The Fantastic Forty: Top Performers in Week 1
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Week 1 of the 2023 New Mexico High Schol Football season is in the books. Here’s our list of the top performers (in alphabetical order), something we’re calling the Fantastic Forty: Alfredo Andrade Alfredo Andrade 5'6" | RB Gadsden |…
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Continue ReadingWeek 1 of the 2023 New Mexico High Schol Football season is in the books. Here’s our list of the top performers (in alphabetical order), something we’re calling the Fantastic Forty:
Alfredo Andrade Alfredo Andrade 5'6" | RB Gadsden | 2025 State NM , Gadsden: The Panthers were a surprise team in 2022 but expectations are high in Gadsden that they can make the playoffs again. Andrade started the season with a bang, rushing for 178 yards in Gadsden’s win over Ruidoso.
Jonathan Antonio Jonathan Antonio 5'11" | 170 lbs | WR Crownpoint | 2024 State NM , Crownpoint: Antonio is one of the best athletes in Class 3A and he showcased his skills in Crownpoint’s 14-6 win over cross border rival Sanders (AZ) Valley. Antonio threw for 176 yards and 1 TD for the Eagles.
Saul Armendariz Saul Armendariz 5'8" | 175 lbs | RB Hobbs | 2024 State NM , Hobbs: The senior RB showed against Clovis that he’s ready to fill the void left by Diego Baeza from last season. Armendariz rushed for 126 yards and 1 TD on 13 carries to help propel the Eagles to a big road win over the Wildcats.
Michael Beck Michael Beck 6'2" | 160 lbs | WR Farmington | 2025 State NM , Farmington: Beck is probably a mystery figure beyond the Four Corners but he has special skills as a pass catcher. Five of his nine receptions against Piedra Vista produced touchdowns. He totaled 158 receiving yards.
Zadrick Betancourt, Lovington: The Wildcats lost at home to 5A power Roswell but Betancourt was all over the field defensively as he made 14 tackles
Elijah Brody Elijah Brody 6'3" | 185 lbs | QB West Mesa | 2024 State NM , West Mesa: Brody led the Mustangs to a solid road win at Santa Fe by throwing for 182 yards and rushing for 200 yards on 13 carries in West Mesa’s 42-6 win.
Joshua Calhoon Joshua Calhoon RB Estancia | 2024 State NM , Estancia: Calhoon rushed for 214 yards and 2 TD in Estancia’s loss to Texico.
Zaiden Davis, Centennial: Davis had 16 tackles for the Hawks in their loss to Cleveland at Field of Dreams.
Devin Diaz Devin Diaz 6'0" | 185 lbs | LB Portales | 2024 State NM , Portales: One of the most impressive units we saw in Week 1 was the Portales defense. Diaz was the sparkplug in the Rams’ 45-0 shutout win over Highland with 3 interceptions and 7 tackles.
Cameron Dyer Cameron Dyer 6'3" | 185 lbs | QB La Cueva | 2025 State NM , La Cueva: Dyer’s debut as La Cueva’s new starting QB was a rousing success as he threw for 325 yards and 2 TD on 24-of-34 passing to lead the Bears to a home win over Rio Rancho. Dyer smartly distributed the ball all over the field as four receivers had 4+ receptions for La Cueva.
Mason Espinda-McChriston Mason Espinda-McChriston 6'2" | 175 lbs | ATH Bernalillo | 2024 State NM , Bernalillo: Espinda-McChriston has become one of the top two-way players in the state as he showed against Valley. He had 5 receptions for 63 yards and 1 TD, and made an impressive 16 tackles on defense with 2 TFL, 1 INT and 2 forced fumbles.
Nye Estrada Nye Estrada 5'10" | 170 lbs | QB Artesia | 2024 State NM , Artesia: Estrada has already earned the right to be called one of the top quarterbacks in the state. In the Eddy County War, he completed 15-of-19 passes for 320 yards and 4 TD to key Artesia’s 55-7 win.
Javier Filerio Javier Filerio 6'3" | 295 lbs | OL Gadsden | 2025 State NM , Gadsden: The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Filerio is a major piece of Gadsden’s huge offensive line. Against Ruidoso, Filerio had 12(!) pancake blocks from his left tackle spot. That’s called protecting the blind side quite successfully.
Manny Fuentez, Roswell: The Coyotes posted a nice road win at Lovington and Fuentez was already in mid-season form by throwing for 238 yards and accounting for 5 TD (3 passing, 2 rushing) along with 76 rushing yards.
Alijah Gonzales Alijah Gonzales 5'10" | 175 lbs | RB Volcano Vista | 2024 State NM , Volcano Vista: Gonzales rushed for 128 yards and scored 3 TD as Volcano Vista opened the season with an impressive 24-7 victory over Las Cruces at Field of Dreams.
Jesse James Gonzales Jesse James Gonzales RB Roberton | 2025 State NM , Robertson: After two years at running back, Gonzalez is now the Cardinals’ quarterback. In Robertson’s 28-13 road win at Socorro, Gonzalez threw for 166 yards (average of 33.2 yards per completion) and rushed for 58 yards on 9 carries.
Trel Griego Trel Griego 6'3" | 225 lbs | QB Farmington | 2024 State NM , Farmington: The Scorpions’ season got off to a roaring start with a 48-7 rout of rival Piedra Vista. Griego, listed at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, is an imposing presence in the field. Against the Panthers he threw for 306 yards and 7 touchdowns and rushed for 64 yards. Griego is ready for a monster season.
David Hammond David Hammond DB Artesia | 2024 State NM , Artesia: The Bulldogs DB helped Artesia rout Eddy County War rival Carlsbad with three interceptions, a 67-yard Pick Six and 1 pass breakup.
Mason Hohsfield Mason Hohsfield 5'10" | 160 lbs | LB Hope Christian | 2025 State NM , Hope Christian: Hohsfield rushed for 4 TD as Hope Christian opened the season with a 42-20 road victory at McCurdy.
Isaac Houlihan Isaac Houlihan 5'11" | 175 lbs | QB Albuquerque | 2025 NM , Albuquerque High: Houlihan had 2 interceptions to lead the Bulldogs defense against Organ Mountain and make head coach Desmond Anaya a winner in his AHS debut.
Aiden Jaquez, Deming: Jaquez contributed on both sides of the ball in Deming’s 56-6 win over Del Norte. Jaquez had 59 yards rushing, 28 yards receiving and made 6 tackles on defense.
Jeremiah Jaquez Jeremiah Jaquez 5'8" | 145 lbs | WR Hobbs | 2024 State NM , Hobbs: Now Hobbs’ No. 1 WR, Jaquez had 6 receptions for 106 yards and 2 TD in the Eagles’ 41-13 win over Clovis.
Deshaun Kensey, West Las Vegas: Kensey is one of the fastest players in 3A, as he proved during camp season. In Week 1, Kensey had 194 receiving yards and 1 TD in WLV’s 28-0 win over Escalante.
Johnpaul Ludi, Eldorado: Ludi powered Eldorado’s impressive ground attack against Cibola with 128 yards rushing on a workhorse 22 carries.
Hunter Maldonado Hunter Maldonado 5'9" | 150 lbs | DB Sandia | 2024 State NM , Sandia: Maldonado made one of the key plays in Sandia’s 21-20 victory over Atrisco Heritage, taking an interception back to the end zone for a 70-yard Pick 6.
Zane Mayberry Zane Mayberry 6'0" | 160 lbs | WR Portales | 2024 State NM , Portales: The Paxton Culpepper Paxton Culpepper 6'0" | 150 lbs | QB Portales | 2025 State NM -Mayberry connection was working well Saturday against Highland. Mayberry caught 5 passes for 132 yards and 1 TD. Culpepper finished with 3 TD passes and ran for another.
Harris Mbueha Harris Mbueha 5'11" | 190 lbs | RB Cleveland | 2024 State NM , Cleveland: The Storm made the long journey to Las Cruces for a Saturday afternoon clash with Centennial at Field of Dreams. Mbueha picked up where he left off last season (100+ rushing yards and 4 TD in state championship game) by rushing for 152 yards on a workhorse 33 carries.
Josiah Mitchell Josiah Mitchell 6'0" | 155 lbs | WR Eldorado | 2024 State NM , Eldorado: Mitchell was everywhere in Eldorado’s big win over Cibola with 6 receptions for 102 yards and a 76-yard kickoff return.
Elijah Montoya Elijah Montoya 6'1" | 175 lbs | QB Alamogordo | 2024 State NM , Alamogordo: Montoya led the Tigers’ comeback win over Silver by completing 14-of-22 passes for 212 yards and 4 TD.
Isaiah Ocampo Isaiah Ocampo 5'10" | 150 lbs | QB Socorro | 2025 State NM , Socorro: Ocampo threw for 201 yards and 2 TD while rushing for 61 yards in a losing effort against Robertson.
Camon Ochoa Camon Ochoa 5'8" | 155 lbs | RB Lovington | 2025 State NM , Lovington: Ochoa began the season by rushing for 140 yards and 2 TD on just 9 carries against the rugged Roswell defense.
CJ Perea CJ Perea 5'10" | QB West Las Vegas | 2025 State NM , West Las Vegas: Perea is one of the top quarterbacks in the state, not just Class 3A where West Las Vegas resides. In the Dons’ Week 1 win over Escalante, Perea threw for 331 yards and 3 TD with 1 rushing TD.
Fabian Ryan, Capital: The Jaguars rushed for 172 yards in their win at Grants with Ryan collecting 119 yards and 2 TD.
Skyler Sargent Skyler Sargent 6'1" | 245 lbs | OL La Cueva | 2026 State NM , La Cueva: It’s rare for a sophomore to start anywhere for La Cueva, let alone the offensive line, a position that demands physical and mental toughness, especially center. In his 1st career varsity start, Sargent had 3 pancake blocks in the Bears’ win over Rio Rancho.
Marcus Sharp Marcus Sharp 6'2" | 205 lbs | RB West Mesa | 2024 State NM , West Mesa: Sharp was moved from wide receiver to running back and based on his Week 1 performance, the Mustang coaches are geniuses. Sharp rushed for 128 yards on just 7 carries against Santa Fe.
Jonathan Silva Jonathan Silva RB Goddard | 2024 State NM , Goddard: The Rockets trampled visiting Santa Teresa, 49-0, and Silva was a major reason for the lopsided win. He rushed for 134 yards and 2 TD on 13 carries to lift Goddard to the season opening win.
Blake Spencer Blake Spencer 5'11" | 155 lbs | QB Bloomfield | 2025 State NM , Bloomfield: The Bobcats began defense of their Class 4A state championship with a 41-20 home victory over St. Pius X. Spencer threw 4 TD passes, 3 to WR Drew Perez Drew Perez 5'9" | 140 lbs | DB BLoomfield | 2024 State NM .
Lucas Tracy, Albuquerque Academy: Four of Tracy’s six completions against Rio Grande produced touchdowns as the Chargers cruised to a 50-0 mercy rule win in David Lee’s debut as Academy’s head coach.
Daniel Villegas Daniel Villegas 5'8" | RB Valencia | 2024 State NM , Valencia: The Jaguars made sure head coach LeDarrius Cage’s debut was a successful one as they traveled to the Four Corners and beat Kirtland Central, 48-20. Villegas rushed for 160 yards and 3 TD to spark Valencia’s attack.
Jonah Villegas Jonah Villegas 5'4" | 120 lbs | RB Pojoaque Valley | 2027 State NM , Pojoaque Valley: Villegas, who’s only a freshman, rushed for 166 yards on 10 carries as the Elks dominated Navajo Prep in the season opener.
Eljan Woods Eljan Woods 5'7" | 145 lbs | RB Eunice | 2025 State NM , Eunice: Our Offensive Player of the Week rushed for 225 yards and totaled 203 yards on seven kickoff returns as Eunice beat Raton, 40-29, in Tucumcari.