Baker's Dozen: The Best Games of Week 2

The 2023 New Mexico High School football season has entered Week 2. Games begin Thursday night with a handful of contests around the state and runs through Saturday afternoon. The schedule is highlighted by a clash between the top two teams in Class 6A (per the Polls) and several games between New Mexico and Texas schools. Here are our Top 13 games of Week 2 of what promises to be another exciting three days of football.   GAME OF THE WEEK: La Cueva at Cleveland (Fri, 7 p.m., Thunderbolt Stadium)   Nine months after squaring off in the highest scoring Class 6A state championship game ever, La Cueva and Cleveland clash again. It will be their third meeting in the last calendar year, and unless something drastically alters the 6A hierarchy over the next three months, a fourth meeting in November is likely. Not only are both teams ranked 1-2 in the 6A polls (MaxPreps and Coaches), they are also 1-2 in MaxPreps' all-inclusive state poll as well.   Both teams flourished in Week 1 with new offensive weapons. La Cueva (35-14 win over Rio Rancho)  debuted QB [player_tooltip player_id='611098' first='Cameron' last='Dyer'], RB Eliseo ‘Cheeto' Lumbrera and the fastest wide receiver corps in the state with Kobe McGill, [player_tooltip player_id='274718' first='Cruz' last='Markham'], [player_tooltip player_id='853013' first='Tanner' last='Montano'] and [player_tooltip player_id='274790' first='Jackson' last='Hix'] all showcasing their speed. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='611083' first='Mason' last='Posa'] (11 tackles) showed why he's our No. 1 2025 prospect.   Cleveland had some new faces on offense as well, starting with sophomore QB Jordan Hatch, RB [player_tooltip player_id='590512' first='Harris' last='Mbueha'] and WR Karter Weddle. As expected, the Storm's [player_tooltip player_id='274701' first='Stratton' last='Shufelt']-led defensive was stout against Centennial, intercepting the Hawks four times with four sacks and limited Centennial to 34 yards rushing. The Hawks had zero third-down conversions in the second half.                  Hobbs at Artesia: The annual battle between the Eagles and Bulldogs is always of the most highly-anticipated matchups in Southeast New Mexico every year, and this season is no different, especially since both teams are coming off impressive Week 1 wins. Even with a new offensive core, Hobbs was hitting on all cylinders in their 41-13 win over Clovis with junior QB [player_tooltip player_id='1119255' first='Brock' last='Beaty'], RB [player_tooltip player_id='1103655' first='Saul' last='Armendariz'] and WR [player_tooltip player_id='592369' first='Jeremiah' last='Jaquez'] leading the way. All new names to know, but all talented players nonetheless. Artesia, on the other hand, is very experienced on both sides of the ball. The Bulldogs blasted Carlsbad in the Eddy County War and showed few signs of slowing down offensively from last season. QB [player_tooltip player_id='590681' first='Nye' last='Estrada'] picked up where he left off last season by throwing for 320 yards. The Bulldogs' defense is pretty good too. This one has all the ingredients for another Hobbs-Artesia classic.             West Mesa at Volcano Vista: Two potentially explosive offenses clash at Community Stadium in Albuquerque Friday night. Mustangs QB [player_tooltip player_id='275488' first='Elijah' last='Brody'] probably wants a higher completion percentage but he proved in the opener at Santa Fe that he's a dynamic runner, finishing with 200 yards rushing. Together, Brody and RB [player_tooltip player_id='817244' first='Marcus' last='Sharp'] are tough to stop. The West Mesa defense showed signs in the opener of being much improved. Volcano Vista had one of the more impressive wins in Week 1 as they traveled to Field of Dreams and beat Las Cruces, 24-7. [player_tooltip player_id='274709' first='Alijah' last='Gonzales'] had over 100 yards rushing and 3 TD for the Hawks. The battle between the West Mesa offense and the Volcano defense, led by LB [player_tooltip player_id='592401' first='Kian' last='Vander Wilt'] and LB [player_tooltip player_id='590651' first='Hunter' last='Martinez'], should be fun to watch.             Alamogordo at Los Lunas: It's Tigers vs. Tigers in Los Lunas in an intriguing Class 6A cross-district matchup. Alamogordo began its second year as a 6A member with a thrilling 36-29 victory over Silver at home in Week 1. QB [player_tooltip player_id='275510' first='Elijah' last='Montoya'] can hurt you in multiple ways. Los Lunas trounced local rival Belen in its opener. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1103683' first='Damacio' last='Kaneshiro'] won the battle for the starting QB job and threw for 170 yards and 2 TD in the convincing win over the Eagles. [player_tooltip player_id='274991' first='Jason' last='Ussery'], one of the top DBs in the state and a next level talent, had 13 tackles. Alamogordo must account for him in their offensive game plan.   Eldorado at Rio Rancho: Eldorado, now ranked No. 10 in 6A by MaxPreps, showed off a dynamic ‘Big 4' on offense in last week's 41-20 win over Cibola – QB [player_tooltip player_id='275430' first='Brandon' last='Olivas'], RB Johnpaul Ludi, WR [player_tooltip player_id='1103222' first='Joshua' last='Jackson'] and WR [player_tooltip player_id='275436' first='Josiah' last='Mitchell'] – and a significantly younger yet improved defense. Rio Rancho fell to La Cueva in Week 1 but QB [player_tooltip player_id='274972' first='Noah' last='Nelson'] and RB [player_tooltip player_id='590563' first='Rayce' last='Ramirez'] combined for 192 rushing yards. The Rams must have a better showing, though, in the passing game, completing just 5 passes against the Bears. Rams WR [player_tooltip player_id='590564' first='Anthony' last='Raymer'] has plenty of speed.          Bloomfield at Pojoaque Valley: After suffering through a winless season in 2022, Pojoaque Valley appears revitalized under first-year head coach Zeke Villegas, making this game one of the best outside the 6A/5A ranks for Week 2. QB Ethan Meloy is Pojoaque Valley's most dangerous offensive threat. Bloomfield showed in Week 1 that they haven't missed a beat from last season's Class 4A championship team. QB Ryan Sharpe threw 3 TD passes and ran for another in a 41-20 home win over St. Pius X. [player_tooltip player_id='275042' first='Drew' last='Perez'] is one of the top wide receivers in 4A.          Albuquerque Academy at Moriarty: Albuquerque Academy mercy ruled Rio Grande in Week 1 but Week 2 promises a tougher test as they head to Moriarty, which runs the triple option/Wing-T offense as well as anybody in the state. The Pintos are coming off a mercy rule road win of their own over Gallup. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1258989' first='Caedon' last='Kamplain'] is Moriarty's new No. 1 RB.   Portales at Ruidoso: Portales went to Albuquerque in Week 1 and showed off a prolific offense led by QB [player_tooltip player_id='615523' first='Paxton' last='Culpepper'] (202 passing yards, 3 TD in opener) and a fast, hard-hitting defense that blanked Highland in a 45-0 victory. The Rams are No. 2 in Class 4A in the latest MaxPreps and Coaches polls. Ruidoso, the reigning 3A champions, looks to avoid a 0-2 start after losing at 5A Gadsden in Week 1.   Capital at St. Michael's (Sat.): The rivalries between the three major football playing schools in Santa Fe are underrated. This game took on greater prominence when Capital beat Grants on the road last week while St. Michael's rallied for an exciting 39-30 win at Taos behind a very productive running game led by senior [player_tooltip player_id='275066' first='Matthias' last='Duran'] (4 TD) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='613193' first='Cole' last='Sandoval']. RB Fabian Ryan had two rushing TD for Capital in the first half at Grants.   Goddard at Carlsbad: Goddard, No. 4 in the MaxPreps poll, is renowned for its punishing ground attack and  Week 1 was no exception as they pummeled Santa Teresa, 49-0, with RB [player_tooltip player_id='274787' first='Jonathan' last='Silva'] doing much of the damage. Now they head to Carlsbad, where the Cavemen are eager to bounce back after getting trounced by rival Artesia in the Eddy County War. Intriguing RB battle between Silva and Carlsbad's [player_tooltip player_id='590551' first='Ulysses' last='Mendoza'].       Texico at Santa Rosa: The No. 1 and No. 4 teams in the latest MaxPreps and Coaches Class 2A polls clash in Santa Rosa. Texico opened the season with a convincing 52-22 road victory over Estancia. The Wolverines are led by arguably the top player in Class 2A this season – 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior QB [player_tooltip player_id='592201' first='Cade' last='Figg']. He threw 4 TD passes in the Week 1 win. Figg has been offered as a tight end by Eastern New Mexico.      Taos at Los Alamos: Los Alamos began the season with an impressive 35-0 victory over Espanola Valley. Speedster [player_tooltip player_id='590222' first='Melaki' last='Gutierrez'] was productive running and catching the football against the Sundevils. He is the Hilltoppers' No. 1 offensive threat. Taos lost a shootout to St. Michael's, 39-30, last Saturday night at home. Taos showed in Week they have a pair of potentially elite receivers in [player_tooltip player_id='275570' first='Noah' last='Washington'] and [player_tooltip player_id='592021' first='Lionel' last='Salazar'].      Hatch Valley at Hope Christian: Both teams are coming off nice Week 1 wins. Hatch Valley crushed Laguna-Acoma while Hope Christian traveled north to McCurdy and returned home to Albuquerque with a 42-20 victory. Hatch Valley must find a way to slow down Huskies RB [player_tooltip player_id='615452' first='Mason' last='Hohsfield'], who rushed for 102 yards and 4 TD against McCurdy. Hope Christian OL/DL [player_tooltip player_id='275064' first='Jacob' last='Baca'] is one of the best linemen in 3A and has next level talent. These two teams played to a 14-14 tie a year ago.            NEW MEXICO vs. TEXAS   Gadsden at El Paso (TX) (Thur.)   Clovis at Canyon (TX)(Thur.)   El Paso (TX) Americas at Las Cruces   Centennial at El Paso (TX) Franklin   Lovington at Seminole (TX)   Fabens (TX) at Chaparral   BEST OF THE REST   Deming at Organ Mountain (Sat.)   Piedra Vista at Sandia (Sat.)   West Las Vegas at Dexter   Santa Teresa at Mayfield   Durango (CO) at Farmington   Santa Fe at Roswell   Tularosa at Jal   Valley at Cibola (Sat.)   OTHER GAMES   Espanola Valley at Bernalillo   Highland at St. Pius X   Manzano at Belen   Del Norte at Valencia   Rio Grande at Atrisco Heritage (Thur.)   Wingate at Navajo Prep (Thur.)   Raton at Guymon (OK)   Hagerman at Mescalero Apache   Eunice at Estancia   Crownpoint at Shiprock   Hot Springs at Capitan   Silver at Miyamura   Newcomb at Laguna Acoma   NMMI at Cloudcroft   Sanat Fe Indian at Socorro   Tucumcari at Thoreau   Montezuma (CO) at Aztec   Escalante at Tohatchi   Cobre at Robertson   Gallup at Grants    MaxPreps State Poll Top 15 Teams - August 22   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/08/Screenshot-2023-08-23-at-15-01-46-New-Mexico-High-School-Football-Rankings.png?w=506" alt="" class="wp-image-963996" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: MaxPreps</figcaption></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/rick_tripp58/status/1694171164711764260?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/LosLunasFB/status/1693749616540332402?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/HobbsEaglesFB/status/1693624737430159660?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/artesiafootball/status/1693639966016811516?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/wmhs_mustangFB/status/1693685861525881087?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/EldoEaglesFB/status/1693819997741855011?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1694421857292988752?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BernalilloF/status/1693816692936417382?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/HHS_HornetsFB/status/1693475719937171961?s=20 </div></figure>

The 2023 New Mexico High School football season has entered Week 2. Games begin Thursday night with a handful of contests around the state and runs through Saturday afternoon. The schedule is highlighted by a clash between the top two teams in Class 6A (per the Polls) and several games between New Mexico and Texas schools. Here are our Top 13 games of Week 2 of what promises to be another exciting three days of football.