Next Man Up: Biggest Shoes To Fill (Part 1)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Some of the top high school football players throughout the state of New Mexico were seniors in 2022. As a result, coaches are spending the offseason searching for worthy successors. Who are some of those players with the ‘Biggest Shoes To Fill'? In Part 1 of a new series, we tell you who they are:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>La Cueva Quarterback</strong>: Who has the difficult assignment of following New Mexico signee [player_tooltip player_id='137862' first='Aidan' last='Armenta'] at QB for the Bears? Most likely, 2025 prospect (rising junior) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='611098' first='Cameron' last='Dyer']</strong>, who is listed at 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, so he possesses plenty of size, skill and athleticism. He filled a variety of roles as a sophomore in 2022, including running back, wide receiver and kickoff returner. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Centennial Running Back</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='208691' first='Mikah' last='Gutierrez'] was one of the top running backs in the state last season, rushing for close to 2,000 yards to lead the Hawks to the semifinals of the 6A playoffs. His successor will likely be rising junior <strong>Rudy Rios</strong>, who saw action in 2022 as Gutierrez's backup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hobbs Middle Linebacker</strong>: How do you replace somebody who had nearly 300 tackles in his career? In all likelihood, with somebody who had 100+ tackles in 2022. [player_tooltip player_id='138050' first='Kenyon' last='Singleton'] heads to Eastern New Mexico after posting 296 career tackles in three seasons for the Eagles. His successor? Don't be surprised if the choice is rising senior <strong>Zaeden McPherson</strong>, who had 113 tackles at outside LB in 2022. Look for McPherson to slide inside and take over for Singleton. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Raton Running Back</strong>: There's an old sports saying that you don't want to be the guy who follows the legend. Instead, you want to be the guy who follows the guy who follows the legend. However, somebody has to play running back for Raton in 2023 and become the immediate replacement to [player_tooltip player_id='138053' first='Cayden' last='Walton'], the state's all-time leading rusher with nearly 8,000 yards on the ground. It could be his younger brother, 2025 prospect <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613159' first='Cannon' last='Walton']</strong>, or rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275465' first='W.D.' last='Hyer']</strong>. Hyer played mostly receiver in 2022. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bernalillo Defensive Tackle</strong>: Few defensive tackles were as dominant as [player_tooltip player_id='138072' first='Michael' last='Ash'] in 2022 as the soon-to-be New Mexico Highlands signee finished with more than 100 tackles and 30 tackles for loss. Who succeeds him? Most likely, Bernalillo coach John Cobos won't rely on just one guy. Ash demanded double teams, so the Spartans will have to adjust in that regard. Cobos plans a ‘by committee' approach with 6-foot-4, 275-pound rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594482' first='Jaden' last='Lovato']</strong> being the headliner. Lovato split time between JV and varsity as a sophomore in 2022. Rising sophomore <strong>Devin Clark</strong> should be in the mix as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/camdyer7/status/1603400340421967875","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/camdyer7/status/1603400340421967875 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/RudyRiosFb/status/1533665291439247361","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/RudyRiosFb/status/1533665291439247361 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/HobbsEaglesFB/status/1595425029915045889","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/HobbsEaglesFB/status/1595425029915045889 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->