The Fantastic Forty: Top Performers in Week 3

Week 3 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:   Bubba Anderson, Carlsbad: Anderson finished with 16 tackles in Carlsbad's loss at Volcano Vista.   [player_tooltip player_id='275564' first='Trey' last='Archuleta'], Escalante: Even though Escalante lost to Espanola Valley, 21-14, Archuleta had an outstanding game for the Lobos at quarterback with 28 rushes for 132 yards and 1 TD on a 62-yard scamper while also spearheading the defense at middle linebacker.    [player_tooltip player_id='275064' first='Jacob' last='Baca'], Hope Christian: The Huskies' top player was phenomenal on defense against Albuquerque Academy with 15 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Baca has been offered by Rhodes College, Pacific and Ottawa University Arizona.   [player_tooltip player_id='275488' first='Elijah' last='Brody'], West Mesa: One week after the West Mesa offense struggled against Volcano Vista, Brody bounced back against Cibola by throwing for 169 yards on 10-of-18 passing and rushing for 160 yards on 17 carries, enhancing his status as one of the top dual-threat QBs in the state.   [player_tooltip player_id='340285' first='Vences' last='Caraveo'], West Mesa: The senior LB led an inspired defensive effort against Cibola by making 10 tackles. Caraveo is on pace for 70+ tackles during the regular season.    [player_tooltip player_id='275599' first='Nicolas' last='Chavez'], Santa Rosa: The Lions have a recent history of outstanding running backs and Chavez is the latest. In Santa Rosa's impressive 27-24 road win over 3A Robertson, Chavez rushed for 200+ yards for the second time this season as he gained 212 yards on 17 carries. He added 12 tackles on defense. Through 3 games he has 577 rushing yards on 60 carries.   [player_tooltip player_id='615523' first='Paxton' last='Culpepper'], Portales: The Rams' offense was firing on all cylinders in a 48-14 victory over West Las Vegas. Culpepper threw for 360 yards and 6 TD while completing 74 percent of his passes (17-of-23). Portales had over 400 yards in total offense.      Gustavo Diaz-Castro, Hobbs: The Eagles' junior LB led the Hobbs defense with 13 tackles in their loss to 5A power Roswell. Diaz-Castro already has a team-leading 33 tackles in 3 games, putting him on pace for 100+ tackles in 2023.     [player_tooltip player_id='611098' first='Cameron' last='Dyer'], La Cueva: Dyer, who has been offered by nearby New Mexico State, led the Bears into the Field of Dreams against Centennial on Saturday. La Cueva lost the game, 35-28, but Dyer was again superb as he completed 19-of-32 passes for 263 yards and 2 TD while rushing 12 times for 144 yards.   [player_tooltip player_id='275206' first='Mason' last='Espinda-McChriston'], Bernalillo: Espinda-McChriston is one of the top two-players in the state and has been offered by New Mexico Highlands. Against Del Norte, he amassed 157 receiving yards on offense and 9 tackles, 1 sack and 1 interception on defense.   [player_tooltip player_id='1119205' first='Alex' last='Fuentes'], Texico: The Wolverines have started the 2023 season with three consecutive road wins. The latest was a 30-8 win at NMMI in Roswell. Fuentes was spectacular as he rushed for 311 yards and 3 TD.   [player_tooltip player_id='1119328' first='Jett' last='Galles'], Albuquerque Academy: Galles is on pace for 1,300+ rushing yards this season for the Chargers after he carried 22 times for 174 yards in a 34-14 victory over Hope Christian.    [player_tooltip player_id='275459' first='Wyatt' last='Gomez'], Lovington: The Wildcats' quarterback is nearing 900 passing yards just three weeks into the season, putting him on pace for about 2,700 passing yards in the regular season. In the big road win at Santa Teresa, Gomez completed 13-of-22 passes for 357 yards and 6 TD, averaging 27.5 yards per completion.   [player_tooltip player_id='274709' first='Alijah' last='Gonzales'], Volcano Vista: The Hawks gave the ball early and often to Gonzales in their late Saturday morning matchup with Carlsbad at Community Stadium. Gonzales finished with 32 carries for 216 yards and 2 TD as Volcano Vista ran the ball 48 times in a 28-7 victory over the Cavemen.      [player_tooltip player_id='1103839' first='EJ' last='Guerra'], Organ Mountain: With the Knights offense struggling (5 sacks allowed vs. Mayfield), they turned to Guerra and he responded with 154 rushing yards and 1 TD on a workhorse 28 carries. It was the first time Guerra had run the ball this season, so maybe the Knights have found something. He added 36 yards in kick returns for 190 total yards.   Jesse James Gonzales, Robertson: Gonzales is now playing QB for the Cardinals and he amassed 102 passing yards and 160 rushing yards in Robertson's 27-24 setback to Santa Rosa.   [player_tooltip player_id='340297' first='Daniel' last='Hernandez'], Centennial: The Hawks' quarterback led the way as Centennial registered a much-needed 35-28 victory over La Cueva Saturday afternoon at Field of Dreams. A week after rushing for two long TDs at El Paso (TX) Franklin, Hernandez had 212 rushing yards, three rushing TD and 2 passing TDs in the victory.     Bryan Herold, Miyamura: Herold carried 7 times for 83 yards in Miyamura's lopsided 59-6 rivalry win over Gallup. The Patriots relied on a balanced rushing attack with four rushers gaining 44+ yards in the win.   [player_tooltip player_id='590675' first='Bobby' last='Herrera'], Mayfield: You don't see as many two-way players at the 5A level as you do at the 4A and 3A classifications, particularly at a tradition-thick school like Mayfield where numbers usually aren't an issue. Herrera was a two-way standout in the Trojans' 41-10 win over city rival Organ Mountain, rushing for 142 yards on 12 carries and making 5 tackles on defense.     [player_tooltip player_id='815932' first='Adan' last='Jacquez']., Silver: The Colts blanked local rival Cobre, 36-0, as Jacquez completed 15-of-26 passes for 264 yards and 3 TD along with 1 rushing TD.   Josh Jackson, Eldorado: Both offenses had their way in Atrisco Heritage's wild 70-64 win over Eldorado Thursday night. Jackson was the #1 standout for the Eagles with 9 receptions for 246 yards and 4 TD.   [player_tooltip player_id='1103787' first='Tyler' last='Joe'], Kirtland Central: Joe led Kirtland Central to a 46-14 trouncing of Thoreau by passing for 3 TD.   [player_tooltip player_id='1103683' first='Damacio' last='Kaneshiro'], Los Lunas: The Tigers' senior quarterback has led Los Lunas to a 3-0 start with a huge trip to Roswell on tap for Week 4. His latest performance led Los Lunas to an impressive 40-22 road win at Farmington as he threw for 3 TD passes and rushed for 1 more.   [player_tooltip player_id='590712' first='Charles' last='Lopez-Burton'], Valley: The Vikings won their second straight game following a Week 1 loss as Lopez-Burton rushed for a season high 142 yards on just 9 carries to lead Valley to  35-0 victory over St. Pius X. He added 10 tackles, 3.0 TFL and a fumble recovery on defense.   [player_tooltip player_id='854274' first='Richard' last='Lovato'], Cuba: Lovato has sparked Cuba's 3-0 start from his QB position. In the Rams' 50-0 mercy rule win over Shiprock, Lovato passed for 141 yards and 2 TD while rushing for 28 yards.     [player_tooltip player_id='590746' first='Hunter' last='Maldonado'], Sandia: The speedy Maldonado plays both ways and is superb on both sides of the ball. He ran for three touchdowns as Sandia improved to 3-0 with a 45-9 victory over Albuquerque High.   [player_tooltip player_id='611116' first='Latavious' last='Morris'], Atrisco Heritage: Morris' unforgettable outing against Eldorado in his first career start at QB definitely ranks as one of the Top 10 greatest offensive performances in state history. He passed for 468 yards (16-of-22 passing) and 6 TD and rushed 18 times for 208 yards. Individually, Morris accounted for 676 yards and 7 TD. Insane.   [player_tooltip player_id='853013' first='Tanner' last='Montano'], La Cueva: Was this the sophomore speedster's breakout game? Montano, one of the fastest players in the state, had 9 receptions for 124 yards in La Cueva's loss to Centennial at Field of Dreams     [player_tooltip player_id='1119315' first='Anthony' last='Nevarez'], Mayfield: Nevarez was the workhorse in the Mayfield backfield against Organ Mountain, carrying 20 times for 92 yards and 2 TD. Mayfield is 2-0 to start the season (Week 2 game was cancelled by weather).           [player_tooltip player_id='275430' first='Brandon' last='Olivas'], Eldorado: Olivas, the Eagles' senior QB, completed 30-of-44 passes for 475 yards and EIGHT touchdowns, tying him for second most by a quarterback in state history.      [player_tooltip player_id='275303' first='Kash' last='Roberts'], Clovis: The Wildcats are off to a disappointing 0-3 start but Roberts has been superb in the first three games. The latest loss came to Amarillo (TX) Randall. Roberts rushed for 146 yards on 20 carries to lead Clovis' flexbone offense.     [player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer'], Bloomfield: If Bobcat fans were asking before the season if Spencer had the chops to replace Class 4A state championship winning QB Ryan Sharpe, they don't need to wonder anymore. Spencer is off to a fantastic start and has led Bloomfield to a 3-0 record. In Bloomfield's 60-7 Week 3 win at Grants, Spencer threw 6 TD passes (3 to [player_tooltip player_id='275042' first='Drew' last='Perez']) to give him 11 in 3 games with just one INT. He has passed for 730 yards.   [player_tooltip player_id='1137094' first='Hunter' last='Terry'], NMMI: The 6-foot-3, 195-pound sophomore (2026) LB had 12 tackles in the Colts' loss to Texico.   Demarcus Thompson, Lovington: Excelling in all three phases, Thomspon was one of Lovington's stars in its 58-7 road victory at Santa Teresa with 4 receptions for 121 yards and 2 TD on offense and 5 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 1 blocked punt on defense and special teams.     [player_tooltip player_id='1137120' first='Finn' last='Thompson'], Albuquerque Academy: The 2026 DB had 5 tackles, 3 pass breakups and 2 interceptions in Albuquerque Academy's 34-14 victory over Hope Christian.   [player_tooltip player_id='854298' first='Ashdyn' last='Urban'], Ruidoso: The defending 3A champions picked up their first victory of the season in Week 3 when they edged Chaparral, 21-18. Urban did most of the heavy lifting on offense with 99 rushing yards on 23 carries. He also contributed 7 tackles on defense.    Andres Villalobos, Atrisco Heritage: In Atrisco's high-scoring win over Eldorado, Villalobos caught four passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 83 yards and one TD.   [player_tooltip player_id='854309' first='Zachary' last='Waghorn'], Albuq. Academy: The sophomore LB is off to a fantastic start for the Chargers' defense. For the second straight game he recorded 14 tackles as Academy downed Hope Christian, 34-14.   [player_tooltip player_id='613159' first='Cannon' last='Walton'], Raton: The younger brother of Cayden Walton, the state's all-time leading rusher, is steadily coming into his own. Cannon led the Raton offense with 122 rushing yards in the Tigers' 41-8 victory over Coal Bucket rival Trinidad (CO).   [player_tooltip player_id='275045' first='Brody' last='Whitaker'], Albuq. Academy: A week after collecting 21 tackles, Whitaker was immense again with 17 tackles in Academy's win over Hope Christian. Whitaker now has 43 tackles on the season and 241 in his career.       [player_tooltip player_id='815911' first='Nehemiah' last='Yorfee'], Portales: The Portales defense stymied the West Las Vegas offense for most of the game in a 48-14 home victory, especially on the ground as WLV mustered just 90 yards on 27 carries. Yorfee spearheaded the Rams' ferocious D with 7 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 3.0 TFL.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/NMjackson15/status/1697768649388638573?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/AdanJacquez3/status/1698464123422494880?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/FinnThompson_12/status/1698542613647986961?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/mason_espinda/status/1698529014019985408?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/jacob_baca55/status/1698496350923509914?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/strat_shufelt/status/1698516990996996158?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/1698475328778260770?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/ajflores_7/status/1698450452172415058?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/PeytonKennard/status/1698174803469844817?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/TayeSilversmith/status/1698129145782583334?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/anson_og10/status/1698148742200013180?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/wyattgomez21/status/1698459570115424547?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/Jordan_Lucas_07/status/1698510519173267666?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/elijahobrody/status/1698466849732596076?s=20 </div></figure>

Week 3 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: