New 2025 Rankings: Top Prospects In Southern NM

<p>We have released the FIRST 2025 rankings and one thing is abundantly clear – there is an abundance of young high school football talent in New Mexico. Most of the prospects in our initial ranking have already made a significant impact on their respective teams, and they still have two more years to cement their legacy. Here are the Top 10 2025 prospects in Southern New Mexico:</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='510673' first='Ezra' last='Hensley'], Deming</strong>:  The best young offensive lineman in southern New Mexico. He's 6-foot-3, 265 pounds and very capable of opening lanes for Deming running backs or protecting the quarterback in the passing game. By this time next year Hensley should be getting plenty of attention from college evaluators.   </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613053' first='Manny' last='Chavez'], Portales</strong>: After just two seasons, Chavez has already amassed 234 career tackles, putting him a mere 22 tackles away from cracking the Top 10 all-time in state history. Only one player (Darren Chavez, Santa Rosa, 2015-18) has surpassed 400 career tackles. Could Chavez be the second?  </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615523' first='Paxton' last='Culpepper'], Portales</strong>: Culpepper emerged this season as one of the top dual threat quarterbacks in the state, leading the Rams to a 9-3 record and the No. 5 seed in the Class 4A playoffs. Culpepper threw for 2,290 yards and 27 TD, and rushed for 265 yards in directing Portales' balanced attack.    </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613062' first='Thomas' last='Lopez'], Portales</strong>: Yes, it does seem Portales has close to a monopoly on the best young players in southern New Mexico. Lopez was an outstanding two-way player in 2022 with 29 receptions for 624 yards and 7 TD on offense and 50 tackles with 4 interceptions on defense. He should be one of the defensive leaders for the Rams in 2023.   </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615565' first='Ondalis' last='Cardenas'], Lovington</strong>: The top young running back in southern New Mexico already has close to 1,400 rushing yards and 19 rushing TD before his junior season. He had 612 rushing yards and 8 TD in 9 games in 2022. Lovington's other RB is also a sophomore ([player_tooltip player_id='613065' first='Camon' last='Ochoa']), positioning the Wildcats to continue having one of the top ground games in southern NM.</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613749' first='Abel' last='Gonzalez'], Centennial</strong>: It's sometimes difficult for young players to break through and become starters as sophomore at the 6A level, but Gonzalez accomplished that in 2022. He earned All-District honors and should anchor the Hawks' defensive line for the next two seasons.</p>   <p><strong> [player_tooltip player_id='613058' first='Valente' last='Herrera'], Lovington</strong>: Six months from the start of the 2023 season, Herrera already has great size at 6-foot-3, 260 pounds with two more high school season on the horizon. First Team All-State honors in Class 4A. Another OL in the state who could become a legitimate D1 prospect by this time next year.        </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='280925' first='Jordan' last='Lucas'], Centennial</strong>: If you follow Lucas on twitter, you know he's a camp warrior, spending his offseason attending as many camps as possible, recently competing in the National Combine in San Antonio. He converted all that practice time into a solid sophomore campaign with 28 receptions, 421 all-purpose yards and 8 TD in 2022. He has D1 potential.  </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613156' first='David' last='Gutierrez'], Socorro</strong>: The Socorro defense was one of the best in the state in 2022, regardless of classification, posting seven shutouts in 12 games. Gutierrez played a huge role for the Warriors by making 39 tackles and 1.5 TFL. Gutierrez will have an even bigger role in 2023.</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613184' first='Isaiah' last='Ocampo'], Socorro</strong>: Ocampo emerged as an outstanding two-way player in 2022 with 15 receptions for 261 yards and 2 TD. He rushed 5 times and averaged 9 yards per carry. Defensively, he had 24 tackles and 1 INT. Another promising young player who will take on a greater role in 2023.</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/EzraHensley5/status/1602168031957983232 </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/Ondalis_33/status/1581803834816405504 </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/Jordan_Lucas_07/status/1595587864049451011 </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/Angrybirdfb/status/1462466004383059973 </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/lvtwildcatsfb/status/1603227582949826560 </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/lvtwildcatsfb/status/1569147902005751808 </div></figure>

We have released the FIRST 2025 rankings and one thing is abundantly clear – there is an abundance of young high school football talent in New Mexico. Most of the prospects in our initial ranking have already made a significant impact on their respective teams, and they still have two more years to cement their legacy. Here are the Top 10 2025 prospects in Southern New Mexico: