NMAA announces football realignment for 2024-25 cycle

The New Mexico Activities Association announced Wednesday afternoon the new realignment for the 2024 and 2025 high school football seasons.

As expected, the NMAA consolidated and regionalized the districts in Classes 6A-3A. Class 6A (21 schools) is going from four districts to three while Classes 5A (16) and 4A (15) go from four districts to two. Class 3A (19) now has three districts instead of the five in 2022-23. Only Class 2A will have the same number of districts (3) as 2022-23, although the number of schools is increasing from 13 to 19.

Here are some of the key changes for 2024-25:

-- Piedra Vista is moving to Class 6A and joins rival Farmington in District 6A-1 with Cibola, Cleveland, Rio Rancho and Volcano Vista.

-- Los Lunas is staying in Class 6A after some media reports had the Tigers dropping to 5A for the 2024-25 cycle. Los Lunas is one of EIGHT teams in District 6A-2.

-- Clovis joins the southern-based District 6A-3, which includes the six teams in the former district. The new district will have seven teams.

-- Rio Grande is joining District 5A-1 after several seasons as a 6A independent.

-- Lovington is moving up to Class 5A and joins the southern-based District 5A-2, which includes powers Artesia, Goddard, Roswell and Mayfield. Three new teams join the district from the former 5A-3: Deming, Gadsden and Santa Teresa.

-- Class 4A now features an 8-team district and a 7-team district. Chaparral and Manzano move from 5A to 4A. New NMAA rules allow schools with a winning percentage below 20 percent in three of the four previous years (2019; 2021-23) to drop down one classification. Both Chaparral and Manzano elected to move down from 5A.

-- In Class 3A, Gallup has chosen to move down from 4A while Shiprock ends its status as an independent and joins District 3A-1. Pojoaque Valley also elected to move down from 4A and joins a powerful district with Hope Christian, Robertson, St. Michael's and West Las Vegas.

-- Cuba, Dexter and Raton move from Class 3A to 2A. Hozho Academy in Gallup and Cloudcroft join District 2A-1 and 2A-2, respectively, after playing the 2023 season as independents.

-- Legacy Academy in Albuquerque will begin playing 11-man football in 2024 after competing at the 8-man level. They join District 2A-2.

-- Escalante and Mescalero Apache will begin playing 8-man football in 2024 after competing in Class 2A in 2023.

Here is how the districts line up for 2024-25:

CLASS 6A (21 Schools)

District 1: Cibola, Cleveland, Farmington, Piedra Vista, Rio Rancho, Volcano Vista;

District 2: Albuquerque High, Atrisco Heritage, Eldorado, La Cueva, Los Lunas, Sandia, Santa Fe, West Mesa;

District 3: Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Centennial, Clovis, Hobbs, Las Cruces, Organ Mountain;

CLASS 5A (16 Schools)

District 1: Belen, Capital, Del Norte, Highland, Los Alamos, Miyamura, Rio Grande, Valley;

District 2: Artesia, Deming, Gadsden, Goddard, Lovington, Mayfield, Roswell, Santa Teresa.

CLASS 4A (15 Schools)

District 1: Aztec, Bloomfield, Bernalillo, Espanola Valley, Grants, Kirtland Central, Moriarty, Taos;

District 2: Albuquerque Academy, Chaparral, Manzano, Portales, Silver, St. Pius X, Valencia.

CLASS 3A (19 Schools)

District 1: Crownpoint, Gallup, Shiprock, Thoreau, Tohatchi, Wingate, Zuni;

District 2: Hope Christian, Pojoaque Valley, Robertson, Santa Fe Indian, St. Michael's, West Las Vegas;

District 3: Cobre, Hatch Valley, Hot Springs, NMMI, Ruidoso, Socorro.

CLASS 2A (19 Schools)

District 1: Cuba, Hozho Academy, Laguna Academy, McCurdy, Navajo Prep, Newcomb;

District 2: Capitan, Cloudcroft, Estancia, Legacy Academy, Raton, Santa Rosa, Tucumcari.

District 3: Dexter, Eunice, Jal, Loving, Texico, Tularosa.