Week 3 Whiparound: Top Performances, Best Games and Fun Stuff

Week 3 of the 2023 New Mexico High School football season is complete. Here is our third edition of the Weekly Whiparound, which takes a deep dive into everything that happened on the field over the past three days:   Team of the Week: Los Lunas. Few wins anywhere in the state this season have been more impressive than the Tigers' 40-22 road victory at Farmington Friday night. Los Lunas went into venerable Hutchison Stadium and took care of business against the previously unbeaten Scorpions. Los Lunas jumped out to an early lead on two [player_tooltip player_id='1103683' first='Damacio' last='Kaneshiro'] TD passes to [player_tooltip player_id='274796' first='Fabian' last='Trujillo'] and a short rushing TD by Kaneshiro. Farmington pulled to within 21-16 late in the third quarter but Los Lunas responded with a pair of TDs to pull away, holding a 27-16 lead after three quarters. [player_tooltip player_id='1103314' first='Ethan' last='Olguin']'s TD reception gave Los Lunas a 33-16 lead in the fourth quarter. [player_tooltip player_id='615687' first='Gage' last='Marquez'] had 2 interceptions and a rushing TD for the Tigers. Los Lunas has another opportunity for a huge road win Friday night when they travel to the Wool Bowl to square off with Roswell in Week 4.     Honorable Mention: Centennial, Roswell; Santa Rosa; Goddard.         Player of the Week: [player_tooltip player_id='611116' first='Latavious' last='Morris'], Atrisco Heritage. The Jaguars and Eldorado engaged in video game football Thursday night at Community Stadium. Morris led Atrisco to a thrilling, last-play 70-64 victory over the Eagles as he accounted for 676 yards and 7 TD in his FIRST game as a high school quarterback. Morris completed 16-of-22 passes for 468 yards and 6 TD while rushing for 208 yards and 1 TD on 18 carries. Atrisco won on a tipped pass in the end zone on the final play of the game.              Honorable Mention: [player_tooltip player_id='274709' first='Alijah' last='Gonzales'] (Volcano Vista); [player_tooltip player_id='275599' first='Nicolas' last='Chavez'] (Santa Rosa).   Best Team Offensive Performance: Atrisco Heritage and Eldorado. The Jaguars and Eagles put on an offensive display for the ages, combining for 1,340 yards of total offense. That's an average of 670 yards per team. Eldorado QB [player_tooltip player_id='275430' first='Brandon' last='Olivas'] had an outstanding night as well as he completed 30-of-44 passes for 475 yards and EIGHT touchdowns with zero interceptions. Four wide receivers had 100+ receiving yards, two for each team. Eldorado's [player_tooltip player_id='1103222' first='Joshua' last='Jackson'] led all receivers with 246 yards on nine receptions. Overall, it wasn't a good night for the defenses.   Best Team Defensive Performance: Alamogordo. Gadsden had scored 63 points in its first two games before Week 3. However, the Alamogordo defense clamped down on Thursday night for a 7-0 victory. Gadsden was held to 61 passing yards and 205 total yards. Efrain Hernandez and Marcus Bryant Jr. each had an interception for the Tigers.        Honorable Mention: Sandia.       Best Game: Amarillo (TX) 28, Cleveland 27 (OT). The frustration level for the Storm must have been extremely high after suffering a rare loss, albeit to a West Texas school. Cleveland dominated the game for 43 minutes and held a 21-6 lead midway through the fourth quarter before the Amarillo offense pieced together a pair of TD drives to tie the score and force overtime. The game-tying TD came on a fourth down TD pass with about 35 seconds remaining in regulation. In OT, Amarillo scored first and kicked the PAT. Cleveland scored a TD and decided to go for the game-winning 2-point conversion. However, Storm RB [player_tooltip player_id='590512' first='Harris' last='Mbueha'] ran left and was tackled two yards short of the goal line to give Amarillo the improbable comeback victory. Two plays prove costly for the Storm: Amarillo returned the second-half kickoff for a TD after its offense had been shackled for the entire first half and the Sandies connected on a long catch-and-run pass down to the Cleveland 11 on their final possession in regulation when they had 70+ yards to go for the game-tying TD with just a few minutes remaining.   Honorable Mention: Atrisco Heritage 70, Eldorado 64; Santa Fe Indian School 16, Laguna-Acoma 15.   Best Rivalry Win: Silver 36, Cobre 0. Largely due to geography, this is one of the most underrated and least known fierce rivalries in the state. But in southwest New Mexico, this game means plenty to a lot of high school football loving folks. Silver QB [player_tooltip player_id='815932' first='Adan' last='Jacquez'] continued his outstanding season for the Fighting Colts by completing 15-of-26 passes for 264 yards and 3 TD while rushing for 1 TD. Silver hosts Santa Fe in Week 4 before making the long trip to Aztec for a possible showdown with the Tigers in Week 5.   Honorable Mention: St. Michael's 27, Santa Fe 20; Dexter 52, Hagerman 0 (Battle of the Bridges); Miyamura 59, Gallup 6.   Chaos In Class 6A: Eight of the top 12 teams in last week's MaxPreps Class 6A poll lost in Week 3: Cleveland, La Cueva, Farmington, Rio Rancho, Hobbs, Las Cruces, Carlsbad and Eldorado. As a result, the new poll should look a lot different. Cleveland should remain No. 1, but after the Storm, who knows? Several teams which won in Week 3 could take advantage of the chaos. Centennial could move up to No. 2 after beating La Cueva, 35-28, at Field of Dreams. Dynamic dual threat QB [player_tooltip player_id='340297' first='Daniel' last='Hernandez'] was sensational with 130 passing yards and 212 rushing yards on 22 carries, and accounted for 5 TDs. The previous week he ran for two long TDs against El Paso (TX) Franklin. Centennial built a 35-14 lead before stopping La Cueva's second-half comeback bid just in time. Touchdowns by RB Cheeto Lumbrera III and WR [player_tooltip player_id='274718' first='Cruz' last='Markham'] pulled the Bears to within 35-28 with more than 8 minutes remaining in the 4Q. Another team that could move up in the polls? West Mesa. The Mustangs were No. 14 in last week's poll. They beat winless Cibola, 46-20, at Community Stadium as QB [player_tooltip player_id='275488' first='Elijah' last='Brody'], building a nice resume for the New Mexico Heisman, threw 4 TD passes and ran for 2 more. The West Mesa defense forced three turnovers. Los Lunas, Sandia and Volcano Vista should also move up.                 Who's 3-0?: Entering Week 4, 18 teams are 3-0, just three in Class 6A: Los Lunas, Sandia and Volcano Vista. Here is the breakdown by classification:   6A (3): Los Lunas, Sandia, Volcano Vista;   5A (3): Artesia, Los Alamos, Roswell;    4A (5): Aztec, Bernalillo, Bloomfield, Moriarty, Portales;   3A (4): Cuba, Crownpoint, Dexter, St. Michael's;   2A (3): Eunice, Jal, Texico.   Sandia, arguably the most pleasant surprise in 6A, improved to 3-0 with a 45-9 victory over Albuquerque High at Milne Stadium. [player_tooltip player_id='590746' first='Hunter' last='Maldonado'] rushed for 3 TD for Sandia. The Matadors defense has allowed just 29 points in 3 games so far this season. Next level prospect Grayson Frederich has 15 receptions for 125 yards and 2 TD in the first three games. . .Volcano Vista relied on a strong ground game (296 rushing yards) to beat Carlsbad, 28-7, Saturday at Community Stadium. From the outset, the Hawks' offensive strategy was simple – hand the ball to RB [player_tooltip player_id='274709' first='Alijah' last='Gonzales'] as much as possible. Gonzales finished with 216 rushing yards and 2 TD on a workhorse 32 carries. Volcano Vista set the tone early by taking the opening kickoff and driving the length of the field in 6-1/2 minutes for the  first TD of the game by Gonzales. Leading 7-0 at halftime, the Hawks drove down the field for a TD on their first possession of the second half to take a 14-0 lead.   In Class 5A, Artesia and Roswell cemented their status as the top two teams with lopsided victories. Artesia blanked Belen, 51-0, as senior QB [player_tooltip player_id='590681' first='Nye' last='Estrada'] completed 12-of-15 passes for 195 yards and 2 TD in the first half. RB [player_tooltip player_id='1118283' first='Frankie' last='Galindo'] scored 2 TD for the Bulldogs Artesia led 36-0 at halftime and ended the game via mercy rule in the second half. . .Roswell, meanwhile, traveled to 6A Hobbs and handily beat the Eagles, 34-6. The Coyotes host Los Lunas Friday night. . .Los Alamos, led by a ferocious front seven on defense, rallied past Capital, 23-20, in Santa Fe Friday night. Capitol scored all of its points on defense (2 INT returns for TDs + 10-yard fumble return) as its offense managed just 69 yards in total yardage. The Los Alamos defense has yet to allow a point this season. Los Alamos trailed, 13-0, before mounting a comeback sparked by QB [player_tooltip player_id='1119597' first='Kyle' last='Evenhus'] and RB [player_tooltip player_id='1103818' first='Niko' last='Garcia']. The Hilltoppers scored 17 unanswered points to take the lead. Trailing 20-16, Los Alamos scored the game-winning points on a 53-yard TD pass from Evenhus to [player_tooltip player_id='1594208' first='Akim' last='Leija'].   In Class 4A, Bernalillo (55-3 over Del Norte), Bloomfield  (60-7 over Grants), Moriarty (54-0 over Newcomb) and Portales (48-14 over West Las Vegas) all posted lopsided victories to stay unbeaten. Bernalillo QB [player_tooltip player_id='615632' first='Uriel' last='Castro'] threw for 290 yards, [player_tooltip player_id='275621' first='Diego' last='Molinar'] rushed for 101 yards and [player_tooltip player_id='275206' first='Mason' last='Espinda-McChriston'] caught 4 passes for 157 yards for the Spartans. . .Portales QB [player_tooltip player_id='615523' first='Paxton' last='Culpepper'] threw for 360 yards and six TD for the Rams. [player_tooltip player_id='1103868' first='Braden' last='Beck'] caught 5 passes for 128 yards and 2 TD. WLV QB [player_tooltip player_id='615555' first='CJ' last='Perea'] threw for 237 yards but it wasn't enough for the Dons.   In Class 3A, Crownpoint, led by QB [player_tooltip player_id='817453' first='Jonathan' last='Antonio'], continues to surprise by beating Zuni, 22-12. The Eagles have won all 3 of its games by 10 points or less. . .Cuba is writing a feel good story as the Rams improved to 3-0 with a 50-0 win over Shiprock. QB [player_tooltip player_id='854274' first='Richard' last='Lovato'] threw for 141 yards. The Rams had a head coaching change just before the start of the season. . .Dexter hammered rival Hagerman, 52-6, in the annual Battle of the Bridges game. Demon QB [player_tooltip player_id='275111' first='Kevin' last='Villalobos'] completed all six passing attempts with 133 yards and a touchdown. . .St. Michael's beat city rival Santa Fe, 27-20, by rallying from an early 14-0 deficit, The victory was sealed when the Horsemen defense forced a fumble inside the red zone with less than a minute remaining. St. Michael's defense limited the Demons to 8 yards rushing and 156 total yards. St. Michael's visits Lo Alamos Friday in a battle of unbeatens.                                   Focus On The Four Corners: Aztec began Week 4 ranked No. 3 in the MaxPreps Class 4A poll and the Tigers did nothing to drop in the poll as they beat cross-border rival Bayfield, 28-22. After a third consecutive game against a Colorado opponent (At Durango Friday night), Aztec hosts Silver on Sept. 16 and travels to St. Michael's on Sept. 23 in two intriguing matchups. . .Rebuilding Piedra Vista fell to 0-3 with a 49-14 loss to Durango (CO). . .Kirtland Central pounded Thoreau, 49-14 as QB [player_tooltip player_id='1103787' first='Tyler' last='Joe'] threw for 252 yards and 2 TD.   Finally, This: The rivalries between the four Las Cruces schools are among the most fierce in the state. Mayfield beat Organ Mountain, 41-10, in the first game of the season pitting Las Cruces-based schools against each other. The Trojans stingy defense held Organ Mountain to 130 total yards, forced two turnovers and sacked the Knight quarterbacks seven times. Mayfield outgained Organ Mountain, 241-59, in the first half and led 27-3 at halftime before cruising to victory in the second half. . .Lovington was ranked No. 5 in last week's MaxPreps Class 4A poll and could move up after trouncing Santa Teresa, 58-7, on the road. However, all four teams above them in the poll also won, creating a logjam. In fact, 9 of the top 10 teams in the MaxPreps 4A poll won their games. Wildcats QB [player_tooltip player_id='275459' first='Wyatt' last='Gomez'] threw for 357 yards and 6 TD in the lopsided win. [player_tooltip player_id='275593' first='Cesar' last='Gonzalez'] caught 5 passes for 161 yards, and now has 19 receptions for 356 yards and 5 TD in three games. . .Another team that could find it difficult to move up in the 4A polls is No. 10 Albuquerque Academy, which beat 3A Hope Christian, 34-14, at home. [player_tooltip player_id='1119328' first='Jett' last='Galles'] rushed for three touchdowns for the Chargers, which travels to No. 1 Bloomfield on Friday. . .The lone 4A team ranked in the Top 10 to lose was St. Pius X. The Sartans were blanked by Valley, 35-0, as the Vikings won their second straight game. Valley scored TDs in all three phases. Bronson Vigil had a fumble return for a score and Daniel Garcia returned a kickoff for a TD. The Valley defense has allowed just 15 points in the first three games. . .2A Santa Rosa went to 3A Robertson and stunned the previously unbeaten Cardinals, 27-24. Lions RB [player_tooltip player_id='275599' first='Nicolas' last='Chavez'] is emerging as one of the top ball carriers in the state. Chavez rushed for 212 yards on 17 carries against Robertson to increase his season total after 3 games to 577 yards on 60 carries, an average of 9.6 yards per carry. Santa Rosa hosts Tularosa in a huge Week  4 matchup in Class 2A . . .Speaking of running the football, Goddard utilized their strong ground game to beat Deming, 35-12, at the Wool Bowl. Dominic Ramirez scored Goddard's first TD. The Rockets scored the last 28 points of the game after Deming took a 12-7 lead. Alberto Chavez had a Pick-6 for Goddard during the surge. . .Socorro beat Estancia, 34-19, to set the stage for an attractive Thursday night 3A matchup with Hope Christian in Week 4. The Warriors jumped out to a 28-6 lead before holding off late-charging Estancia on the road.                     Week 4 Top Games (Sept. 7-9)   Los Lunas at Roswell (Game of the Week)   La Cueva at Volcano Vista   St. Michael's at Los Alamos   Las Cruces at Cleveland   Artesia at Deming   Albuquerque Academy at Bloomfield   Valencia at Portales   Mayfield at Centennial   Albuquerque at West Mesa (Thur.)   Hope Christian at Socorro (Thur.)   Alamogordo at Capital (Thur.)   Farmington at Cibola (Sat.)   Tularosa at Santa Rosa   Raton at Tucumcari   Dexter at Jal   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1698175510495526974?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/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1697929877150966000?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/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1698246881841930605?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/1698393327790666174?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/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1697929732237758528?s=20 </div></figure>

Week 3 of the 2023 New Mexico High School football season is complete. Here is our third edition of the Weekly Whiparound, which takes a deep dive into everything that happened on the field over the past three days: