2023 Team Preview: Taos Tigers
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Taos 2023 Preview Head Coach: Art Abreu Mascot: Tigers Twitter: @abreu_art (Secured); @TaosSchools Colors: Orange and Black 2022 Record: 10-2 (4A Semifinals) Overview: You can count on one hand the number of New Mexico high school football teams that…
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Continue ReadingTaos 2023 Preview
Head Coach: Art Abreu
Mascot: Tigers
Twitter: @abreu_art (Secured); @TaosSchools
Colors: Orange and Black
2022 Record: 10-2 (4A Semifinals)
Overview: You can count on one hand the number of New Mexico high school football teams that won 10 straight games in 2022. Taos is one of them as they ripped off 10 consecutive victories after dropping the season opener to St. Michael’s in Santa Fe. They didn’t lose again until November when they fell to eventual 4A champion Bloomfield in the playoff semifinals. The good news for Taos is after playing home games in Questa last season due to the installation of new stadium turf the Tigers will return to their rightful place in 2023.
That new field will see some new faces. Last season’s quarterback Dameon Ely has graduated and the new QB will be rising sophomore Evan Salazar Evan Salazar 5'10" | 140 lbs | QB Taos | 2026 State NM , who started every game at cornerback as a freshman in 2022 and finished with 38 tackles and 5 passes defended. Top returning rusher Mateo Salazar Mateo Salazar 5'9" | 145 lbs | RB Taos | 2025 State NM (359 yards and 6 TD on 96 carries, 2nd most on team) ascends to the No. 1 RB position after a solid sophomore campaign in 2022. Who’s the No. 2 RB? TBD. Right now, Salazar looks to be the guy for the next two seasons.
Last season’s top receiver (Favian Cordova) has graduated but two-way standout Noah Washington Noah Washington 5'10" | 145 lbs | WR Taos | 2024 State NM returns and he should be Salazar’s top target in the passing game. He may be the best kept secret in northern New Mexico. Rising senior Lionel Salazar Lionel Salazar 6'0" | 160 lbs | DB Taos | 2024 State NM – Evan’s older brother – will provide support to Washington in the passing game. The left side of the offensive line returns in tact and should;dbe formidable (LT Jedrek “Big Yeti” Jozwiak & LG Lucion Martinez). Jerome Martinez Jerome Martinez 5'10" | 200 lbs | LB Taos | 2024 State NM will play the other guard spot.
Defensively, Jozwiak returns at defensive end for his third year there as a starter. He started as a freshman in 2021. Tigers coach Art Abreu expects Jozwiak to make a big leap as a junior in 2023 by setting the edge and rushing the quarterback. 2026 prospect Saul Hernandez Saul Hernandez DL Taos | 2026 State NM is expected to win a job along the defensive line as well. Hernandez is highly regarded for his strength, toughness, quickness and coachability. He plays with a mean streak, endearing him to his teammates. Hernandez could be a star in the making. Jerome Martinez Jerome Martinez 5'10" | 200 lbs | LB Taos | 2024 State NM and rising sophomore Reggie Suazo Reggie Suazo LB Taos | 2026 State NM headline the linebacker corps. Noah Washington Noah Washington 5'10" | 145 lbs | WR Taos | 2024 State NM had 5 interceptions as the Tigers’ free safety in 2022. He’ll be joined by Lionel Salazar Lionel Salazar 6'0" | 160 lbs | DB Taos | 2024 State NM and Evan Salazar Evan Salazar 5'10" | 140 lbs | QB Taos | 2026 State NM at cornerback.
Schedule: Taos hosts St. Michael’s in the traditional season opener before hitting the road for two games at Los Alamos and Rio Grande HS in Albuquerque. Keep an eye on the consecutive matchups with Bernalillo and Aztec in late Sept. Those should be highly competitive, hard-fought games. District play begins Oct. 13 against Espanola Valley, the final home game of the season.
Aug. 18 ST. MICHAEL’S
Aug. 25 at Los Alamos
Sept. 1 at Rio Grande
Sept. 9 GALLUP (Sat.)
Sept. 15 Bye
Sept. 22 BERNALILLO
Sept. 29 at Aztec
Oct. 7 GRANTS (Sat.)
Oct. 13 ESPANOLA VALLEY*
Oct. 20 at Pojoaque Valley*
Oct. 27 at Moriarty*
* District Game
Coach’s Comments: “With the new turf and a new team, I’ve got some new toys. Our two loses last season were to as state champion (Bloomfield) and a runners-up (St. Mike’s in 3A). . .Even though Evan will be a fresh face for us at quarterback, he comes into this with some seasoned experience. He has had a heckuva offseason with everything we’ve done. He’s a vocal leader and has a near perfect GPA. We graduated a big-time athlete at that QB position but we’ve replaced him with a kid who is mentally tough and is a high academic kid. . .Getting Mateo Salazar Mateo Salazar 5'9" | 145 lbs | RB Taos | 2025 State NM back at running back is a big thing for us. He had a lot of carries at the varsity level. He stepped up when we lost one of our older guys. He was toting the ball 15-20 times per game as a sophomore. He really helped us out. . .Everybody should be talking more about Noah Washington Noah Washington 5'10" | 145 lbs | WR Taos | 2024 State NM . He’s going to be good. He’s going to be a heckuva receiver and we’ll get him the ball in space to let him operate. I think he’s a Top 50 player in New Mexico. This will be his third year as a starter. Last season we started going vertically to Noah and it worked. Lionel Salazar Lionel Salazar 6'0" | 160 lbs | DB Taos | 2024 State NM is going to have a big year” – Taos coach Art Abreu.