Look Back, Look Ahead: Class 3A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We conclude our popular Look Back, Look Ahead series with a review of the 2023 season in Class 3A and a peek ahead to some of the key storylines, topics, players and questions concerning the 2024 campaign:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>LOOK BACK</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Teams of the Year</strong>: <strong>St. Michael's and Cobre</strong>. St. Michael's has arguably been the most consistent program in Class 3A over the years. This season marked their third straight appearance in the Class 3A state championship game, and their first title after losses to Robertson (2021) and Ruidoso (2022). This season they got a measure of revenge against Robertson, their long-time rival, with a 21-16 win in the 3A title game. Cobre was the classification's biggest surprise by finishing 8-3 and reaching the semifinals of the 3A playoffs, where they suffered a hard-fought loss at Robertson.            </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Offensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='613184' first='Isaiah' last='Ocampo'], Socorro. </strong>Ocampo was the most dynamic offensive player in Class 3A this season. In fact, he led 3A in passing (2,069 yards and 27 TD; 60.2 completion percentage) AND rushing (1,152 yards on 128 carries). &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Defensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1103937' first='Isaac' last='Garcia'], Raton. </strong>Led 3A with 106 tackles from his linebacker spot. Excellent two-way player for the Tigers.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Two-Way Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='275064' first='Jacob' last='Baca'], Hope Christian.</strong> Baca is one of the top two-way players in the entire state. He had 29 pancake blocks as an offensive linemen in addition to rushing 8 times for 48 yards. Defensively, he was named First-Team All-Metro Defensive End after collecting 105 tackles and a staggering 29.0 tackles for loss, by far the most in 3A. That's why he'll play at the next level. Western New Mexico recently offered.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Junior of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='615560' first='Jesse' last='James Gonzales'], Robertson. </strong>Gonzales led the Cardinals to the 3A state championship game after two years as one of their best running backs. He threw for about 1,500 yards and rushed for close to a 1,000 yards. He doesn't just own the best name in New Mexico high school, he's a very good football player as well. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sophomore of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1137096' first='Jay' last='Lee'], Socorro. </strong>In his first full season playing varsity football, Lee emerged as QB [player_tooltip player_id='613184' first='Isaiah' last='Ocampo']'s favorite target. Lee finished with 60 receptions for 944 yards and 13 TD to lead the Warriors. Lee and Ocampo both return in 2024, making Socorro a legitimate title contender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Freshmen of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1155027' first='Chase' last='Boykin'], Socorro and [player_tooltip player_id='1155019' first='Ryan' last='Hunt'], St. Michael's. </strong>This race was so close it was virtually impossible to pick a winner. Boykin was a two-way standout for the Warriors, rushing for 428 yards and 6 TD on 74 carries while amassing 49 tackles and 5.0 TFL on defense. Hunt finished third on St. Michael's in tackles with 55 and led all of 3A with 10 sacks. Both players have extremely bright futures and should emerge over the next couple of years as solid prospects to play at the next level. &nbsp;<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Breakthrough Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1089649' first='Cole' last='Seidenberger'], NMMI. </strong>The Colts reached the semifinals of the 3A playoffs with Seidenberger directing a powerful triple option rushing attack. He finished with 678 yards rushing on 96 carries, combining with [player_tooltip player_id='1119319' first='Cohen' last='Tomasits'] (709 rushing yards) to form a prolific rushing duo. Both players return in 2024. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Game of the Year: West Las Vegas 7, St. Michael's 6. </strong>Sometimes you don't need a lot of points to have a memorable football game. What made this game unique was it was played on a Sunday morning after severe inclement weather struck Santa Fe in early October. Moreover, WLV ended a 20-year road drought at the Christian Brothers Complex. [player_tooltip player_id='853064' first='Devaughn' last='Kensey'] blocked St. Michael's extra-point attempt with 1:12 left to lift the Dons to an emotional victory, handing St. Michael's one of their two losses on the campaign. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>LOOK AHEAD</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Storyline for 2024</strong>: Like most of the other classifications, the NMMA's realignment for the 2024-25 cycle was a hot topic in December. Here is how the 19 teams in Class 3A will be grouped for the next two seasons:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>District 1: Crownpoint, Gallup, Shiprock, Thoreau, Tohatchi, Wingate, Zuni;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>District 2: Hope Christian, Pojoaque Valley, Robertson, Santa Fe Indian, St. Michael's, West Las Vegas;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>District 3: Cobre, Hatch Valley, Hot Springs, NMMI, Ruidoso, Socorro.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='1129687' first='Jonah' last='Villegas'], Pojoaque Valley. </strong>Villegas emerged this past season as one of the most exciting 2027 prospects in the state. As a freshmen, he contributed in four ways to the Elks: rusher, receiver, kickoff returner and punt returner. He amassed nearly 1,500+ all-purpose yards. With Pojoaque Valley moving to Class 3A, watching Villegas work against new district rivals Hope Christian, St. Michael's, Robertson and West Las Vegas will be intriguing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Team on the Rise: Hot Springs. </strong>When energetic Tigers head coach Dennis Barnes took over at Hot Springs last summer, his No. 1 job was changing the culture in Truth or Consequences. While a 3-7 final record doesn't sound like much, Hot Springs took a major step forward in 2023 in terms of rebuilding the program. Dynamic rising junior dual threat QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854288' first='Tristan' last='Polanco']</strong> takes the reins of the offense in 2024. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Team Looking To Bounce Back: West Las Vegas. </strong>WLV carried a six-game winning streak and an opportunity to claim the No. 1 seed for the 3A playoffs when they met crosstown rival Robertson in late October. The Dons were trounced by the Cardinals and then, after earning a top four seed, quickly eliminated by NMMI at home in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs as the season ended on a sour note. With 2025 QB <strong>C.J. Perea</strong> returning, WLV should score plenty of points on offense. Another team looking to bounce back in 2024: <strong>Ruidoso</strong>. The Warriors won the 3A title in 2022 but struggled in 2023. Two-way rising senior standout <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615689' first='Trenton' last='Hall']</strong> and several promising young players should lead the Warriors back.          <strong> </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player Ready To Blow Up: R.J. Montoya, Hope Christian. </strong>As a sophomore in 2023, Montoya threw for about 1,500 yards and rushed for over 300 yards, establishing his dual threat credentials in his first full year of varsity competition. Look for bigger things out of Montoya in 2023, especially with promising 2025 receiver [player_tooltip player_id='613163' first='Breylon' last='Williams'] returning as well. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>5 Key Questions</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1. Will St. Michael's reach the Class 3A state championship game for a fourth straight season?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2. Who will win the wide open District 3A-1?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3. How much will the move to Class 3A boost the improving Pojoaque Valley program?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4. With its dynamic QB returning along with many other key contributors, should Socorro be considered the title favorite in 2024?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5. After struggling in 2023, will 2022 3A champion Ruidoso return to its winning ways next season? &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ten Players To Watch</strong><strong></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119114' first='Alex' last='Amaro'], Socorro</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615685' first='Ashton' last='Garcia'], Hot Springs</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119108' first='Nathaniel' last='Gonzales'], Robertson</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854279' first='Omar' last='Gonzalez'], Hatch Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137830' first='Pete' last='Johnson'], St. Michael's</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853064' first='Devaughn' last='Kensey'], West Las Vegas</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137887' first='Mathew' last='Romero'], Pojoaque Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119319' first='Cohen' last='Tomasits'], NMMI</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137851' first='McKenzie' last='Tsosie'], Crownpoint</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137848' first='Saige' last='Westmoreland'], Thoreau</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/CoachCarlos62/status/1730040583274877114?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/CoachCarlos62/status/1730040583274877114?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/CoachZekeV/status/1736554890317754716?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/CoachZekeV/status/1736554890317754716?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->