Updated 2026 Rankings: New Additions (Part 2)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We released our updated 2026 Rankings on Monday. In the second of a series, here are 10 New Additions to the rankings (listed in alphabetical order):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137855' first='Brandon' last='Bonaguidi'], Hozho Academy</strong>: Bonaguidi was a two-way standout for Hozho Academy (located in Gallup), which moves from independent to Class 2A in 2024. Bonaguidi quarterbacked the offense, throwing 11 TD passes and rushing for 252 yards, and making 68 tackles and 4.0 TFL.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137893' first='Javen' last='Hernandez'], Hobbs</strong>: Hernandez enjoyed a solid sophomore season for the Eagles with 47 tackles, 5 passes defended and 3 INT. He has good size (6-1, 160) and will only get bigger and stronger over the next two years. By this time next year, he'll have college coaches taking a look.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137124' first='RJ' last='Montoya'], Hope Christian</strong>: Montoya emerged as one of the best young dual threat quarterbacks in Class 3A last season by throwing for over 1,300 yards and rushing for close to 300 yards during the regular season. The Huskies move into a very challenging district (3A-2) for 2024-25 and they'll count on Montoya to carry them through. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Miguel Olivus, West Mesa</strong>: Olivas is a man-child at 6-foot-3, 330 pounds. He had the important duty of protecting QB [player_tooltip player_id='275488' first='Elijah' last='Brody'] last season and will anchor the line next season with two seniors departing. Olivus will undoubtedly be a major college prospect in a couple of years. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137836' first='Elijah' last='Ortiz'], Robertson</strong>: Ortiz was one of the key figures on defense for Robertson, which advanced to the Class 3A state championship game. Ortiz had nearly 50 tackles and 5 INT. He'll anchor the third level of the Cardinals' defense for the next two seasons. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137465' first='Kyler' last='Reaves'], Lovington</strong>: A tweet by Lovington football (@lvtwildcatsfb) about a month ago said it best about Reaves – “Just a pup that just keeps getting better.” The 6-foot-1 Reaves earned Second Team All-State honors after finishing second on the Wildcats in tackles with 77. He also had 12.5 TFL and 6 QB hurries. Superstar in the making? &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137462' first='Luke' last='Sandoval'], Silver</strong>: Sandoval is a promising defensive lineman for Silver. As a sophomore in 2023, he had about 30 tackles and a handful of tackles for loss. He has the potential to develop into one of the best DL in southern NM. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137120' first='Finn' last='Thompson'], Albuquerque Academy</strong>: Thompon proved to be a solid two-way player for Albuquerque Academy in 2023 with 18 receptions and 4 TD on offense and 25 tackles and a ball-hawking 6 INT on defense. Another young player with good size (6-0) and skill.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137468' first='Kale' last='Watson'], Aztec</strong>: Watson excels on both sides of the ball for the Tigers. Offensively, he caught 32 passes for 390 yards and 5 TD in 2023 while making 54 tackles and 4 INT on defense. He also punted and kicked kicks. One of the best young players in the Four Corners.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142363' first='Francisco' last='Winnikoff'], Las Cruces</strong>: Few young receivers in New Mexico possess a better combination of size, speed and soft hands like Winnikoff. He's 6-foot-1, 180 pounds with 4.6 speed. As a sophomore, he had 55 receptions for 983 yards and 9 TD and earned First-team All-District honors. The Las Cruces offense is going to be scary good for the next two years with QBs [player_tooltip player_id='853029' first='Gunnar' last='Guardiola'] and [player_tooltip player_id='615513' first='Kelly' last='Stevens'], RB [player_tooltip player_id='1137388' first='Daniel' last='Amaro'] and Winnikoff. Wow. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/lvtwildcatsfb/status/1735135592298451015?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/1735135592298451015?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Sisco2x__/status/1732106312534700259?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/Sisco2x__/status/1732106312534700259?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/RJ_Montoya_/status/1722028179706019987?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/RJ_Montoya_/status/1722028179706019987?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/FinnThompson_12/status/1717280343999582403?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/FinnThompson_12/status/1717280343999582403?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->