November Madness: Quarterfinals Preview, Classes 5A and 4A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've reached the quarterfinal round of the 2023 New Mexico high school football playoffs in Classes 6A-3A. The semifinals will be played in 62A this weekend. Here is a preview of the eights QF games in 5A and 4A:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CLASS 5A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mayfield (9) at Roswell (1)</strong>: These two district rivals met three weeks ago with Roswell winning, 48-15. So, Mayfield has a lot of work to do to close the gap and find a way to reverse the previous outcome. Roswell has been a machine the entire season, winning all 10 games they've played by at least 21 points. QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='425194' first='Manny' last='Fuentez']</strong> is a very underrated QB who directs the Coyotes offense with precision. RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='340165' first='Bryce' last='Sanchez']</strong> is a 1,000-yard rusher, closing the regular season with a 19-carry, 152-yard outing against rival Goddard. As good as the Roswell offense has proven, the defense might be better. Mayfield will have its hands full, especially considering the one-sided nature of the previous clash with Roswell less than a month ago.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Los Alamos (7) at Artesia (2)</strong>: Los Alamos must fight the same battle many teams have fought in the past – don't get intimidated or frightened by the environment of the Bulldog Bowl to the point where you can't function properly. Yes, the place will be packed, the Bulldogs will come running out and dogpile and the crowd will be frenzied all game long. The Hilltoppers have talent with QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119597' first='Kyle' last='Evenhus']</strong>, WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590222' first='Melaki' last='Gutierrez']</strong>, RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1103818' first='Niko' last='Garcia']</strong>, LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590677' first='Kyler' last='Young']</strong> and others, so if they stay poised and handle the environment, they'll give the Bulldogs a good battle. But Artesia has plenty of talent too with QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590681' first='Nye' last='Estrada']</strong>, RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1118283' first='Frankie' last='Galindo']</strong>, WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1118257' first='Ethan' last='Conn']</strong>, <strong>LB [player_tooltip player_id='590673' first='Diego' last='Wesson']</strong> and many others. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Valley (6) at Piedra Vista (3)</strong>: Valley is a rising program in Class 5A under second-year head coach Billy Cobos. They won their district over Los Alamos and mauled Manzano last week in the first round. Suddenly, high school football in the North Valley region of Albuquerque is fun again. The Vikings have one of the best RB duos in all of Class 5A with seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590712' first='Charles' last='Lopez-Burton']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='592353' first='Tazhe' last='Wilson']</strong>. Through 11 games, they've combined for over 2,500 rushing yards. Piedra Vista was awarded the No. 3 playoff seed even though the Panthers are just 5-5 largely because of an extremely challenging non-district schedule that included games against Farmington, Sandia, Eldorado, Goddard, Roswell and Durango (CO). They lost five of those six games but it prepared them for district play. This should be a close, hard-fought battle between two teams that appear to be evenly matched.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Deming (5) at Goddard (4)</strong>: These two teams met in Week 3 with Goddard prevailing, 35-12. The prediction here, though, is this game will be much closer. Deming is full of confidence as they carry a five-game winning streak into this one with victories over Mayfield and Gadsden in a winner-take-all district championship game. Last week they trounced Belen in a First Round game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='837197' first='Ryan' last='Alfaro'] </strong>is a dynamic dual threat QB for the Wildcats. He's supported by RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='611155' first='Isaiah' last='Pizarro']</strong> and WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1103216' first='Jared' last='Almanza']</strong>. MLB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1118366' first='Sebastian' last='Acuna']</strong> leads the Deming defense.   Goddard will do what they always do on offense - run the football with authority. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274787' first='Jonathan' last='Silva']</strong> is the main ball carrier for the Rockets. We'll see if the Deming defense can stop them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/artesiafootball/status/1720650948090175519?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/artesiafootball/status/1720650948090175519?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CLASS 4A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Albuquerque Academy (9) at Bloomfield (1)</strong>: Who will finally knock Bloomfield from the unbeaten ranks? The Bobcats have won 16 straight games dating back to the middle of last season. One of those victories was a 41-0 blanking of Albuquerque Academy on Sept. 8. Bloomfield is deep on both sides of the ball with junior QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer']</strong> throwing for 2,143 yards and 31 TD with just 3 interceptions during the regular season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275042' first='Drew' last='Perez']</strong> has 52 receptions for 881 yards and 16 TD. The Bobcats defense has posted a staggering seven shutouts. Nobody has scored on the Bloomfield defense since late September. Albuquerque Academy is coming off an impressive First Round road win at Grants. Speedy RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119328' first='Jett' last='Galles']</strong> is the primary offensive threat. Senior defenders <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='238625' first='Dalton' last='Lee']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275045' first='Brody' last='Whitaker']</strong> are next level talents. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Espanola Valley (7) at Lovington (2)</strong>: These teams move the ball in different ways, but we could have an offensive shootout in this one. Lovington QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275459' first='Wyatt' last='Gomez']</strong> is one of the top passing QBs in the state with 2,820 yards and 36 TD during the regular season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275593' first='Cesar' last='Gonzalez']</strong> and <strong>Demarcus Thompson</strong> are his primary targets. Thompson is also an exceptional defender and one of the top two-way players in the state. Espanola Valley has written one of the best stories in Class 4A behind a lethal ground game led by <strong>Adrick Deleon</strong> (1,855 rushing yards) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590170' first='Jack' last='Purdy']</strong> (715). Espanola Valley just won its first playoff game in school history and they look to continue building momentum under second-year head coach Tylon Wilder. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Aztec (6) at Silver (3)</strong>: These two teams meet for the second time this season. When Silver lost to Bloomfield a month ago, some folks thought Silver might stumble down the stretch. Wrong. The Colts shifted into a higher gear and outscored their final three opponents, 136-35, to earn the No. 3 seed. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='815932' first='Adan' last='Jacquez']</strong> is a fantastic dual threat QB with 2,422 total yards and 36 TD accounted for. Six-foot-2 senior WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='591998' first='Julian' last='Richard']</strong> (39 receptions for 600 yards, 10 TD) is blessed with elite athleticism and is definitely a next level talent. Defensively, the Colts are balanced with four players collecting 44+ tackles. Aztec edged Taos, 21-14, in the first round. RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275041' first='Baylor' last='Seabolt']</strong> is a powerful runner with nearly 1,200 rushing yards to his credit. WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137468' first='Kale' last='Watson']</strong> is QB <strong>Landon Frost</strong>'s top target. Silver won the first meeting, 14-7. Expect more points in this one.          </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bernalillo (5) at Portales (4)</strong>: These two teams met three weeks ago with Portales prevailing, 38-0, in Bernalillo before losing the winner-take-all district championship game to Lovington the following Friday. That setback, though, doesn't diminish the fact the Rams are a heckuva football team on both sides of the ball. Supported by a balanced rushing attack, Portales QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615523' first='Paxton' last='Culpepper']</strong> has thrown for 2,033 yards and 34 TD in 10 games. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='591958' first='Zane' last='Mayberry']</strong> (team-high 33 receptions) is usually his favorite target. Defensively, the Rams are elite. They have posted six shutouts in 10 games. Junior LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613053' first='Manny' last='Chavez']</strong> already has 349 career tackles. Bernalillo trounced Valencia in the First Round. Now the Spartan coaches have to figure out how to score some points against the fast and aggressive Portales defense. Having QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615632' first='Uriel' last='Castro']</strong> distribute the ball to two-way standout <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275206' first='Mason' last='Espinda-McChriston']</strong> as much as possible is a good start.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/lvtwildcatsfb/status/1720846290265985519?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/lvtwildcatsfb/status/1720846290265985519?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/DemingWildcat/status/1721598557936054554?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/DemingWildcat/status/1721598557936054554?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>         <strong><br></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->