Fantastic Forty: Top Performers Of Week 4

Week 4 of the 2023 New Mexico High Schol Football season is in the books. Here's our list of the week's top performers (in alphabetical order), something we're calling the Fantastic Forty:   [player_tooltip player_id='837197' first='Ryan' last='Alfaro'], Deming: Deming lost to powerful Artesia at home but Alfaro did everything he could to help the Wildcats with 215 yards and 4 TD on the ground.   [player_tooltip player_id='275564' first='Trey' last='Archuleta'], Escalante: Archuleta may play for a Class 2A team but he's one of the top players in Northern New Mexico. Archuleta, the Lobos' QB, rushed for 239 yards on a workhorse 34 carries to boost the Escalante offense in their 40-37 loss to Estancia.      [player_tooltip player_id='815946' first='Ricky' last='Armendariz'], Artesia: The 6-foot-3, 275-pound Armendariz is one of the biggest and best offensive linemen in New Mexico. He's been offered by New Mexico Highlands. In the Bulldogs' 54-26 victory over Deming, Armendariz had 12 pancake blocks. Impressive.   [player_tooltip player_id='275064' first='Jacob' last='Baca'], Hope Christian: Baca, proving he's a next level talent, had 6 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and 4 QB hurries in the Huskies' close loss at Socorro.   [player_tooltip player_id='615693' first='Marcelo' last='Baeza'], Escalante: 15 tackles and 1 TFL in Escalante's 40-37 loss to Estancia.     Devante Bosserman, Alamogordo: Bosserman led a spirited Alamogordo defensive effort in a 21-14 victory over Capital Thursday night. Bosserman had an interception, a sack that led to a safety and a huge tackle for loss in the fourth quarter.   [player_tooltip player_id='275488' first='Elijah' last='Brody'], West Mesa: Brody led West Mesa to a key 43-35 victory over Albuquerque High by passing for 211 yards and 2 TD while rushing for 186 yards and 3 TD on 24 carries. The Mustangs are 3-1 and face Atrisco Heritage Friday night in its final non-district game in what should be a high-scoring affair.       [player_tooltip player_id='340316' first='Joshua' last='Calhoon'], Estancia: Who's the best RB in Class 2A? Calhoon leads the state in rushing with 831 yards in 4 games. He has 214+ yards rushing in three of Estancia's first four games. Estancia's record, though, is 1-3 because their first 3 games were against Texico, Eunice and Socorro. Ouch. He had 223 yards on 23 carries in Estancia's wild 40-37 victory over Escalante.   [player_tooltip player_id='275599' first='Nicolas' last='Chavez'], Santa Rosa: Another game, another 190+ yard rushing performance for Chavez. He continues to impress and, according to MaxPreps, is currently the state's No. 2 rusher behind [player_tooltip player_id='340316' first='Joshua' last='Calhoon'] of Estancia with 776 yards on 86 carries. He had 199 rushing yards on a season-high 26 carries in Santa Rosa's 34-28 victory over Tularosa.    [player_tooltip player_id='615523' first='Paxton' last='Culpepper'], Portales: Culpepper and the Rams offense supported another shutout by the defense as he threw for 238 yards and 4 TD in a mercy-rule 51-0 victory over Valencia.     [player_tooltip player_id='275206' first='Mason' last='Espinda-McChriston'], Bernalillo: Espinda-McChriston was all over the field in Bernalillo's hard-fought 18-14 victory over Highland. He had 5 receptions for 70 yards, rushed for 21 yards and made 13 tackles on defense with 4.0 TFL. Through 4 games, he has 16 receptions for 315 yards and 56 tackles.   [player_tooltip player_id='1103818' first='Niko' last='Garcia'], Los Alamos: Rushed for 122 yards and 3 TD in the Hilltoppers' 28-7 victory over St. Michael's in a battle of unbeaten teams.   [player_tooltip player_id='274791' first='Trel' last='Griego'], Farmington: The Scorpions' 6-foot-4, 240-pound QB rans for 3 TD and threw for 1 more as Farmington traveled to Community Stadium in Albuquerque and routed Cibola, 39-0, behind a strong performance on both sides of the ball.    [player_tooltip player_id='340297' first='Daniel' last='Hernandez'], Centennial: Hernandez has been outstanding all season long and his excellent play as the Hawks' QB continued against Mayfield as he threw for 205 yards and rushed for 71 in Centennial's dominating 42-0 victory over their Las Cruces rival.   [player_tooltip player_id='815932' first='Adan' last='Jacquez'], Silver: Jacquez, one of the top QBs in southern New Mexico, had a triple-triple against Santa Fe with 195 yards passing and 116 yards rushing as the Colts blanked the Demons, 35-0.   [player_tooltip player_id='1137096' first='Jay' last='Lee'], Socorro: Just a sophomore, Lee had a season high 11 receptions for 113 yards in Socorro's win over Hope Christian.   [player_tooltip player_id='815958' first='Nathaniel' last='Lopez'], Gadsden: The Panthers held the Clint (TX) offense scoreless in an 18-4 victory and Lopez led the solid defensive effort from his DT spot with 15 tackles. Gadsden had 5 players with 10+ tackles. Lopez has 41 tackles in 8 games.   [player_tooltip player_id='590712' first='Charles' last='Lopez-Burton'], Valley: Phenomenal game against Belen in a melee-marred contest as he rushed for 328 yards and 3 TD on 27 carries as the Vikings won,. 33-7. Lopez-Burton also had 11 tackles, 5.0 TFL and 2.5 sacks on defense.    [player_tooltip player_id='615512' first='Noah' last='Lundstrom'], Grants: Lundstrom averaged 40.3 yards on 3 kickoff returns for the Pirates in a 21-13 loss to Moriarty.   [player_tooltip player_id='1119136' first='Julian' last='Manzanares'], Dexter: The Dexter Demons are the new No. 1 team in the latest MaxPreps 3A poll after beating Jal, 30-6. Manzanares had 135 yards rushing on just 8 carries while catching 3 passes for 74 yards. He totaled 209 yards in the win.    [player_tooltip player_id='1103814' first='Lucas' last='Martinez'], McCurdy: Martinez rushed 18 times for 214 yards and 3 TD while catching 5 passes for 115 yards and 2 TD in McCurdy's 62-18 trouncing over Thoreau.    [player_tooltip player_id='604669' first='Bryle' last='Matthews'], Kirtland Central: Matthews was inserted into the game at quarterback for the Broncos after halftime and he ignited a rally in a 54-40 loss to local rival Montezuma-Cortez (CO). Matthews completed 11-of-17 passes for 225 yards and 2 TD and rushed for 55 yards and 3 TD. He added 81 kick return yards and 4 receptions for 24 yards. In all, he totaled 385 yards and accounted for 5 TD.      [player_tooltip player_id='1103773' first='Jacob' last='Mattorano'], Raton: Passed for 174 yards and a season high 3 TD in Raton's 41-0 victory over Tucumcari.   [player_tooltip player_id='275436' first='Josiah' last='Mitchell'], Eldorado: Eldorado's offense has been humming in recent weeks and Mitchell has been a major contributor. In the Eagles' 41-19 victory over Piedra Vista, he caught 8 passes for 151 yards and 3 TD. Mitchell has 25 receptions for 392 yards and 7 TD in the first four games.   [player_tooltip player_id='611116' first='Latavious' last='Morris'], Atrisco Heritage: Morris excelled again at quarterback for the Jaguars in their 54-17 victory over Manzano, throwing for 268 yards on 8-14 passing and rushing for 41 yards.    [player_tooltip player_id='274972' first='Noah' last='Nelson'], Rio Rancho: Nelson, the Rams' dual threat QB, rushed for 130 yards and 1 TD, and accounted for 221 total yards, as Rio Rancho cruised past Organ Mountain, 34-7, at the Field of Dreams.     [player_tooltip player_id='590686' first='Josh' last='Nieto'], Manzano: 9 receptions for 165 yards and 1 TD in Manzano's loss to Atrisco Heritage.        [player_tooltip player_id='613184' first='Isaiah' last='Ocampo'], Socorro: Based on the way he's started, Ocampo is set to join the prestigious 1,000-1,000 club before the end of the season. Ocampo led the Warriors to a hard-fought 29-21 victory over Hope Christian by throwing for 186 yards (16-25), rushing for 103 yards and accounting for 4 TD.   [player_tooltip player_id='613065' first='Camon' last='Ochoa'], Lovington: The Wildcats had Week 4's most impressive win, a 26-23 road victory at 6A Hobbs. Ochoa carried 18 times for 122 yards, caught 2 passes for 16 yards and made 7 tackles on defense.   Braden Pearson, Carlsbad: 12 tackles, 2 TFL and 1 forced fumble in the Cavemen's loss to Clovis.   [player_tooltip player_id='615555' first='CJ' last='Perea'], West Las Vegas: Perea threw for 231 yards and 3 TD in West Las Vegas' 48-11 victory over Espanola Valley. In 4 games, Perea has passed for nearly 1,000 yards and 9 TD.       [player_tooltip player_id='611083' first='Mason' last='Posa'], La Cueva: Posa celebrated a surge in his recruiting (several offers from Power 5 schools) with a 55-yard scoop-and-score for a touchdown off a fumble recovery in the Bears' 49-21 victory over Volcano Vista. The La Cueva defense added another TD later in the game on [player_tooltip player_id='274980' first='Jackson' last='Cherry']'s Pick-6 interception return.   [player_tooltip player_id='590564' first='Anthony' last='Raymer'], Rio Rancho: Rayner utilized his speed and sparked the Rams' offense in a victory at Organ Mountain with 3 TD receptions among his 7 catches for 91 yards and 45 kick return yards.   [player_tooltip player_id='340165' first='Bryce' last='Sanchez'], Roswell: The Coyotes brought their A+ games on both sides of the ball in a 34-7 win over Los Lunas that propelled Roswell to #2 in the latest MaxPreps state poll behind Cleveland. Sanchez rushed for 123 yards and 2 TD on 27 carries against a very good Los Lunas defense.    [player_tooltip player_id='1119146' first='Joseph' last='Saenz'], Raton: Saenz led Raton's exceptional rushing attack against Tucumcari with 124 yards on 12 carries. He combined with [player_tooltip player_id='613159' first='Cannon' last='Walton'] for 194 rushing yards.      [player_tooltip player_id='274702' first='John' last='Sierra'], Centennial: Siera, who has been offered by New Mexico, is the leader of the Centennial defense and he had 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries in the Hawks' 42-0 win over Mayfield at Field of Dreams.    [player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer'], Bloomfield: The Bobcats are 4-0 and ranked No. 3 in the latest MaxPreps 4A poll. Spencer and the Bloomfield offense are putting up impressive numbers, outscoring their first four opponents, 192-27. In Bloomfield's 41-0 victory over Albuquerque Academy, Spencer threw for 299 yards and 5 TD, completing 21-of-25 passes (84.0 pct).   [player_tooltip player_id='275376' first='Jett' last='Stone'], Clovis: The Wildcats won their first game of the season against Carlsbad as Stone rushed 22 times for 154 yards, caught 2 passes for 31 yards and made 5 tackles on defense.   [player_tooltip player_id='1103825' first='Tydon' last='Tsosie'], Crownpoint: Accounted for 173 total yards in Crownpoint's close loss to Navajo Prep.   [player_tooltip player_id='1129687' first='Jonah' last='Villegas'], Pojoaque Valley: The Elks routed Santa Fe Indian School, 55-0, as Villegas rushed for 115 yards and 1 TD.   Karter Weddle, Cleveland: Cleveland has so many weapons in all three phases that it's hard to keep track. Against Las Cruces, Weddle returned two punts for TDs (67 and 46 yards)  and caught 2 TD passes (62 and 34 yards) from QB Jordan Hatch, who returned from an injury after missing the Amarillo(TX) game, in the Storm's 42-13 victory. Unfortunately, Weddle suffered a serious wrist injury on the last play of the first half and could be sidelined for a while.     [player_tooltip player_id='590677' first='Kyler' last='Young'], Los Alamos: 11 tackles and 3 TFL in the Hilltopper's 28-7 win over St. Michael's.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/10/Prep-Redzone-Graphics-Football555-2.jpg?w=1024" alt="Florida Week 9 Top Performers" class="wp-image-222676" /></figure>

Week 4 of the 2023 New Mexico High Schol Football season is in the books. Here's our list of the week's top performers (in alphabetical order), something we're calling the Fantastic Forty: