Predicting Every Team’s 2023 MVP: Class 6A (Part 1)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The start of the 2023 New Mexico high school football season is still 4-1/2 months away but it's always the right time to begin talking about who will be some of the key players in the fall. We're going to go out on a limb and predict each team's MVP, beginning with Class 6A, which has 22 teams. Here's Part 1, with the schools listed in alphabetical order:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alamogordo</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275510' first='Elijah' last='Montoya'], QB</strong>. The Tigers must replace many key contributors from the 2022 team that reached the playoffs in their inaugural season in Class 6A. Montoya threw for 868 yards and 6 TD while rushing 93 times, third highest on the Tigers. QB is always the most important position on the field but how Montoya goes will largely determine how Alamogordo's season goes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Albuquerque High: T.J. McCarthy, OL</strong>. McCarthy will be one of the top offensive linemen in the state this coming season. He's massive (6-4, 300 pounds) yet mobile. New AHS head coach Desmond Anaya would love to get the running game going. McCarthy will be vital in achieving that goal. CB <strong>Diego Viscarra</strong> (76 tackles last season) would have been a nice choice as well. He'll be a defensive leader for AHS in 2023.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Atrisco Heritage: [player_tooltip player_id='274705' first='Marquise' last='Renfro'], RB/WR. </strong>Renfro did it all for the Jaguars last season in leading them to the 6A playoffs. Renfro rushed for 423 yards on 78 carries and caught 44 passes for 535 yards in 2022, accounting for exactly 1,000 all-purpose yards and 15 TD. Renfro and QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275207' first='Dean' last='Marquez']</strong> will be a dynamic combo in 2023. There' also WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='611116' first='Latavious' last='Morris']</strong>. Wow. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Capital: [player_tooltip player_id='611120' first='Juan' last='Munoz']-Lozoya, RB. </strong>Just a sophomore in 2022, Munoz-Lozoya earned Honorable Mention All-State honors by helping fuel the Jaguars' rushing attack along with graduating senior QB [player_tooltip player_id='208737' first='Julian' last='Munoz']. Munoz-Lozoya has two more years of high school football ahead of him and he should be the main weapon on offense in both years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Carlsbad: [player_tooltip player_id='590551' first='Ulysses' last='Mendoza'], RB</strong>. The Cavemen were a senior dominated team on both sides of the ball in 2022 under head coach Oliver Soukup, who is now the defensive coordinator at Eastern New Mexico. New head coach Cale Sanders will essentially be starting over. For the Carlsbad offense, Mendoza is good place to start. He had 684 rushing yards and 9 TD on 172 carries in 2022. He could be a workhorse in the fall. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Centennial: [player_tooltip player_id='274702' first='John' last='Sierra'], OLB</strong>. At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Sierra is a physical specimen. That's why New Mexico has offered and New Mexico State and Colorado have extended invitations to go watch spring practice. Sierra will be the leader – and the centerpiece - of what should be a stout Hawks defense in 2023. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cibola: Nikolas Ramirez, LB. </strong>Some might say WR [player_tooltip player_id='274792' first='Marcus' last='Wilson'] should be guy in this spot but the Cougars have a major question mark at quarterback with the departures of graduating seniors [player_tooltip player_id='137861' first='Aden' last='Chavez'] and [player_tooltip player_id='360532' first='Daniel' last='Benham']. As a result, Ramirez is the logical choice,. He finished second on the Cougars in tackles last season with 76.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cleveland: [player_tooltip player_id='274701' first='Stratton' last='Shufelt'], LB</strong>. He's the No. 1 prospect in the 2024 class and has been heavily recruited with FBS offers from New Mexico, New Mexico State, UTEP, Colorado and others. His physical skills are off the charts. He's 6-foot-3, 225 pounds with great speed, quickness, strength and size. By February 2024, he'll make some college team very happy. Because the Storm have question marks at QB and WR, going with Shufelt makes sense. He had 133 tackles and 19 TFL in 2022.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Clovis: [player_tooltip player_id='275303' first='Kash' last='Roberts'], RB</strong>. The upcoming season will be Year 2 of the run-dominated flexbone offense under head coach Andrew McCraw, a former ENMU assistant under Kelley Lee. So, it's logical to pick a running back. Roberts is a good one with a team-leading 735 yards and 6 TD on 144 carries.       </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eldorado: [player_tooltip player_id='275430' first='Brandon' last='Olivas'], QB</strong>. Lack of offense wasn't Eldorado's problem last season. A leaky defense was. Olivas had a good season statistically by throwing for 1,647 yards and 20 TD. Olivas and RB [player_tooltip player_id='615660' first='John' last='Paul Ludi'] should make a nice QB-RB duo for the Eagles. If head coach Charlie Dotson fixes the defense, Eldorado could be back in the playoff hunt again. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Farmington: [player_tooltip player_id='274791' first='Trel' last='Griego'], QB</strong>. Griego will be one of the top passing quarterbacks in the state this coming season, just as he was last year when he threw for 2,979 yards and 31 TD in leading Farmington to the quarterfinals of the 6A playoffs in the Scorpions' debut season in the highest classification. Griego is a load at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds but he has the size college coaches love.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/strat_shufelt/status/1597403121361518593?s=20","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/strat_shufelt/status/1597403121361518593?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>   </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/BulldogCityFB/status/1642303922688905216?s=20","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/BulldogCityFB/status/1642303922688905216?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/johnsierra2024/status/1636553342536257536?s=20","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/johnsierra2024/status/1636553342536257536?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/TreGriego/status/1592314806371225601?s=20","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/TreGriego/status/1592314806371225601?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/BrandonOlivasQB/status/1588726423640211459?s=20","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/BrandonOlivasQB/status/1588726423640211459?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->