Look Back, Look Ahead: Class 4A
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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…
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Continue ReadingWe 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: Wyatt Gomez Wyatt Gomez 6'2" | 180 lbs | QB Lovington | 2024 State NM , 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: Manny Chavez Manny Chavez 5'11" | 170 lbs | LB Portales | 2025 State NM , 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: Demarcus Thompson Demarcus Thompson 6'0" | 175 lbs | ATH Lovington | 2024 State NM , 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 Mason Espinda-McChriston Mason Espinda-McChriston 6'2" | 175 lbs | ATH Bernalillo | 2024 State NM 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: Blake Spencer Blake Spencer 5'11" | 155 lbs | QB Bloomfield | 2025 State NM , 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: Zach Waghorn Zach Waghorn 6'0" | 205 lbs | LB Albuquerque Academy | 2026 State NM , 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 Evan Salazar Evan Salazar 5'10" | 140 lbs | QB Taos | 2026 State NM , Lovington WR Elijah Rivero Elijah Rivero 5'9" | 145 lbs | WR Lovington | 2026 State NM (54 receptions) and Bernalillo LB Mario Molinar Mario Molinar LB Bernalillo | 2026 State NM (122 tackles). Those three players enjoyed great seasons as well. Indeed, the 2026 class is loaded.
Freshman of the Year: Ulisses Castro Ulisses Castro 6'2" | 175 lbs | WR Bernalillo | 2027 State NM , Bernalillo. The younger brother of Spartans QB Uriel Castro Uriel Castro 6'0" | 170 lbs | QB Bernalillo | 2025 State NM , 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: Julian Richard Julian Richard 6'2" | 150 lbs | WR Silver | 2024 State NM , 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 Adan Jacquez Adan Jacquez 6'1" | 160 lbs | QB Silver | 2024 State NM 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 Cesar Gonzalez Cesar Gonzalez 5'7" | 150 lbs | WR Lovington | 2024 State NM 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 Paxton Culpepper Paxton Culpepper 6'0" | 150 lbs | QB Portales | 2025 State NM completed three consecutive passes for 59 yards to quickly move the ball into the red zone. RB Devin Diaz Devin Diaz 6'0" | 185 lbs | LB Portales | 2024 State NM 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 Paxton Culpepper Paxton Culpepper 6'0" | 150 lbs | QB Portales | 2025 State NM , LB Manny Chavez Manny Chavez 5'11" | 170 lbs | LB Portales | 2025 State NM (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 Isaiah Carpenter Isaiah Carpenter 6'5" | 185 lbs | QB St. Pius X | 2027 State NM , RB Hershul Olloway Hershul Olloway 5'9" | 150 lbs | RB St Pius | 2027 State NM and WR Cayl Cox-Liggins Cayl Cox-Liggins 6'3" | 150 lbs | WR St. PIus X | 2027 State NM . All are intriguing 2027 prospects. Grants also reached the 4A playoffs in Steve Brown’s first season as head coach. QB DJ Chavez DJ Chavez QB Grants | 2026 State NM (1,000+ passing yards in 2023), RB Andres Lazos Andres Lazos 5'4" | 125 lbs | RB Grants | 2025 State NM (1,273 rushing yards) and WR Isaiah Ortega Isaiah Ortega 6'0" | DB Grants | 2026 State NM 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 Caedon Kamplain Caedon Kamplain 5'7" | 150 lbs | RB Moriarty | 2025 State NM , 2023’s leading rusher, and Derek Michel.
Player Ready To Blow Up: Jett Galles Jett Galles RB Albuquerque Academy | 2025 State NM , 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 Manny Chavez Manny Chavez 5'11" | 170 lbs | LB Portales | 2025 State NM reach 500 career tackles?
5. Can Bernalillo, Espanola Valley, Grants and Valencia continue their upward trajectories?
Ten Players To Watch
Gage Conway Gage Conway 6'5" | 175 lbs | QB Albuquerque Academy | 2026 State NM , Albuquerque Academy
Bryle Matthews Bryle Matthews 6'0" | 215 lbs | RB Kirtland Central | 2025 State NM , Kirtland Central
Kaden McCown, Bloomfield
Camon Ochoa Camon Ochoa 5'8" | 155 lbs | RB Lovington | 2025 State NM , Lovington
Mateo Salazar Mateo Salazar 5'9" | 145 lbs | RB Taos | 2025 State NM , Taos
Zach Sander, Aztec
Nick Sandoval, Espanola Valley
Bryan Thomas Bryan Thomas 6'2" | 155 lbs | WR St. Pius X | 2025 State NM , St. Pius X
Gabriel Trujillo Gabriel Trujillo 5'11" | 160 lbs | OL Bernalillo | 2025 State NM , Bernalillo
Kale Watson Kale Watson 5'10" | 140 lbs | WR Aztec | 2026 State NM , Aztec