2023 Team Previews: Class 5A South Central Region
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2023 5A Preview Southern New Mexico DEMING Head Coach: Rich Perales Mascot: Wildcats Twitter: @DemingWildcat Colors: Cardinal, Navy Blue 2022 Record: 8-5 (5A Semifinals) Overview: Bolstered by a deep run in last season’s 5A playoffs and sparkling new facilities, the…
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Continue Reading2023 5A Preview Southern New Mexico
DEMING
Head Coach: Rich Perales
Mascot: Wildcats
Twitter: @DemingWildcat
Colors: Cardinal, Navy Blue
2022 Record: 8-5 (5A Semifinals)
Overview: Bolstered by a deep run in last season’s 5A playoffs and sparkling new facilities, the Deming football program is riding high. However, they must find replacements for three standout next level caliber players – DE Ian Ortiz (signed with CSU-Pueblo), RB Fabian Reyna (Western New Mexico) and DB Gabriel Villegas (Adams State). That’s the job for new head coach Rich Perales, who replaced the retired Greg Simmons, who led the Wildcats to eight wins and a semifinal playoff berth in his final season. Underrated quarterback Ryan Alfaro Ryan Alfaro QB Deming | 2025 State NM is an elite athlete with dual threat skills. Deming intends to utilize his passing skills more this season with play action passes and quick drops. Senior Aiden Jaquez succeeds Reyna at RB but will still play defense. Junior Ezra Hensley Ezra Hensley 6'3" | 275 lbs | OL Deming | 2025 State NM , our No. 1 offensive lineman prospect in the 2025 class, powers the young Deming O-Line. Elijah Cabrera will be the center. Senior Jared Almanza Jared Almanza 6'2" | 170 lbs | WR Deming | 2024 State NM , an excellent baseball player, joins the football program for the first time and showed during 7-on-7 season that he could excel at WR. Jaquez could line up at slot. Decorated junior LB Isaiah Pizarro Isaiah Pizarro 5'10" | 160 lbs | LB Deming | 2025 State NM leads the defense and could get some carries on offense. Junior Sebastian Acuna Sebastian Acuna 5'11" | 185 lbs | LB Deming | 2025 State NM , sophomore Vincente Chacon and five-foot-11, 205-pound sophomore Isaac Martinez Isaac Martinez RB Deming | 2026 State NM joins him at the second level to give the Wildcats a solid LB corps. The D-Line will be young. Senior safety A.J. Flores headlines the secondary. He’s been offered by WNMU. Anthony Alacron is at strong safety. Senior Ryan Barrera Ryan Barrera 5'9" | DB Deming | 2024 State NM will be one of the cornerbacks.
2023 Schedule:
Aug. 18 DEL NORTE
Aug. 26 at Organ Mountain (Sat.)
Sept. 1 at Goddard
Sept. 8 ARTESIA
Sept. 15 BELEN
Sept. 22 SILVER
Sept. 29 at Mayfield
Oct. 6 Bye
Oct. 13 at Santa Teresa*
Oct. 20 CHAPARRAL*
Oct. 27 at Gadsden*
* District Game
Coach’s Comments: “We lost some key players. We have only five seniors. We’re junior loaded this year and we have a good crew of sophomores and freshmen coming up. . .Coach Simmons didn’t like to throw the ball. We were three yards and a cloud of dust. With Ryan, we’re going to do some play action stuff, some three-step quick game. I’m excited about that. Ryan is throwing the ball very well. Aiden Jaquez will do well at running back. ” – Deming head coach
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GADSDEN
Head Coach: Dino Facio Jr.
Mascot: Panthers
Twitter: @GadsdenPanthers; @CoachFacio
Colors: Maroon and Gold
2022 Record: 5-7 (5A Quarterfinals)
Overview: In many respects, Gadsden was THE ‘feel good’ story of the 2022 season. After playing as an independent in 2021, the numbers finally worked for the Panthers and they moved from Class 6A to Class 5A (where they’ve wanted to be for years) for the 2022-23 cycle. Gadsden celebrated the move with arguably its best season in decades, earning a playoff berth, beating Los Alamos on the road and reaching the quarterfinals. Now comes the hard part – doing it again. They won’t have dynamic quarterback Tomas Herrera anymore as he graduated in May and signed with NMMI. Four quarterbacks competed throughout the summer and preseason camp for the job. Junior Adrian Munoz Adrian Munoz 5'9" | 150 lbs | QB Gadsden | 2025 State NM , freshman Anthony Palomares Anthony Palomares 5'7" | 145 lbs | WR Gadsden | 2027 State NM , junior Daan Cano Daan Cano 5'9" | 150 lbs | LB Gadsden | 2025 State NM and junior Sergio Mendoza have battled for months and we’ll finally find out the answer on Thur. night when Gadsden hosts defending 3A champion Ruidoso in the season opener. Junior Alfredo Andrade Alfredo Andrade 5'6" | RB Gadsden | 2025 State NM (136 carries in 2022) and senior Ryan Hernandez return at running back and should provide the Panthers with a productive run game. Andrade was Gadsden’s second leading rusher behind Herrera last season. Juniors Christopher Orozco and Steven Morales are back at wide receiver and look to boost the Panthers’ passing attack. Six-foot-6, 300-pounder Victor Montiel Victor Montiel 6'6" | 290 lbs | OL Gadsden | 2024 State NM powers the O-Line. Several colleges have expressed interest. Senior center Oscar Romero is back as well. Nathaniel Lopez Nathaniel Lopez 6'1" | 260 lbs | DL Gadsden | 2024 State NM will play both ways and excels as a defensive lineman with 62 tackles in 2022. He possesses next level talent and is the strongest player on the team. His younger brother, Alexander Lopez Alexander Lopez 6'2" | 200 lbs | DL Gadsden | 2026 State NM , joins him on the D-Line. Senior MLB Roman Gonzalez and Cano (137 tackles in 2022) spearhead the LB corps. Zach Talavera and Silvestre Morales anchor the secondary.
2023 Schedule:
Aug. 17 RUIDOSO (Thur.)
Aug. 24 at El Paso (TX) High (Thur.)
Sept. 1 at Alamogordo
Sept. 8 CLINT (TX)
Sept. 15 ORGAN MOUNTAIN
Sept. 21 GODDARD (Thur.)
Sept. 29 VALENCIA
Oct. 6 Bye
Oct. 13 at Chaparral
Oct. 20 at Santa Teresa
Oct. 27 DEMING
* District Game
Coach’s Comments: “Our community has finally felt the impact of what a high school football program can bring to a small town. A lot of people have now made their way back to our program. People want to be around winners. When you win, they’ll come. We’ve seen a tremendous amount of support. Last year was big for our program, our school and our community. Everybody is now expecting for us to be successful. Everywhere, people expect us to be good and they expect us to win. I tell the team all the time that pressure is a good thing. How we respond to that will tell our story.” – Gadsden head coach Dino Facio Jr.
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SANTA TERESA
Head Coach: Shae Vierra
Mascot: Desert Warriors
Twitter: @STHS_Football
Colors: Black and Turquoise
2022 Record: 4-7 (5A Playoffs, First Round)
Overview: Santa Teresa has quietly put together some solid seasons in recent years, compiling a mark of 34-20 between 2017-22. Last season the Desert Warriors (arguably the coolest nickname in NM High School football) earned a playoff berth before losing to Mayfield in the 1st round. Shae Vierra, who begins his 15th season as Santa Teresa’s head coach, is overseeing a massive roster overhaul. The Desert Warriors will be very young in 2023. The youth movement begins at quarterback. Last season’s starting QB, Jack Bumgardner, is a senior but he suffered an ACL injury during the offseason and won’t play football this fall. As a result, athletic sophomore Nicholas Vierra (son of the HC) will be the starting QB after seeing limited action as a freshman in 2022. Being a coach’s son, he has a high football IQ and is already a good leader. Junior Ayell Saldana elevates to No. 1 RB. What he lacks in size, he makes up for with impressive speed and quickness. The No. 2 RB job is still up for grabs. The receiving corps, senior-dominated in 2022, will be entirely new. Sophomore Ulysses Montes Ulysses Montes 5'7" | 160 lbs | WR Santa Teresa | 2025 State NM is back, though, after serving in a limited backup role as a freshman last season. Montes had 1 reception in 2022. Andrew Gonzalez transferred to Canutillo (TX) High after making 17 receptions as a sophomore last fall. Armando Ramirez Armando Ramirez 5'8" | 160 lbs | ATH Santa Teresa | 2027 State NM is a promising freshman WR. Along the offensive line, three-year starter Nathan Saenz Nathan Saenz OL Santa Teresa | 2024 State NM is the anchor at center. Senior guard Danial Porras was an all-district performer in 2022. Defensively, speedy senior CB Adrian Uranga is one of the cornerstones. He’s been playing varsity for four years. Linebackers Jaxon Bowron (6-0, 190) and Matthew Lopez (6-1, 200) bring good size and superb athleticism to the second level. Seniors Zion Monarrez and Darrell Froese are the defensive linemen to watch.
2023 Schedule:
Aug. 18 at Goddard
Aug. 25 at Mayfield
Sept. 1 LOVINGTON
Sept. 8 COBRE
Sept. 14 VALENCIA (Thur.)
Sept. 22 at El Paso (TX) Mountain View
Sept. 29 ARTESIA
Oct. 6 Bye
Oct. 13 DEMING*
Oct. 20 GADSDEN*
Oct. 26 at Chaparral*
* District Game
Coach’s Comments: “We lost a lot of players from last season, probably about 80 percent of our roster. We have very few returners. Our top goal for the offseason was getting our young guys stronger. We’re going to be very dependent on sophomores this season.” – Santa Teresa head coach Shae Vierra.