The Fantastic Forty: Top Performers in Week 8

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 8 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:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bubba Anderson, Carlsbad</strong>: Anderson had 7 tackles and a 39-yard interception return in Carlsbad's district victory over Organ Mountain.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1037108' first='Jesus' last='Barraza'], Centennial</strong>: The senior RB rushed for 145 yards on 20 carries, including a 61-yard scamper for a TD, as Centennial knocked off Hobbs, 28-7, at Field of Dreams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137075' first='Lucas' last='Basile'], Hot Springs</strong>: Just a sophomore, Basile had 11 tackles, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery in Hot Springs' victory over Mescalero Apache. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615626' first='Julian' last='Butkivich'], Valley</strong>: Valley (4-3) stuck mostly with their ground game against Manzano with 37 rushing attempts, but when they threw the ball Butkivich was usually on target. He completed 13-of-16 passes for 293 yards and 4 TD as the Viking amassed 634 yards in total offense against the Monarchs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joaquin Candelaria, St. Pius X</strong>: Filling in at running back, Candelaria had 158yards rushing and 2 TD in the Sartans' 24-14 victory over Moriarty.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275599' first='Nicolas' last='Chavez'], Santa Rosa</strong>: The senior RB continues to post impressive numbers for the Lions. Chavez rushed for 142 yards and 2 TD in a mercy-rule win over McCurdy. Chavez now has 1,466 rushing yards and 22 TD on 127 carries with two regular season games remaining. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1595888' first='Jared' last='Chico'], Santa Rosa</strong>: The Lions' LB had 10 tackles as the Santa Rosa defense shut down McCurdy in a 62-12 victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119266' first='Tristan' last='Davis'], Hobbs</strong>: The junior LB had a season high 16 tackles (10 solo) in the Eagles' loss at Centennial. Davis has 10+ tackles in three games this season and 68 overall along with 8.0 TFL, 3 sacks and 4 QB hurries. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Emi De la Torre, Los Lunas</strong>: The junior RB averaged 15.8 yards per carry (his highest of the season) and scored 2 TD to spark Los Lunas past Albuquerque High.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275567' first='Jykub' last='Gage'], Santa Rosa</strong>: The Lions' QB accounted for 167 total yards (115 rushing) in their big win over McCurdy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='340325' first='Kevin' last='Garcia'], Eunice</strong>: The Cardinals improved to 6-2 overall with a 53-0 victory over Hagerman as Garcia rushed for 157 yards and 2 TD, averaging 22.4 yards per carry. Eunice is 2-0 in district, setting up a showdown with Jal in Week 9. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274709' first='Alijah' last='Gonzales'], Volcano Vista</strong>: After rushing for 150+ yards and 3 TD against Cibola, Gonzales now has 1,300+ rushing yards on the season with two regular season and at least one playoff game remaining on Volcano Vista's schedule.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1021201' first='Landon' last='Griego'], Atrisco Heritage</strong>: Passed for 227 yards and 2 TD in the Jaguars' loss at Rio Rancho.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274791' first='Trel' last='Griego'], Farmington</strong>: Griego was sensational in the first half of Farmington's surprising 49-7 rout of West Mesa, completing 18 of 21 passes for 196 yards and 2 TD and ran for two more TD as the Scorpions built an insurmountable 35-0 halftime lead. Griego added two more passing TD in the second half. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='340297' first='Daniel' last='Hernandez'], Centennial</strong>: Hernandez is one of the best dual threat QBs in the state as he proved it again against Hobbs with 127 yards rushing on 14 carries and 95 yards throwing on 9-of-15 passing. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613060' first='Andres' last='Lazos'], Grants</strong>: Lazos rushed for 140+ yards for the fourth straight game as Grants edged Taos, 28-27, in a huge road win for the Pirates. Lazos had 211 yards and 3 TD on 22 carries. He added 75 yards in kick returns. Lazos now has 1,072 rushing yards on the season as Grants won its third straight game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='592334' first='Ray' last='Long'], Thoreau</strong>: Long rushed for 111 yards and 1 TD in Thoreau's 37-0 victory over Newcomb. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615426' first='Alex' last='Lopez'], Highland</strong>: Lopez had a complete game for the Hornets in their win over Pojoaque Valley as he finished with 35 yards passing, 65 yards rushing, 45 yards receiving, 5 tackles and 2 TFL. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590712' first='Charles' last='Lopez-Burton'], Valley</strong>: The Vikings moved over the .500 mark (4-3) with a 62-42 victory over Manzano. Lopez-Burton carried a workhorse 31 times for 306 yards and 3 TD against the Monarchs. It's the second time this season Lopez-Burton had 300+ yards rushing. He surpassed 1,000 rushing yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590746' first='Hunter' last='Maldonado'], Sandia</strong>: Supporting a defense that forced four turnovers, Maldonado rushed for 124 of his 151 yards in the second half as the Matadors stayed hot with a 33-14 victory over Eldorado.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615687' first='Gage' last='Marquez'], Los Lunas</strong>: Marquez had 11 tackles and 2 QB Hurries in the Tigers' lopsided win over Albuquerque High.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590551' first='Ulysses' last='Mendoza'], Carlsbad</strong>: Mendoza accounted for more than half of Carlsbad's offensive output in a 29-10 win over Organ Mountain by rushing for 154 yards and 3 TD on 23 carries. It was his fourth game of 150+ rushing yards this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615425' first='Amiri' last='Mumba'], Highland</strong>: Mumba rushed for 151 yards on a workhorse 29 carries as Highlands traveled to northern New Mexico and beat Pojoaque Valley, 28-6. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590686' first='Josh' last='Nieto'], Manzano</strong>: Nieto was magnificent against Valley with 14 receptions for 244 yards and 3 TD. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275436' first='Josiah' last='Mitchell'], Eldorado</strong>: 10 receptions for 123 yards and 1 TD in the Eagles' loss to Sandia.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275430' first='Brandon' last='Olivas'], Eldorado</strong>: Olivas threw for 185 yards and completed 17-of-27 passes in the Eagles' loss to Sandia.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615555' first='CJ' last='Perea'], West Las Vegas</strong>; The Dons are 2-0 in the district after beating Raton, 33-21, at home. Perea threw for 215 yards and 1 TD on 15-of-22 passing. Perea has thrown for 1,635 yards and 14 TD in 8 games. He is approaching 6,000 career passing yards. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275042' first='Drew' last='Perez'], Bloomfield</strong>: Perez caught 3 TD passes in Bloomfield's 28-0 victory Saturday at Silver, including one with 9 seconds left in the first half when he grabbed a pass from QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer']</strong> (255 passing yards + 4 TD passes + 84 rushing yards) in the middle of the end zone. Perez finished with a season high 10 receptions for 107 yards. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wade Plummer, Thoreau</strong>: Listed at 6-foot-2, 271 pounds, Plumer made 14 tackles from his defensive tackle spot for the Hawks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590563' first='Rayce' last='Ramirez'], Rio Rancho</strong>: Ramrirez sparked the Rio Rancho offense in a 37-14 victory over Atrisco Heritage with 182 yards on a workhorse 26 carries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274705' first='Marquise' last='Renfro'], Atrisco Heritage</strong>: Caught 5 passes for 130 yards in Atrisco's loss to Rio Rancho. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275462' first='Kaleb' last='Rodriguez'], Loving</strong>: Completed 17-of-28 passes for 187 yards and 1 TD in Loving's loss to Jal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137899' first='John' last='Royal'], Clovis</strong>: Although overshadowed by [player_tooltip player_id='275376' first='Jett' last='Stone'], the sophomore Royal enjoyed a fantastic game against Santa Fe with 104 rushing yards on 16 carries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274702' first='John' last='Sierra'], Centennial</strong>: The Hawks' defensive leader had 9 tackles and an athletic interception in Centennial's win over Hobbs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275376' first='Jett' last='Stone'], Clovis</strong>: Our Player of the Week accounted for eight touchdowns in three different way in the Wildcats' 62-42 victory over Santa Fe. Stone rushed for 6 TD, passed for a TD and caught a TD pass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Niko Trujillo, Cobre</strong>: Rushed for 2 TD and returned a kickoff for a TD as Cobre edged Tularosa, 27-26, in one of the best games of Week 8.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Daniel Valdez, Valley</strong>: Valdez had a season high 12 tackles and 3 TFL in Valley's win over Manzano.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='592401' first='Kian' last='Vander Wilt'], Volcano Vista</strong>: Vander Wilt, a next level prospect, had a season high 10 tackles (9 solo) and a forced fumble in the Hawks' lopsided win over Cibola.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1258970' first='James' last='Vautier'], Manzano</strong>: Vautier threw for 216 yards and 3 TD on 26-of-46 passing for the Monarchs against Valley. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1103800' first='Daniel' last='Villegas'], Valencia</strong>: Villegas rushed for 100+ yards and scored 5 TD in the Jaguars' 52-0 victory over Rio Grande. &nbsp;&nbsp;</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/JesusBa00025243/status/1711489499698442354?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/JesusBa00025243/status/1711489499698442354?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/kklyps/status/1711168353728115173?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/kklyps/status/1711168353728115173?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/johnsierra2024/status/1711103571050279150?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/johnsierra2024/status/1711103571050279150?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/ChasinGrayson80/status/1710842767646367789?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/ChasinGrayson80/status/1710842767646367789?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Gagem44/status/1710850379032715605?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/Gagem44/status/1710850379032715605?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->