Baker's Dozen: Week 6 Preview

The 2023 New Mexico High School football season has entered Week 6. Games begin Thursday night with a handful of contests around the state and run through Saturday afternoon. The schedule is highlighted by a 4A vs. 5A clash at the Bulldog Bowl Friday night. Here are our Top 13 games of Week 5 of what promises to be another exciting three days of high school football.   GAME OF THE WEEK: Lovington at Artesia (Fri., 7 p.m., Bulldog Bowl)   The No. 1 ranked team in Class 4A and the No. 1 ranked team in the entire state (per MaxPreps) clash in the Bulldog Bowl. Both teams earned their rankings with arguably their best victories of the season in Week 5. Lovington went to Denver City (TX) and prevailed in a 51-48 shootout. Considering the opponent, Lovington QB [player_tooltip player_id='275459' first='Wyatt' last='Gomez'] had his best game of the season by passing for 352 yards and 5 TD. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='613065' first='Camon' last='Ochoa'] (394 rushing yards) is the main running threat. WR [player_tooltip player_id='275593' first='Cesar' last='Gonzalez'] is tracking 60+ receptions this season with 32 catches for 469 yards and 8 TD. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='1103929' first='Ealan' last='Clayton'] already has 58 tackles in 5 games.   Much has been written about the prolific Artesia offense dating back to 7-on-7 season when the Bulldogs showed how much talent they possessed. That talent is performing at a exceptionally high level, including last week's 36-34 victory over 6A power Cleveland at the Bulldog Bowl. QB [player_tooltip player_id='590681' first='Nye' last='Estrada'] is one of the top contenders for the 2023 New Mexico Heisman. The talent surrounding him is scary good. Running back [player_tooltip player_id='1118283' first='Frankie' last='Galindo'] has been a TD machine for the Bulldogs while the receiving corps is led by the speedy Juan Diego Duran and [player_tooltip player_id='1118257' first='Ethan' last='Conn'], who had 9 receptions last week vs. Cleveland.   <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/1703768184778604736?s=20 </div></figure>   Farmington at Rio Rancho: This is the only Week 6 game involving two of the top 11 teams in Class 6A, per the MaxPreps poll. Farmington (4-1) is red shot on both sides of the ball as QB [player_tooltip player_id='274791' first='Trel' last='Griego'] is enjoying a sensation senior campaign with 1,555 passing yards and 20 TD passes in 5 games. He has also rushed for 5 TD.  The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Griego is one of the toughest QBs in the state to bring down. [player_tooltip player_id='611107' first='Michael' last='Beck'] and [player_tooltip player_id='615414' first='Cayden' last='Haliburton'] are talented WR Targets. Rio Rancho has been up-and-down this season. On the field, they are 2-3 but were awarded a forfeit win over La Cueva. The Rams looked headed in the right direction when they beat Oran Mountain in Week 4 but a ‘home' loss to Hobbs last Friday has stalled that progress. Their top threat on offense is speedy WR [player_tooltip player_id='590564' first='Anthony' last='Raymer'].         Silver at Deming: This year's Battle of I-180 is one of the biggest games of Week 6. Silver has already won twice on the road this season, including last week's 14-7 win over Aztec. Colts QB [player_tooltip player_id='815932' first='Adan' last='Jacquez'] has made himself into a 2023 New Mexico Heisman contender with 1,043 passing yards and 15 TD passes. The ground game is uniquely balanced with 4 rushes carrying between 28 and 42 times. [player_tooltip player_id='591998' first='Julian' last='Richard'] is a nice target in the passing game. Deming started the season with wins over Del Norte and Organ Mountain but has lost two straight on the field to Goddard and Artesia. They were awarded a forfeit win over Belen. Junior QB [player_tooltip player_id='837197' first='Ryan' last='Alfaro'] has thrown for close to 400 yards and leads the Wildcats in rushing.   Robertson at Dexter: The top two teams in the latest MaxPreps 3A poll collide in Dexter, which is located south of Roswell along State Route 2. That means Robertson will travel about 200 miles each way for this tasty matchup. Dexter is one of two remaining unbeaten teams in Class 3A (surprising Cuba is the other) and are coming off a wild 44-43 victory over 2A Eunice in Week 5. Dexter loves to run the football with RB [player_tooltip player_id='1119136' first='Julian' last='Manzanares'] and dual threat QB [player_tooltip player_id='1155032' first='CJ' last='Granados']. Robertson has quietly put together a solid season with victories over Socorro, Cobre (3-0 defensive slugfest) and Ruidoso. The Cardinals have allowed just 40 points in 4 games, 27 to Santa Rosa. Offensively, QB Jesse James Gonzales is the major threat.      Volcano Vista at Eldorado: Two outstanding offenses that get the job done in different ways. Volcano Vista relies mainly on RB Alijah ‘A-Train' Gonzales, who is currently the state's No. 4 rusher with 780 yards on 119 carries, most of any RB in the state. The Hawks' defense has allowed 14+ points only once in five games this season. They'll be tested severely by a high-scoring Eldorado offense led by QB [player_tooltip player_id='275430' first='Brandon' last='Olivas'], who is the state's No. 1 passer with 1,638 yards and 22 TD passes. Eldorado has scored 169 points in the last three games, including last week's incredible second half comeback in the 64-59 win over Clovis. They also scored 64 points in a loss to Atrisco Heritage. That's not what you'd expect from a Charlie Dotson-coached team but, as they say, it takes what it takes.            Valley at Los Lunas: Ten days ago, we thought this game might not be played as the NMAA initially ruled Valley had to forfeit due to a ‘melee' against Belen. But the NMAA reversed its ruling as to the Vikings, so Game On. Valley has one of the most underrated RBs in 5A with [player_tooltip player_id='590712' first='Charles' last='Lopez-Burton'] (672 rushing yards in 4 games). He's a tough, physical runner. Los Lunas started 3-0 but has lost to Roswell and La Cueva the last two weeks. Those are two of the best teams in the state, so no shame there. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1103683' first='Damacio' last='Kaneshiro'] is solid. WRs [player_tooltip player_id='1103314' first='Ethan' last='Olguin'] and [player_tooltip player_id='274796' first='Fabian' last='Trujillo'] fuel the passing game.        Bernalillo at Taos: Writing one of the best turnaround stories in the state, Bernallilo is one of two remaining undefeated teams in Class 4A. However, their No. 6 ranking in the MaxPreps Poll shows skeptics still exist. [player_tooltip player_id='275206' first='Mason' last='Espinda-McChriston'] is one of the top two-way players in the state and he's dangerous on either side of the ball as he proved in Week 5's win over Moriarty. Taos has won two straight over Rio Grande and Gallup and stands at 2-2 after four games. Tigers' QB [player_tooltip player_id='853710' first='Evan' last='Salazar'] is an exceptional dual threat talent. He also limits mistakes, throwing just one INT vs. 9 TD passes. Bernalillo is on a roll, so this will be a tough test for the Tigers.   <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/1703913357969866906?s=20 </div></figure>   Bloomfield at Valencia: How deep is Class 4A? Valencia is thriving under first-year head coach LeDarrius Cage with a 3-1 record and No. 7 ranking in the latest MaxPreps 4A poll. The Jaguars are coming off a 51-13 sacking of Santa Teresa. RB [player_tooltip player_id='1103800' first='Daniel' last='Villegas'] is an elite RB with 506 rushing yards in 4 games. Some analysts thought Blomfield would take a step back from last season's 4A title team but that hasn't proven to be the case. Bloomfield has outscored its first 4 opponents, 192-27. Bobcats QB [player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer'] has passed for nearly 1,000 yards and completed 63.4 percent of his passes. We saw WR [player_tooltip player_id='275042' first='Drew' last='Perez'] during 7-on-7 season and predicted he would have a big season. So far he has 25 receptions for 459 yards and 9 TD.       Clovis at Roswell: Do you get the feeling Roswell and Artesia, the top two ranked teams by MaxPreps in the state, are two foes staring at each other across the room waiting for their epic Oct. 13 collision at the Wool Bowl? But both teams have work to do before then. Roswell takes on Clovis' flexbone offense. The Wildcats seem to have a better grasp of the scheme in recent weeks. In a recent six-quarter span (4 vs. Carlsbad, 2 vs. Eldorado), the Wildcats scored 82 points. But the Roswell defense led by LBs Damian Quezada and [player_tooltip player_id='836944' first='Keegan' last='Nichols'] is the best they've faced this season. The Coyotes' job this week is stopping the Clovis RB duo of [player_tooltip player_id='275376' first='Jett' last='Stone'] and [player_tooltip player_id='275303' first='Kash' last='Roberts'].          Goddard at Gadsden (Thur.): Folks are finally beginning to appreciate just how good Gadsden (4-1) is. MaxPreps has the Panthers ranked No. 4 in the latest 5A poll. Gadsden has managed to sustain the momentum from last year's playoff team and are solid on both sides of the ball. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1119637' first='Adrian' last='Munoz'] is supported by a balanced running game. [player_tooltip player_id='815958' first='Nathaniel' last='Lopez'] is a superb DL. Goddard (3-2) is No. 6 in the MaxPreps rankings but are coming off a disappointing 21-7 home loss to previously winless Piedra Vista. They also have an impressive 35-12 win over Deming on their 2023 resume, so which Rockets team will we see?         Albuquerque Academy at Los Alamos: 4A Albuquerque Academy is next up in the quest to knock 5A Los Alamos from the unbeaten ranks. The Chargers are #9 in the MaxPreps 4A rankings and have alternated wins and losses so far this season. Last week they edged Capital, 20-14. Academy runs a balanced offensive attack with junior RB [player_tooltip player_id='1119328' first='Jett' last='Galles'] being the best option. Los Alamos is unbeaten chiefly because of a stout defense that has allowed 7 or fewer points in four of their five games. Their main weapon on offense is RB [player_tooltip player_id='1103818' first='Niko' last='Garcia'] (122 yards and 3 TD vs. St. Michael's 2 weeks ago), who is on pace for close to 1,000 rushing yards this season.          Portales at Eunice: One of the best unit matchups in the state this week is the Portales defense against the Eunice offense. The Rams' defense has been lights out all season long, posting four shutouts in five games. Last week they blanked St. Pius X. They are fast, aggressive and nasty on that side of the ball. And the offense is pretty good too with QB [player_tooltip player_id='615523' first='Paxton' last='Culpepper'] and his array of offensive weapons. Eunice has scored 40+ points in all five games this season. The QB-RB-WR trio of [player_tooltip player_id='854273' first='Elijah' last='Melancon'] (1,012 passing yards), RB Ejan Woods (665 rushing yards) and [player_tooltip player_id='274788' first='Ashton' last='Thompson'] (24 receptions for 437 yards, 9 TD) is incredibly dynamic.        Aztec at St. Michael's (Sat.): An intriguing 4A vs. 3A matchup. Aztec is looking to snap a two-game losing streak (hard-fought 14-7 loss to Silver last week) but is still ranked No. 5 in the latest MaxPreps Class 4A rankings. Tigers running back [player_tooltip player_id='275041' first='Baylor' last='Seabolt'], destined to play at the next level, is one of the most underrated running backs in the state. St. Michael's (3-1) had a bye last week after dropping a 28-7 decision at Los Alamos. The Horsemen clearly missed RB [player_tooltip player_id='275066' first='Matthias' last='Duran'], and his status for this one is unknown. If Duran is out again, the Horsemen might have to rely more on the passing game.         <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/DemingWildcat/status/1703844235559186868?s=20 </div></figure>   NEW MEXICO VS TEXAS   Wolfforth (TX) Frenship at Cleveland: The Storm are coming off the loss at Artesia and now they face one of the top teams in all of West Texas. Frenship, located in a suburb of Lubbock, has a gunslinging QB and a talented junior WR who has been offered by hometown Texas Tech and Baylor.   Santa Teresa at El Paso (TX) Mountian View   BEST OF THE REST   Atrisco Heritage at Capital   Mayfield at Belen   Albuquerque High at La Cueva (Thur.)   Cibola at Piedra Vista   Centennial at Organ Mountain (FOD)   Raton at Socorro   Hope Christian at Highland   OTHER GAMES   Del Norte at Rio Grande   Manzano at Sandia   Miyamura at Moriarty   Jal at Capitan   Estancia at Hatch Valley   Santa Rosa at Hagerman   McCurdy at Navajo Prep   Laguna-Acoma at Cuba   Tohatchi at Crownpoint   Santa Fe Indian at Espanola Valley   Grants at Kirtland Central   Loving at NMMI   Shiprock at Newcomb   Ruidoso at Tularosa   Mescalero Apache at Escalante   West Las Vegas at Thoreau   Pojoaque Valley at Cloudcroft

The 2023 New Mexico High School football season has entered Week 6. Games begin Thursday night with a handful of contests around the state and run through Saturday afternoon. The schedule is highlighted by a 4A vs. 5A clash at the Bulldog Bowl Friday night. Here are our Top 13 games of Week 5 of what promises to be another exciting three days of high school football.