Fantastic Forty: Top Performers Of Week 6

Week 6 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='1137082' first='Kamren' last='Apodoca'], Tucumcari: Apodoca, only a sophomore, accounted for 187 total yards in the Rattlers' win over Hozho Academy – 108 rushing yards and 79 on kick returns.   [player_tooltip player_id='590743' first='Jacob' last='Adcox'], Sandia: 7 receptions for 115 yards in Sandia's win over Manzano.   [player_tooltip player_id='613752' first='JJ' last='Arellano'], Rio Rancho: The junior QB had one of the best passing games of his young career on Friday night as he completed 25-of-45 passes for 348 yards and 4 TD in the Rams' win over Farmington.   Kaleb Boatman, Hope Christian: Eight receptions for 133 yards in Hope Christian's loss to Highland.   [player_tooltip player_id='340316' first='Joshua' last='Calhoon'], Estancia: Calhoon is Estancia's QB and going into Week 7 he is the state's top rusher with 1,359 yards on 140 carries. He rushed for 273 yards on 30 carries, passed for 82 more and made 6 tackles in Estancia's loss to Hatch Valley.     [player_tooltip player_id='615632' first='Uriel' last='Castro'], Bernalillo: Castro has enjoyed an excellent season at QB for the unbeaten Spartans (6-0). In Week 6, they traveled to Taos and came away with a hard-fought 20-14 win over the Tigers. Castro threw for 234 yards and 2 TD on 16-of-27 passing.     [player_tooltip player_id='613053' first='Manny' last='Chavez'], Portales: Chavez is one of the leaders of Portales' exceptional defense. He had 13 tackles (8 solo) in the Rams' 38-13 win at Eunice. Chavez is just two tackles away from 300 in his career.   Nolbert Cervantes, Jal: Cervantes rushed for 4 TD on offense and intercepted a pass on defense to lead Jal past Capitan.   [player_tooltip player_id='851898' first='Gage' last='Conway'], Albuquerque Academy: Conway threw for 1 TD and ran for the game-winning TD with about two minutes remaining as the Chargers knocked Los Alamos from the unbeaten ranks with a 12-6 victory.   Eduardo De La Cruz, Loving: The senior LB had a season-high 15 tackles (13 solo) and 5.0 TFL in Loving's close win over NMMI.   Adrick Deleon, Espanola Valley: Rushed for 149 yards in the Sundevils' lopsided win over Santa Fe Indian.   [player_tooltip player_id='1594850' first='Paul' last='Duran'], Robertson: Robertson posted one of Week 6's biggest victories, a convincing 42-14 road win at Dexter in a matchup of the top two ranked teams in Class 3A. Duran rushed for 113 yards and 1 TD on 11 carries and made 8 tackles with a fumble recovery on defense.      [player_tooltip player_id='275206' first='Mason' last='Espinda-McChriston'], Bernalillo: Espinda-McChristion puts up ‘Fantastic Forty' numbers just about every week and Week 6's road win at Taos was no exception. He caught 9 passes for 175 yards, includer a 93-yarder, and made 7 tackles and intercepted a pass on defense.        [player_tooltip player_id='590316' first='Manny' last='Fuentez'], Roswell: Fuentez had one of the best passing games of his career in Friday night's win over Clovis, completing 11-of-11 passes for 252 yards and 5 TD, all to different receivers.     [player_tooltip player_id='274709' first='Alijah' last='Gonzales'], Volcano Vista: Our Player of the Week continues to be one of the toughest ball carriers anywhere. Saturday, he carried a staggering 37 times for 225 yards as the Hawks beat Eldorado, 38-19.     [player_tooltip player_id='1021201' first='Landon' last='Griego'], Atrisco Heritage: Griego completed 22-of-36 passes  for 342 yards and 4 TD against Capital. Griego set season highs in completions, pass attempts, passing yards and TD passes.   [player_tooltip player_id='1155019' first='Ryan' last='Hunt'], St. Michael's: In a game that was a defensive struggle all afternoon long, Hunt had a part in five sacks of Aztec quarterbacks as the Horsemen prevailed, 19-7. The 6-foot-2, 172-pound Hunt is just a freshman and he made his first career start against the Tigers.     [player_tooltip player_id='815932' first='Adan' last='Jacquez'], Silver: A season after reaching the Class 4A state championship game, Silver is 5-1 and looking like a championship contender again. Jacquez is the engine of the Colts' offense and he accounted for 235 total yards in Silver's 29-7 road win at Deming in the ‘Battle of 180.'     [player_tooltip player_id='1103787' first='Tyler' last='Joe'], Kirtland Central: Even though Kirtland Central lost to Grants, Joe completed 22-of-35 passes for 305 yards and 3 TD and along with RB [player_tooltip player_id='1001437' first='Demusico' last='Edsitty'] (206 rushing yards) ignited a Broncos that amassed over 600 yards in total offense.       [player_tooltip player_id='275121' first='Dylan' last='Joines'], Miyamura: The Patriots stunned Moriarty on the road, winning 40-38 in overtime. Joines was spectacular with 218 rushing yards and 3 TD on 19 carries.   [player_tooltip player_id='613060' first='Andres' last='Lazos'], Grants: Lazos had one of the best nights of any New Mexico running back this season as he rushed for 333 yards on 18 carries in the Pirates' 54-42 win over Kirtland Central.        [player_tooltip player_id='615426' first='Alex' last='Lopez'], Highland: Lopez accounted for 223 yards (84 rushing, 139 passing) in Highland's 45-14 win over Hope Christian.   [player_tooltip player_id='1103899' first='Joziah' last='Lopez'], Atrisco Heritage: While the Jaguars' offense was scoring 30+ points yet again, Lopez was leading the AHHS defense with 10 tackles, the fifth time in six games Lopez has made double-digit tackles, and 1 sack.      [player_tooltip player_id='590746' first='Hunter' last='Maldonado'], Sandia: Maldonado rushed for 3 TD in Sandia's 35-0 victory over Manzano. He finished with 12 carries for 73 yards.   [player_tooltip player_id='1103814' first='Lucas' last='Martinez'], McCurdy: McCurdy, a Class 2A program, put up 70 points in a victory over Navajo Prep with Martinez doing much of the damage with 232 rushing yards and 137 receiving yards. McCurdy has won four straight games and faces unbeaten Cuba in a 3A-2A showdown Saturday afternoon.    [player_tooltip player_id='275436' first='Josiah' last='Mitchell'], Eldorado: Nine receptions for 108 yards and 2 TD in the Eagles' loss to Volcano Vista.          Angelo Molina, Del Norte: Rushed for 150 yards and 1 TD to lead Del Norte to its first win of the season, 21-12 over Rio Grande.   [player_tooltip player_id='1119692' first='Ulysses' last='Montes'], Santa Teresa: Montes had 7 receptions for 139 yards – both season highs  in the Desert Warriors' loss at El Paso (TX) Mountain View. He also had 1 rush for 33 yards.   [player_tooltip player_id='613184' first='Isaiah' last='Ocampo'], Socorro: Ocampo passed for 101 yards and ran for 112 more on 13 carries as Socorro outlasted Raton in OT.     [player_tooltip player_id='615555' first='CJ' last='Perea'], West Las Vegas: Perea is one of the top QBs in Class 3A. He threw for 246 yards and 3 TD in WLV's 42-6 road win at Thoreau. Perea has passed for close to 1,300 yards and 13 TD in 6 games.   [player_tooltip player_id='274705' first='Marquise' last='Renfro'], Atrisco Heritage: With [player_tooltip player_id='611116' first='Latavious' last='Morris'] sidelined with an injury, Renfro caught three TD passes in Atrisco's narrow 33-29 victory over Capital.   for 112 yards.     [player_tooltip player_id='1103734' first='Cruz' last='Rivera'], Sandia: The Matadors QB threw for 241 yards and 2 TD in Sandia's shutout win over Manzano. Halfway through the regular season, Sandia is 4-1 and looking like a solid 6A playoff participant.     [player_tooltip player_id='275462' first='Kaleb' last='Rodriguez'], Loving: Loving edged NMMI, 13-12, as Rodriguez threw for 185 yards and 2 TD.   [player_tooltip player_id='340165' first='Bryce' last='Sanchez'], Roswell: The undefeated Coyotes (6-0) are looking strong on both sides of the ball with Sanchez sparking the running game. He had 107 yards on 12 carries against Clovis. Roswell has won all six of its games by 27+ points.      [player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer'], Bloomfield: Spencer is enjoying a sensational season for the Bobcats. He threw for three TD and ran for another in Bloomfield's mercy-rule win over Valencia. The Bobcats have won 11 straight games dating back to last season. After facing Bayfield (CO) in Week 7, Bloomfield makes the long trip to Silver on Oct. 7 in a rematch of last season's 4A title game.        [player_tooltip player_id='1103825' first='Tydon' last='Tsosie'], Crownpoint: The Eagles improved to 5-1 with a 26-12 win over Tohatchi as Tsosie rushed for a season high 196 yards and 1 TD on 23 carries and had 89 yards in punt returns. Tsosie has 313 rushing yards in the last two games.     [player_tooltip player_id='274796' first='Fabian' last='Trujillo'], Los Lunas: Trujillo accounted for 173 total yards in his team's lopsided home victory over Valley. Trujillo's total includes 104 yards in kick return yardage.   [player_tooltip player_id='1129687' first='Jonah' last='Villegas'], Pojoaque Valley: The freshman Villegas is making a name for himself this season in his first year of varsity football. He rushed for 283 yards in the Elks' mercy-rule win at Cloudcroft.         [player_tooltip player_id='854309' first='Zachary' last='Waghorn'], Albuquerque Academy: The Chargers made the trip to the Land of Oppenheimer and rode home with a huge 14-6 victory over the previously unbeaten Hilltoppers. Waghorn led Academy's stellar defensive effort with 13 tackles and 1 TFL (1 of 8 TFL for AA in the game).   [player_tooltip player_id='590677' first='Kyler' last='Young'], Los Alamos: The Hilltoppers fell on the wrong side of close in a defensive struggle with Albuquerque Academy, but Young was outstanding with a season high 16 tackles. Young has 11+ tackles in four of six games this season and currently ranks 6th in the state in tackles with 66.           <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/mannyfuentez0/status/1705616714556403912?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/vvhsfootball/status/1706379790998180155?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/RR_Rams_Athlete/status/1706109924546367601?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/therealaidan44/status/1706345706100056560?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/alexander_2mora/status/1706102973015965983?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/BrodyWhitaker54/status/1706350401698795641?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/MarkHandy75/status/1705980198314021187?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/MarcusSharp23/status/1705815504135524585?s=20 </div></figure>

Week 6 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: