Predicting Every Team's 2023 MVP: Class 4A (Part 1)

<p></p>   <p>We're now less than four months from kickoff of the 2023 New Mexico high school football season. We've been predicting the team MVPs for all the 6A-3A programs. Today, we dive into Class 4A with the first eight teams in alphabetical order.</p>   <p><strong>Aztec: [player_tooltip player_id='275041' first='Baylor' last='Seabolt']</strong>. Seabolt is one of the most dynamic two-way players in Class 4A. Last season he rushed for 333 yards and 6 TD, caught 58 passes for 643 yards and 6 TD and made 130 tackles with 15.5 TFL and 6 QB hurries. So, not only did Seabolt never come off the field, he was always around the ball when he was on it. Eastern New Mexico and New Mexico Highlands have expressed interest.</p>   <p><strong>Albuquerque Academy: [player_tooltip player_id='275045' first='Brody' last='Whitaker']</strong>. The Chargers lose most of their major weapons on offense but Whitaker and the AA defense should be stout. Whitaker moved to linebacker for his junior campaign and proved to be a quick learner, making 105 tackles with 21 TFL. He's incredibly strong and mobile. He'll play at the next level. Recently visited New Mexico State and Eastern New Mexico. New Mexico Highlands has offered. </p>   <p><strong>Bernalillo: [player_tooltip player_id='275206' first='Mason' last='Espinda-McChriston']</strong>. Football is the family business for the McChriston family. Mason's father is the defensive coordinator for Bernalillo. Older brother Jahvon signed with New Mexico Highlands and will be a freshman there in the fall. Mason has been offered by NMHU. He's 6-foot-4 and excels on both sides of the ball. He has elite athleticism as he has shown in 7x7 competition this spring.</p>   <p><strong>Bloomfield: [player_tooltip player_id='275569' first='Jesse' last='Seitzinger']</strong>. Few two-way players anywhere in the state are better than Seitzinger. He played a major role on last season's 4A title team with his variety of skills: rushing (708 yards and 11 TD on 80 carries), catching (24 receptions for 592 yards and 8 TD) and making tackles on defense (70). Bloomfield will be in the thick of the fight again with Seitzinger leading the way.   </p>   <p><strong>Espanola Valley: Alex Chavez</strong>. Led by first-year head coach Tylon Wilder, Espanola Valley was one of the most improved teams in the state last season, finishing 6-4 and barely missing out on the Class 4A playoffs. Chavez was a big reason for the turnaround, rushing for 711 yards and 12 TD on 104 carries, by far the most on the Sundevils. Chavez leads a talented EVHS roster into the 2023 season. Don't be surprised if they're playing in November.</p>   <p><strong>Gallup: TBA</strong>. While the numbers appear to be up after the Gallup program was devastated by the Covid pandemic, the 2022 season was a tough one for the Bengals as they went 0-10 and were routed in nearly every game. The offense scored just 31 points in 10 games. Most of the leading players were seniors. So, who will step up in 2023? We'll find out.     </p>   <p><strong>Grants: [player_tooltip player_id='613060' first='Andres' last='Lazos']</strong>. The Pirates' roster the past two seasons has been dominated by freshmen and sophomores. Now those players have grown up and, head coach Brandon Hernandez hopes, now positioned to win more games. What Lazos, a rising junior, lacks in size he makes up for with a fearless, tough and physical running style. Solid candidate for Breakout Player of the Year in Class 4A. </p>   <p><strong>Kirtland Central: [player_tooltip player_id='604669' first='Bryle' last='Matthews']</strong>. In his first year of varsity action in 2022, Matthews emerged as a promising dual threat quarterback for the Broncos, passing for 862 yards (179 vs. Bloomfield) and 4 TD while rushing for 628 yards (94+ yards four times) and 8 TD. He also caught 8 passes and contributed on defense. Kirtland Central looks to bounce back from a disappointing conclusion to the 2022 season. Matthews will be counted on to lead the Broncos.</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/BaylorSeabolt/status/1638170918123081728?s=20 </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/BrodyWhitaker54/status/1649184702954364929 </div></figure>   <p> </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/jarmaine94/status/1650675781557948417 </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/andreslazos22/status/1646314775452831744?s=20 </div></figure>