2023 Team Preview: Socorro Warriors
Photo: Twitter
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<p><strong>Socorro 2023 Preview</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Head Coach</strong>: Damien Ocampo </p>
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<p><strong>Mascot</strong>: Warriors </p>
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<p><strong>Twitter</strong>: @docampo98</p>
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<p><strong>Colors</strong>: Blue and Black </p>
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<p><strong>2022 Record</strong>: 11-1 </p>
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<p><strong>Overview</strong>: Socorro finished the 2022 regular season unbeaten and earned the No. 1 seed for the Class 3A playoffs. But the Warriors' fantastic season came to a disappointing conclusion in the semifinals with a home loss to St. Michael's. Dynamic dual threat quarterback Marcus Armijo has graduated, so the Warriors are looking for a new signal caller. Two candidates have emerged: junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613184' first='Isaiah' last='Ocampo']</strong> (2025) and junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119374' first='Cenyon' last='Scarborough']</strong> (OLB in 2022). Ocampo started at wide receiver and safety last season as a sophomore. Less than four weeks from the start of preseason camp, Ocampo would accurately be labeled as the favorite.</p>
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<p>Socorro also lost their top three rushers from a season ago, so the RB corps will be filled with new names. As a result, the Warriors are taking a RB by committee approach unless and until somebody emerges as the clear-cut No. 1 ball carrier. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1103706' first='Kaden' last='Dow']</strong> will get an opportunity as well as Scarborough if he's not the QB. Incoming freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155027' first='Chase' last='Boykin']</strong> (2027) will get a look after excelling in the area youth leagues. Another young prospect to watch is blossoming sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137096' first='Jay' last='Lee']</strong>, who got some experience on the varsity last season as a freshman. Last season's leading receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='592109' first='Alex' last='Amaro']</strong> is back and will get reps at RB as well.</p>
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<p>Who will help Amaro at WR? Lee is a strong possibility, as is promising sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600888' first='Jacob' last='Angel'] </strong>(2026). Senior <strong>Fernie Torres</strong> should see his playing time increase in 2023. Junior <strong>Andrew Handrich</strong> should be a factor too. The competition at multiple WR spots is wide open. It began at the start of 7x7 season and should continue into preseason camp. Socorro typically has at least two wide receivers and a tight end on the field. The Warriors lose just one starter on the offensive line. The returning blockers include All-State junior LT <strong>David ‘Junior' Gutierrez</strong>, RT <strong>Diego Chavez</strong> and All-District junior center <strong>Gabriel Giron</strong>.</p>
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<p>Defensively, Dow is a fixture at linebacker. Scarborough will likely join him there. Senior <strong>Pete Lopez</strong> anchors the defensive line after missing a portion of last season. Gutierrez joins him along the DL. Boykin could play both ways as a freshman. </p>
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<p><strong>2023 Schedule</strong>: Socorro has an intriguing non-district schedule with multiple game against Northern New Mexico and Four Corner schools – Robertson (Las Vegas), Raton, Miyamura and Gallup. The matchup with Robertson is one of the most intriguing games of Week 1. The Warriors should be heavy favorites to win the district title again. </p>
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<p>Aug. 18 ROBERTSON</p>
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<p>Aug. 25 SANTA FE INDIAN</p>
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<p>Aug. 31 at Estancia (Thur.)</p>
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<p>Sept. 7 HOPE CHRISTIAN (Thur.)</p>
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<p>Sept. 15 at Miyamura</p>
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<p>Sept. 22 RATON</p>
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<p>Sept. 28 GALLUP (Thur.)</p>
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<p>Oct. 6 Bye</p>
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<p>Oct. 13 COBRE*</p>
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<p>Oct. 20 at Hatch Valley*</p>
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<p>Oct. 27 at Hot Springs*</p>
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<p>* District Game </p>
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<p><strong>Coach's Comments</strong>: “All of main guys who are returning are showing up consistently and they're doing well. We're battling numbers right now. It's never been an issue but we're working on it. We're trying to improve our X's and O‘s and football IQs this summer along with getting bigger, faster and stronger. . .At quarterback we have a couple of guys I feel can take snaps and we can be successful. Isaiah has put in a lot of time and worked his tail off. He's getting better by the day. All our players trust him. He's definitely a dual threat QB. His best attribute is he's super tough. He's tough and physical. We're working on his decision-making right now. He's green, so we're trying to play him as much as possible now (7x7, etc.) so he can learn from his mistakes. . .We're definitely going to be running back by committee at that position. We're going to give a couple of guys a shot and see what happens. We'll figure out who can tote the football. . .For us to be successful this season, [player_tooltip player_id='592109' first='Alex' last='Amaro'] will have to play all over the field. He could be in the backfield, wide receiver, slot, everywhere. He knows and understands our offense” – Socorro head coach Damien Ocampo.</p>
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