Missing You: Top Players Not In The Playoffs You Need To Know

There are 90 football playing high schools in New Mexico in Classes 6A-2A. But only 56 advanced to the playoffs – 12 teams in Classes 6A-3A and 8 in Class 2A. That means 34 teams don't get the opportunity to play in the post-season. Those teams have some pretty good players, a few of which will play at the next level. Here are 20 of the state's top prospects not participating in this year's playoffs:     [player_tooltip player_id='1103183' first='Anthony' last='Audette'], Alamogordo: Even though Alamogordo didn't make the 6A playoffs, Audette will always have this stat on his resume: 1,000-yard rusher. He finished the season with 1,088 yards and 10 TD on the ground on 150 carries.   [player_tooltip player_id='854199' first='Hayes' last='Baum'], Cibola: Baum finished the season with 123 tackles and 19.0 tackles for loss (one of the highest figures in the state). Unfortunately, because Cibola struggled, we didn't hear a lot about Baum.   Jaxson Bowron, Santa Teresa: Bowron had 75 tackles, 11 TFL and 4.0 sacks for the Desert Warriors defense.   Levi J Goodman, Organ Mountain: Possessed with good size (listed at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds), Goodman stood out for the Organ Mountain defense at OLB this season with 79 tackles, 11.5 TFL and 2 forced fumbles.   [player_tooltip player_id='268298' first='Cruz' last='Graham'], Santa Fe: Excelling on both lines, Graham earned First-Team All-District honors both at DL and OL.   [player_tooltip player_id='615689' first='Trenton' last='Hall'], Ruidoso: Hall was a key contributor to Ruidoso's 3A state championship team last fall as a sophomore but the Warriors struggled this year after losing numerous players, Hall, though, finished with 104 tackles and 4.0 TFL, including 12+ tackles in each of the last four games. He'll be back in 2024.   [player_tooltip player_id='1103787' first='Tyler' last='Joe'], Kirtland Central: Joe was the leader of the Kirtland Central offense by passing for 1,589 yards and 16 TD.   [player_tooltip player_id='275121' first='Dylan' last='Joines'], Miyamura: Joines was the leader of the Miyamura offense both throwing and running the football. An 0-3 district record doomed the Patriots' playoff hopes.   [player_tooltip player_id='1258989' first='Caedon' last='Kamplain'], Moriarty: Moriarty looked in great shape for a playoff spot following a 4-0 start but the Pintos lost five of their final six games and failed to make the playoffs. Kamplain keyed Moriarty's run-dominated attack with 491 rushing yards and added 38 tackles on defense.   [player_tooltip player_id='275479' first='Kaidyn' last='Lanham'], Hot Springs: Dennis Barnes' first season as head coach at Hot Springs was all about building the foundation (and building up the player participation numbers) for future success. Lanham made sure of that by throwing for nearly 1,000 yards on offense and making 25 tackles on defense.   Dion Lee, Newcomb: Lee rushed for 816 yards and 10 TD with 5 100+ yard rushing games for a Newcomb team that lost a wild winner-take-all district championship game to Navajo Prep.   [player_tooltip player_id='854274' first='Richard' last='Lovato'], Cuba: From a win-loss perspective, Cuba enjoyed a solid reason with an 8-2 record but presumably their strength of schedule didn't satisfy the computers, so the Rams didn't make the 3A playoffs. Lovato, a sophomore, threw for 1,000 yards and 11 TD while rushing for 6 TD to lead the Cuba offense. He added 34 tackles on defense.   [player_tooltip player_id='590227' first='TJ' last='McCarthy'], Albuquerque High: McCarthy was already one of New Mexico's top 2024 prospects when the season started and nothing has changed. He's a 6-foot-4, 295-pound offensive lineman with good mobility and he knows how to use his hands to keep defenders at bay. All three D2 schools in the state have offered.   [player_tooltip player_id='615514' first='Bryce' last='Melton'], Santa Fe: Melton, still a football novice after just two years of playing the sport, exploded onto the scene last spring when he earned the distinction as the Fastest Player In The State. He earned Second-Team Al-District honors. He'll play at the next level and already holds multiple offers.   [player_tooltip player_id='590551' first='Ulysses' last='Mendoza'], Carlsbad: Like many other Carlsbad seniors, Mendoza played for three different head coaches in his prep career with the Cavemen. He persevered, though, rushing for 1,187 yards and 9 TD on a workhorse 203 carries.   [player_tooltip player_id='275436' first='Josiah' last='Mitchell'], Eldorado: Offered Tuesday by JUCO Orange Coast College, Mitchell was one of the top wide receivers in NM this season and an integral part of Eldorado's dynamic offense. He finished with 68 receptions for 948 yards and 13 TD. He'll play at the next level. All three D2 schools in the state have offered.   [player_tooltip player_id='1119613' first='Deaven' last='Montano'], Capital: Capital suffered through an excruciating season with numerous frustratingly close losses (7 losses by 8 points or less) but Montano was excellent throwing the football with 1,523 passing yards and 15 TD.   [player_tooltip player_id='275430' first='Brandon' last='Olivas'], Eldorado: If [player_tooltip player_id='275436' first='Josiah' last='Mitchell'] (see above) was superb catching the ball for the Eagles, Olivas was throwing it. Olivas is currently 3rd in the state with 2,672 passing yards and tied for second in TD passes with 34.   [player_tooltip player_id='274705' first='Marquise' last='Renfro'], Atrisco Heritage: The Jaguars have had a dynamic offense for two years with Renfro at the forefront. He has 38 receptions for 883 yards and 11 TD. He finished his AHHS career with 102 receptions for 1,721 yards and 21 TD.   [player_tooltip player_id='1103825' first='Tydon' last='Tsosie'], Crownpoint: Tsosie was Crownpoint's No. 1 producer on offense with nearly 700 rushing yards, 200 receiving yards and a combined 8 TD.   [player_tooltip player_id='1137084' first='Daymion' last='Urioste'], Tucumcari: Just a sophomore, Urioste had 44 receptions for 433 yards and 5 TD for a Tucumcari team that showed improvement and a new competitive fire under first-year head coach Tarik Embrack.     [player_tooltip player_id='1129687' first='Jonah' last='Villegas'], Pojoaque Valley: Just a freshman, Villegas had 709 yards and 6 TD on the ground. What Villegas lacks in size, he makes up for in speed. Emerged as one of the 2027 prospects in the state.     <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/The__Baum/status/1720117726683840899?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/AntAudette22/status/1721956791947305037?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/CruzGraham52/status/1721345204463034638?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/5tjay6/status/1720892436392894576?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/JosiahM131213/status/1720570124556787906?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/BrandonOlivasQB/status/1716429658697367994?s=20 </div></figure>