New 2025 Rankings: Top Prospects In Southern NM
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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…
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Continue ReadingWe 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:
Ezra Hensley Ezra Hensley 6'3" | 275 lbs | OL Deming | 2025 State NM , Deming: 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.
Manny Chavez Manny Chavez 5'11" | 170 lbs | LB Portales | 2025 State NM , Portales: 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?
Paxton Culpepper Paxton Culpepper 6'0" | 150 lbs | QB Portales | 2025 State NM , Portales: 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.
Thomas Lopez Thomas Lopez 5'8" | 140 lbs | DB Portales | 2025 State NM , Portales: 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.
Ondalis Cardenas Ondalis Cardenas 5'10" | 180 lbs | RB Lovington | 2025 State NM , Lovington: 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 ( Camon Ochoa Camon Ochoa 5'8" | 155 lbs | RB Lovington | 2025 State NM ), positioning the Wildcats to continue having one of the top ground games in southern NM.
Abel Gonzalez Abel Gonzalez 6'3" | 230 lbs | DL Centennial | 2025 State NM , Centennial: 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.
Valente Herrera Valente Herrera 6'3" | 290 lbs | OL Lovington | 2025 State NM , Lovington: 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.
Jordan Lucas Jordan Lucas 5'10" | 170 lbs | WR Centennial | 2025 State NM , Centennial: 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.
David Gutierrez David Gutierrez 6'1" | OL Socorro | 2025 State NM , Socorro: 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.
Isaiah Ocampo Isaiah Ocampo 5'10" | 150 lbs | QB Socorro | 2025 State NM , Socorro: 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.