Look Back, Look Ahead: Class 4A

We continue our popular Look Back, Look Ahead series with a review of the 2023 season in Class 5A and a peek ahead to some of the key storylines, topics, players and questions concerning the 2024 campaign:   LOOK BACK   Teams of the Year: Lovington and Portales. Both teams share the honor because they were complete teams. Lovington's three losses this season were to Roswell, Artesia and Seminole (TX), which reached the third round of the Texas high school playoffs. Portales lost just two games, both to Lovington – first in a winner take all district championship game and then a month later the 4A state championship game to Lovington. How good was the Lovington offense? The Portales defense posted seven shutouts and allowed more than 21 points only twice all season – both times to Lovington. Unfortunately, Lovington's move to Class 5A means we might not see these teams squaring off as often in the future.          Offensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='275459' first='Wyatt' last='Gomez'], Lovington. We awarded the 2023 New Mexico Heisman to Gomez, so this was an easy choice. Gomez finished with 3,676 passing yards and 51 TD while completing 62 percent of his throws. His performance in the playoffs can only be described as astounding. (Read about it HERE). Gomez clearly took full advantage of his one season as Lovington's starting QB.      Defensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='613053' first='Manny' last='Chavez'], Portales. Chavez's career stats are impressive. He started as a freshmen in 2021 and through three seasons has 385 career tackles. Like many great players, his numbers get better with age. As a junior in 2023, he amassed 151 tackles, 11.5 TFL and 9.0 sacks. Early in the 2024 season, Chavez should become one of the few players in New Mexico history with 400+ career tackles.         Two-Way Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='275595' first='Demarcus' last='Thompson'], Lovington. How good was Thompson this season? He earned First-Team All-State honors as both a wide receiver AND defensive end. As a WR, he led the state in receiving yardage with 1,179 yards on 62 receptions and 18 TD. Defensively, he had 71 tackles with an impressive 37.5 tackles for loss. Thus, more than half of his tackles produced negative yardage. His elite athleticism is why Thompson currently holds six offers, including all three D2 schools in the state, and FCS Montana has expressed interest. Thompson edged out Bernalillo's [player_tooltip player_id='275206' first='Mason' last='Espinda-McChriston'] for the honor. Espinda-McChriston had 49 receptions for 955 yards and 13 TD on offense and made 142 tackles with 13.0 TFL and 5 interceptions on defense.              Junior of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer'], Bloomfield. Spencer led Bloomfield to an 11-0 start until the Bobcats' had their 17-game winning streak dating back to the middle of the 2022 season snapped by Portales in the 4A semifinals. Spencer threw for 2,748 yards and 35 TD in his first season as Bloomfield's starting QB. His return in 2024 makes Bloomfield a serious contender for the crown, especially with Lovington moving up to 5A.      Sophomore of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='854309' first='Zachary' last='Waghorn'], Albuquerque Academy. There were plenty of contenders for this honor, reinforcing the notion the 2026 class is incredibly deep. Waghorn was a tackling machine for the Chargers with 120 tackles, including 64 solo, 9.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks, 2 INT, 3 fumble recoveries and 2 forced fumbles. He edged out Taos QB [player_tooltip player_id='853710' first='Evan' last='Salazar'], Lovington WR [player_tooltip player_id='1137867' first='Elijah' last='Rivero'] (54 receptions) and Bernalillo LB [player_tooltip player_id='853756' first='Mario' last='Molinar'] (122 tackles). Those three players enjoyed great seasons as well. Indeed, the 2026 class is loaded.         Freshman of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='853757' first='Ulisses' last='Castro'], Bernalillo. The younger brother of Spartans QB [player_tooltip player_id='615632' first='Uriel' last='Castro'], Ulisses is a physical specimen at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds. As a defensive end, he collected 70 tackles, 10.0 TFL, 5 sacks, 7 QB hurries and 3 forced fumbles. Offensively, he caught 25 passes for 342 yards and 7 TD. Ulisses is well on his way to becoming an elite two-way player. He's definitely a top contender to be ranked No. 1 when we reveal our first 2027 rankings in January (hint, hint).          Breakthrough Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='591998' first='Julian' last='Richard'], Silver. The 6-foot-3, 170-poundRichard was one of Class 4A's best kept secrets until this season when he combined with Colts QB [player_tooltip player_id='815932' first='Adan' last='Jacquez'] to form one of the top QB-WR duos in the state. Both played recently in the NMHSCA All-Star Game. Richards was another outstanding two-way player. His talents have now been discovered by college coaches as evidenced by his offers from Eastern New Mexico, Western New Mexico and Clarke University. Richard edged out Lovington WR [player_tooltip player_id='275593' first='Cesar' last='Gonzalez'] for the honor. Gonzalez had an outstanding season for the Wildcats with 86 receptions for 1,150 yards and 17 TD, more than doubling his output from 2022 in all three categories.           Game of the Year: Portales 28, Bloomfield 21 (4A Semifinals). Portales snapped Bloomfield's 17-game winning streak with a dramatic 77-yard TD drive in the final minutes of the game. Trailing 21-20, the Rams took over at their 23 with less than two minutes remaining. Against the stellar Bloomfield defense, Portales QB [player_tooltip player_id='615523' first='Paxton' last='Culpepper'] completed three consecutive passes for 59 yards to quickly move the ball into the red zone. RB [player_tooltip player_id='275478' first='Devin' last='Diaz'] capped the frantic drive by diving into the end zone with just seconds remaining for the game-winning score. The drive highlighted a fantastic junior season for Culpepper, who finished third in Class 4A in passing with 2,687 yards and 39 TD. He'll be back in 2024 along with several other major contributors for Portales.                  LOOK AHEAD   Top Storyline for 2024: Who succeeds Lovington as the top program in Class 4A? The Wildcats' move to Class 5A means there will be a new 4A champion in 2024. Portales could arguably be considered the favorite with QB [player_tooltip player_id='615523' first='Paxton' last='Culpepper'], LB [player_tooltip player_id='613053' first='Manny' last='Chavez'] (see above) and several other key players coming back. But      Bernalillo, Bloomfield and Silver will be close behind and all three of those teams have championship aspirations, so nothing is guaranteed for the Rams.     Player to Watch: Jedrek Jozwiak, Taos. Jozwiak didn't have the most tackles of all the 4A defensive players returning in 2024, but he's definitely one of the most intriguing next level prospects. He's 6-foot-3 with quickness, agility and a nose for the football. He's been playing varsity for Taos since his freshman year. He enjoyed his best season as a junior in 2023 with 73 tackles, 12.0 TFL ands 10.0 sacks. Once Jozwiak fills out and adds weight, he has the potential to become a dominant player.       Teams on the Rise: St. Pius X and Grants. St. Pius X made the playoffs but were quickly eliminated by Espanola Valley, 31-7. However, the Sartans were led in large part by a trio of fantastic freshmen: 6-foot-5 QB [player_tooltip player_id='1154948' first='Isaiah' last='Carpenter'], RB [player_tooltip player_id='1154954' first='Hershul' last='Olloway Jr.'] and WR [player_tooltip player_id='1154956' first='Cayl' last='Cox-Liggins']. All are intriguing 2027 prospects. Grants also reached the 4A playoffs in Steve Brown's first season as head coach. QB [player_tooltip player_id='853019' first='DJ' last='Chavez'] (1,000+ passing yards in 2023), RB [player_tooltip player_id='613060' first='Andres' last='Lazos'] (1,273 rushing yards) and WR [player_tooltip player_id='854308' first='Isaiah' last='Ortega'] all return in 2024, setting the stage for possibly a big season by the Pirates. Another team to watch: Espanola Valley. The Sundevils have improved dramatically in Tylon Wilder's first two seasons as head coach, reaching the playoff quarterfinals last month.                    Team Looking To Bounce Back: Moriarty. The Pintos started this past season 4-0 and appeared headed for a special season. But consecutive close losses to Bernalillo (14-7) and Miyamura (40-38) sabotaged that early success and jumpstarted a final stretch in which Moriarty lost five of its last six games. The Pintos struggled to run the ball with their trademark triple option offense. Moriarty failed to make the playoffs with a final 5-5 record. They look to get back on track behind RBs [player_tooltip player_id='1258989' first='Caedon' last='Kamplain'], 2023's leading rusher, and Derek Michel.       Player Ready To Blow Up: [player_tooltip player_id='1119328' first='Jett' last='Galles'], Albuquerque Academy. Yes, Jett is explosively fast. In his first season playing varsity football, Galles rushed for over 1,000 yards and 10+ TD for the Chargers with 5 games of 100+ rushing yards, including 200 yards in the regular season finale against Bernalillo. Now the extremely athletic Galles has an opportunity over the next eight months to improve as a football player before next season begins. His potential is through the roof.         5 Key Questions:   1. Which team is ready to take the reins as the top program in Class 4A with Lovington's move to Class 5A?     2. With Bloomfield, Bernalillo, Albuquerque Academy, Portales and St. Pius X all returning quarterbacks, who will lead Class 4A in passing yardage in 2024?     3. How will Manzano's decision to play down to Class 4A affect the classification?   4. Can Portales LB [player_tooltip player_id='613053' first='Manny' last='Chavez'] reach 500 career tackles?   5. Can Bernalillo, Espanola Valley, Grants and Valencia continue their upward trajectories?   Ten Players To Watch   [player_tooltip player_id='851898' first='Gage' last='Conway'], Albuquerque Academy   [player_tooltip player_id='604669' first='Bryle' last='Matthews'], Kirtland Central   [player_tooltip player_id='1594564' first='Kaden' last='McCown'], Bloomfield   [player_tooltip player_id='613065' first='Camon' last='Ochoa'], Lovington   [player_tooltip player_id='615432' first='Mateo' last='Salazar'], Taos   Zach Sander, Aztec   Nick Sandoval, Espanola Valley   [player_tooltip player_id='1119300' first='Bryan' last='Thomas'], St. Pius X   [player_tooltip player_id='837172' first='Gabriel' last='Trujillo'], Bernalillo   [player_tooltip player_id='1137468' first='Kale' last='Watson'], Aztec   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/julian_richard2/status/1735724773836206429?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/GHSCoachBrown/status/1735431735352197214?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/lvtwildcatsfb/status/1735133508220187013?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/mason_espinda/status/1724453500220743752?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/lvtwildcatsfb/status/1735129062425718797?s=20 </div></figure>

We continue our popular Look Back, Look Ahead series with a review of the 2023 season in Class 5A and a peek ahead to some of the key storylines, topics, players and questions concerning the 2024 campaign: