with a comprehensive look back at the 2022 season in Class 3A and a look ahead to some of the key storylines, topics, players and questions going into the 2023 season. Seven months to kickoff!    LOOK BACK   Team of the Year: Ruidoso. The Warriors powered their way to the 3A championship with outstanding performances on both sides of the ball. Elite dual threat QB [player_tooltip player_id='269582' first='Cooper' last='Pritchett'] (2,500+ total yards) , RB [player_tooltip player_id='138061' first='Kaden' last='Sago'] (1,739 rushing yards) and junior WR [player_tooltip player_id='592093' first='Logan' last='Sandoval'] (52 receptions) spearheaded the offense, while LB [player_tooltip player_id='269581' first='Gavon' last='Hall'] (see below) led a suffocating defense highlighted by three players amassing 114+ tackles. The Warriors 12-0 shutout victory over St. Michael's in the Class 3A championship game at Ivan Head Stadium in Santa Fe was one of the most impressive defensive performances of the year, regardless of classification.                       Offensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='138053' first='Cayden' last='Walton'], Raton. There are plenty of talented offensive players at the 3A level, but this decision was easy. Walton shattered the single season state rushing record with 3,123 yards on 291 carries, and established a new careering rushing mark in the process with 7,971 yards. Walton rushed for 1,900+ yards THREE times in his career. Incredible.     Defensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='269581' first='Gavon' last='Hall'], Ruidoso. The Ruidoso defense allowed fewer than 10 points in eight games this past season. Hall finished tied for second in the state with 137 tackles. He added 12 tackles for loss, 5 sacks and 6 QB hurries. Hall was a tackling machine this past season and his defensive teammates followed his lead.   Junior of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='544211' first='Jacob' last='Baca'], Hope Christian. Baca didn't have the most tackles by a Class 3A junior in 2022 (Raton's [player_tooltip player_id='275465' first='W.D.' last='Hyer'] has that honor) but he was likely the most impactful player. Baca finished with 92 tackles and an impressive 13 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. As an offensive lineman, he delivered 33 pancake blocks.   Sophomore of the Year: C.J. Perea, West Las Vegas. Sophomore jinx? Not for Perea. He followed up a superb freshman campaign in 2021 with another outstanding season as a sophomore as he led all 3A quarterbacks with 2,016 passing yards and 21 TD as the Dons reached the quarterfinals of the 3A playoffs. In two seasons, Perea had thrown for 4,245 yards and 45 TD. He's on pace to finish in the Top 10 all-time for career passing yardage in New Mexico.          Freshmen of the Year: Garrett Gonzalez, Dexter. Gonzalez certainly didn't play like a freshman in 2022 when he was one of Dexter's top defensive players. He finished with 55 tackles (36 solo), 12 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. He also contributed to the Demons' offense with 271 rushing yards and 3 TD on 37 carries.         Breakthrough Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='542892' first='Creed' last='Chavez'], St. Michael's. Whenever the Horsemen needed a clutch play on offense, they usually turned to Chavez. He was also an excellent defensive back. Chavez helped lead St. Michael's to back-to-back appearances in the Class 3A championship game.     Game of the Year: Ruidoso 21, Raton 20 (3A Playoffs). Four of Raton's last five games were decided by 9 or fewer points, including a heartbreaking 21-20 loss to Ruidoso in the 3A semifinals. [player_tooltip player_id='138061' first='Kaden' last='Sago'] scored the go-ahead TD for Ruidoso with just over 3 minutes left to cap a 65-yard drive. Raton took over needing just a field goal to win the game but they were stopped on fourth-and-1 from midfield and Ruidoso ran out the clock to secure their place in the title game.            LOOK AHEAD   Top Storyline for 2023: It's going to feel strange seeing Raton without [player_tooltip player_id='138053' first='Cayden' last='Walton'] carrying the ball 25+ times per game. How the Tigers adjust to life without the state's all-time leading rusher is arguably the top storyline of the 203 season.             Player To Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='592093' first='Logan' last='Sandoval'], Ruidoso. The Warriors will have a new quarterback in 2023 but whoever wins the job will have a reliable target in Sandoval, who amassed nearly 1,000 receiving yards in 2022.          Team On The Rise: West Las Vegas. WLV has long lived in the shadow its cross-town rival, Robertson. But the pieces for WLV seem to be in place for a run deep into the playoffs next season. Perea now has two year experience as the starting QB under his belt and the Dons return many other key pieces on offense. In addition, most of the top tacklers from 2022 return as well. When you have a QB as talented as Perea, WLV's ‘Window of Opportunity' is NOW. New head coach Pat Rodriguez has been hired to get WLV to where they want to go.               Team Looking To Bounce Back: Dexter. The Demons have a proud history in football. In 2022 they finished 5-5 in the regular season and grabbed the No. 8 seed for the playoffs. But they lost to Cobre in the first round. Expectations are always high at Dexter. Look for the Demons to have a bounce back year in 2023.                          Player Ready to Blow Up (1A): Jesse James Gonzalez, Robertson: Is he the next great 1,000-yard rusher in Class 3A? Besides having one of the coolest names in New Mexico high school football, Gonzalez just happens to be a very good football player. As a sophomore, he rushed for 768 yards and 8 TD on 158 carries to help lead the Cardinals to the District 3A-2 title and the No. 3 seed for the 3A playoffs. In two seasons, he has already rushed for nearly 1,600 yards. If he keeps improving, Gonzalez could push 4,000 career rushing yards before he's done.       Player Ready To Blow Up (1B): [player_tooltip player_id='1103773' first='Jacob' last='Mattorano'], Raton. With [player_tooltip player_id='138053' first='Cayden' last='Walton'] graduating (and hopefully moving on to the next level), the Tigers might rely more on Mattorano next season. As the Tigers QB, he threw for 1,258 yards and ran for 108 yards and 3 TD next season. Because Raton must break in a new RB next season and Mattorano will be a senior, his offensive role should be greatly enhanced.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/_CoachPier/status/1596959231873544192 </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/CoachCarlos62/status/1592306791119224833 </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/creedchavez/status/1607759842525212680 </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/jacob_baca55/status/1592677615030394880 </div></figure>

We continue our popular ‘Look Back, Look Ahead' series with a comprehensive look back at the 2022 season in Class 3A and a look ahead to some of the key storylines, topics, players and questions going into the 2023 season. Seven months to kickoff!