First Look: Top Contenders for 2023 NM Heisman Award

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're entering Week 9 of the New Mexico High School football season and most teams have started district play. As a result, the time has come to begin thinking about the top contenders for our 2023 New Mexico Heisman award. As we always say, though, there's plenty of football left to be played.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The three major factors we consider in choosing the winner are :1) Individual statistics and 2) Team success. Unlike the college football Heisman Trophy, we don't choose a winner until after the playoffs conclude Thanksgiving weekend. So, playoffs matter. But, like the college award, we focus on offensive skill position players, the guys who typically have the ball in their hands. Right now, here is our initial list (in alphabetical order):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275488' first='Elijah' last='Brody'], West Mesa</strong>: Brody is only a few rushing yards short of joining the prestigious 1,000-1,000 club.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275599' first='Nicolas' last='Chavez'], Santa Rosa</strong>: Chavez is No. 2 in the state in rushing and he leads the state in tackles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615523' first='Paxton' last='Culpepper'], Portales</strong>: Led Portales to a 7-0 record by passing for nearly 1,500 yards and 25 TD while rushing for 286 yards.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Adrick Deleon, Espanola Valley</strong>: Few folks south of Santa Fe have probably heard of Deleon but he's one of the state's top rushers with over 1,100 yards.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='611098' first='Cameron' last='Dyer'], La Cueva</strong>: The junior has fulfilled expectations this season by leading the high-powered La Cueva offense. New Mexico State has offered.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275206' first='Mason' last='Espinda-McChriston'], Bernalillo</strong>: One of the top two-way players in the state. He's Top 10 in receiving yardage and No. 2 in tackles (92).&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590681' first='Nye' last='Estrada'], Artesia</strong>: Estrada has been a machine since taking over as Artesia's starting QB early last season, throwing for about 5,000 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='425194' first='Manny' last='Fuentez'], Roswell</strong>: Like Estrada, Fuentez leads one of the best offenses in the entire state and he doe sit very well as the Coyotes are 7-0.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275459' first='Wyatt' last='Gomez'], Lovington</strong>: Quickly approaching 2,000 passing yards and Lovington looks the part of a 4A championship contender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274709' first='Alijah' last='Gonzales'], Volcano Vista</strong>: When it comes to running between the tackles, Gonzales has few equals in New Mexico. His powerful, fearless running style has produced nearly 1,247 rushing yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274791' first='Trel' last='Griego'], Farmington</strong>: Griego has already surpassed 2,000 passing yards and Farmington has emerged as a darkhorse candidate to reach the state championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='340297' first='Daniel' last='Hernandez'], Centennial</strong>: If we gave an award for the most underrated player in the state, Hernandez would be on the short list. Dynamic dual threat QB.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='815932' first='Adan' last='Jacquez'], Silver</strong>: Arguably the best player in southwest New Mexico. Another elite dual threat QB.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590712' first='Charles' last='Lopez-Burton'], Valley</strong>: The Valley Vikings appear headed for another Class 5A playoff berth and the underrated Lopez-Burton is a major reason why. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards and double digit touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590512' first='Harris' last='Mbueha'], Cleveland</strong>: Mbueha was the surprising star of last November's 6A state championship game, and he has sustained the momentum into this season. Mbueha is approaching 1,000 rushing yards with 9 TD for the season. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854273' first='Elijah' last='Melancon'], Eunice</strong>: The Cardinals are ranked No. 2 in Class 2A with Melancon enjoying another tremendous season. He has 1,581 passing yards with 23 TD as a sophomore and already has close to 4,000 passing yards in his career. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275436' first='Josiah' last='Mitchell'], Eldorado</strong>: The Eagles are battling to make the playoffs but Mitchell has emerged as one of the top receivers in Albuquerque. He has 53 receptions for 744 yards and 11 TD. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275430' first='Brandon' last='Olivas'], Eldorado</strong>: Who's throwing the ball to Mitchell? Olivas is the state leader in passing yardage (2,058) and TD passes (27). If the defense improves, Eldorado should squeeze into the 6A playoffs. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615555' first='CJ' last='Perea'], West Las Vegas</strong>: The Dons are the new No. 1 team in Class 3A in the Coaches poll and carry a 5-game winning streak into the bye. Perea, only a junior, &nbsp;has been fantastic for three seasons. He has passed for 1,635 yards and 14 TD in 8 games. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1103734' first='Cruz' last='Rivera'], Sandia</strong>: The Matadors are the biggest surprise in 6A and Rivera has enjoyed a solid season leading the offense with over 1,3400 passing yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer'], Bloomfield</strong>: The prolific Bloomfield offense hasn't misssed a beat from last season when they lifted the Bobcats to the 4A title. Spencer has thrown for 1,757 yards and 26 TDs with just 2 interceptions.<strong> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fabian</strong> <strong>Trujillo, Los Lunas</strong>: The second year in Class 6A for the Tigers has been a success with a 6-2 record and a possible district title. Trujillo has amassed over  1,123 total yards on offense and special teams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/mason_espinda/status/1711543002307707269?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <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/1711543002307707269?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/TreGriego/status/1711906279437062262?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/TreGriego/status/1711906279437062262?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/charleslb07/status/1711478033864085884?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/charleslb07/status/1711478033864085884?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/44_atrain/status/1707475356180218277?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/44_atrain/status/1707475356180218277?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/JosiahM131213/status/1710687641426129124?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/JosiahM131213/status/1710687641426129124?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->