November Madness: Semifinals Preview, Classes 6A and 5A

We've reached the semifinals of the 2023 New Mexico high school football playoffs in Classes 6A-3A. The Class 2A state championship game takes place on Saturday in Texico. Here is a breakdown of each semifinal game in Classes 6A and 5A:   Class 6A   Cleveland at Rio Rancho (Fri., 7 p.m.): We've saw what happened (Cleveland wins 37-0) when these two teams met three weeks ago in a winner-take all district championship game. So, we know what the Storm is capable of doing against their chief rival. The key question is what Rio Rancho will do differently in an attempt to reverse the outcome of the first meeting. After all, the definitely of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. First, the Rams must find better ways to move the ball against the stout Cleveland defense that has allowed just 25 points in the last 5 games. In the first meeting, Rio Rancho totaled just 166 total yards, 60 on the ground. They averaged 2.4 yards per rushing attempt. That won't suffice. Defensively, the Rams must defend the pass better (Cleveland QB [player_tooltip player_id='851873' first='Jordan' last='Hatch'] completed 18-of-22 passes) and contain RB [player_tooltip player_id='590512' first='Harris' last='Mbueha'] (125 rushing yards).           Las Cruces at La Cueva (Fri., 7 p.m.): Two of the hottest teams in the state square off at Wilson Stadium in Albuquerque. Las Cruces, which makes its second trip to the Duke City Metro area this season, has won seven of its last eight games following a 0-4 start. Sophomore QB [player_tooltip player_id='853029' first='Gunnar' last='Guardiola'], RB [player_tooltip player_id='1137388' first='Daniel' last='Amaro'] and WR [player_tooltip player_id='615455' first='Nate' last='Libby'] led the way for the offense in the Bulldawgs' thrilling victory over rival Centennial last Friday. La Cueva hasn't lost since a 35-28 setback to Centennial in Week 3 at Field of Dreams. In those eight straight wins, the Bears haven't scored fewer than 38 points in any game, scoring 50+ points four times. In the quarterfinals they trounced Farmington, 45-6. Elite dual threat QB [player_tooltip player_id='611098' first='Cameron' last='Dyer'] directs a Bears offense that overwhelms opponents with power and speed at every position. Las Cruces must match La Cueva's speed on the perimeter.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/jeffmatthews22/status/1724164049972158793?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/CoachD84/status/1724783750201184467?s=20 </div></figure>   Class 5A   Rowell at Deming (Sat., 1 p.m.): Undefeated Roswell (11-0) is the undisputed No. 1 seed for the 5A playoffs but the Coyotes must go to Deming in accordance with the NMAA's ‘Who owes who' rule. Then again, Roswell is 5-0 on the road this season with victories over Lovington, Hobbs, Carlsbad, Piedra Vista and Goddard. The Coyotes are elite on both sides of the ball. Offensively, QB [player_tooltip player_id='425194' first='Manny' last='Fuentez'] and RB [player_tooltip player_id='340165' first='Bryce' last='Sanchez'], both experienced seniors, have enjoyed sensational seasons. Defensively, the Coyotes haven't allowed more than 15 points since the season opener against Lovington. In nine of those 10 games, they've allowed 8 or fewer points. So, Roswell is incredibly difficult to score against. Just ask Artesia. Deming (9-3) is a confident football team that carries a 6-game winning streak into Saturday's matchup. Defensively, the Wildcats have been lights out with just 20 points allowed and three shutouts during the winning streak. Junior dual threat QB [player_tooltip player_id='837197' first='Ryan' last='Alfaro'] is a dynamic playmaker.              Piedra Vista at Artesia: A rematch of last year's Class 5A state championship game played at Hutchinson Stadium in Farmington. However, this game will be played at the Bulldog Bowl and Artesia should enjoy a significant home field advantage with a near capacity crowd expected. The Bulldogs are unbeaten at home in 2023 with, of course, a 36-34 victory over Cleveland on the resume. In their last four home game, Artesia has scored 44, 54, 43 and 47 points. None of the four games have been close. QB [player_tooltip player_id='590681' first='Nye' last='Estrada'] leads the prolific Artesia offense and he gets plenty of support from the talented players around him, including the offensive line. For some, Piedra Vista was an unlikely No. 4 seed after finishing the regular season with a 5-5 record. The Panthers started the season 0-4 but have won five of their last six games, including all four in district play. They beat Valley, 30-6, in the quarterfinals last week. Junior RB Brig Keiser showed against the Vikings that he's a physically tough runner, both through handoffs from the QB or out of the Wildcat formation.   <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/1724131714958790675?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/DemingWildcat/status/1723520974321295411?s=20 </div></figure>

We've reached the semifinals of the 2023 New Mexico high school football playoffs in Classes 6A-3A. The Class 2A state championship game takes place on Saturday in Texico. Here is a breakdown of each semifinal game in Classes 6A and 5A: