Predicting Every Team’s MVP: Class 3A (Part 1)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're about 3-1/2 months away 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 3A with the first eight teams in alphabetical order:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cobre: Caleb Martinez, QB</strong>. Martinez had a solid season in his first year as Cobre's starting quarterback, leading the Indians to the quarterfinals of the Class 3A playoffs. He'll have a nice target to throw to in 2024 WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='592114' first='Nikolas' last='Trujillo']</strong>, an Honorable Mention All-State player in 2022. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Crownpoint: Mohamed Fakron, ATH</strong>. Fakron served a variety of roles for Crownpoint last season on both sides of the ball. Most likely he'll do the same in 2023.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cuba: Richard Lovato, QB</strong>. As a freshman in 2022, Lovato was one of Cuba's best offensive weapons as he threw for 600 yards and 9 TD while rushing for 187 yards. The Rams fell short of the playoffs in 2022 but Lovato could help them get back to the postseason. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dexter: [player_tooltip player_id='1119120' first='Kaesn' last='George'], RB</strong>. George displayed his skills in multiple ways last season with 490 yards rushing and an average of 6.0 yards per carry accompanied by 18 receptions for 188 yards. He also served as Dexter's primary kick returner. In all, he amassed over 900 all-purpose yards.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hatch Valley: Waylon Apodaca, ATH</strong>. Another two-sport standout, which you often see at the 3A level. Last season Apodaca finished second on Hatch Valley with 15 receptions while making 44 tackles, 4.0 TFL and 2 interceptions on defense. With RB [player_tooltip player_id='138201' first='Layton' last='Gillis'] graduating, Apodaca should have a larger role in 2023. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hope Christian: [player_tooltip player_id='544211' first='Jacob' last='Baca'], OL/DL</strong>. Baca is one of the top trench standouts in the Albuquerque Metro Region. College coaches are noticing, too. He's been invited to the Blue-Grey All-American Combine in Dallas, visited Arizona Christian and Washington University of St. Louis and offered by Ottawa University Arizona.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hot Springs: [player_tooltip player_id='275479' first='Kaidyn' last='Lanham'], QB</strong>. Lanham emerged as a dynamic dual threat quarterback last season with 1,085 yards passing and 254 yards rushing. Lanham to 2025 WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615685' first='Ashton' last='Garcia']</strong> could be one of the top passing combinations in Class 3A in 2023. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NMMI: Leonardo Lopez, RB</strong>. Lopez is NMMI's top returning rusher with 346 yards on 63 carries as a junior in 2022. He also had 14 tackles on defense. The Colts reached the 3A playoffs in 2021 but failed to earn a bid last season after finishing the regular season 5-5. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/jacob_baca55/status/1642310047484252165","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/jacob_baca55/status/1642310047484252165 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->