2024 Look Ahead: Can Anybody In 6A Dethrone La Cueva?

Just when many folks thought La Cueva was down and out with an 0-3 record (including one forfeit loss) to begin the 2023 season, the Bears roared to life, winning their final 10 games by an average margin of 36.3 points and capturing the Class 6A state championship with a 35-14 road win at Cleveland.   The sobering reality for the rest of 6A is that La Cueva returns most of their major contributors from last season, including the No. 1 quarterback, No. 1 offensive lineman, No. 1 defensive player (per our 2025 rankings), a dynamic running back and one of the fastest players in the state at wide receiver.   Can anybody beat La Cueva in 2024? Sure, but it won't be easy.   “For us, it's all about trying to get the right guys on the field and staying as healthy as we can,” La Cueva head coach Brandon Back told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “We just try to compete every day in everything we do.”    The most ominous challenge facing opposing defensive coordinators is figuring out how to stop (or even contain) all of La Cueva's offensive weapons. If you focus on elite dual threat quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='611098' first='Cameron' last='Dyer'], you still have to deal with energetic RB Cheeto Lumbrera, electrifying WR [player_tooltip player_id='853013' first='Tanner' last='Montano'] and an experienced offensive line featuring Power 5 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='1118241' first='Mark' last='Handy'].   In case you're wondering what Dyer is capable of doing on the gridiron, watch the film from the state championship game win over Cleveland when Dyer burned the Storm with two long TD runs. And he has a strong throwing arm as well, even as a few schools recruit him as a defensive back because of questions about his passing skills.   “Cam definitely loves the challenge of people thinking he can't do something,” Back said. “We're excited about what he can do and we have full confidence in his quarterback abilities.”   Lumbrera emerged as La Cueva's top running back midway through last season, and helped pave the way for the Bears' post-season run. He rushed for 147 yards and 4 TD in La Cueva's semifinal victory over Las Cruces.   “Cheeto definitely benefitted from our efforts to get as many athletes on the field as possible,” Back said. “We knew he had the talent to do what he did. He showed that all season long. But in the second half he was the only guy getting the reps. We're proud of him for how hard he worked and what he was able to do. We look forward to seeing what he can do in the future.”   La Cueva loses [player_tooltip player_id='274790' first='Jackson' last='Hix'] and [player_tooltip player_id='274718' first='Cruz' last='Markham'] (ENMU signee) at receiver, opening the door for Montano to showcase his blazing speed at a greater level in 2024 when he'll be a junior. Behind him is a crop of young, promising receivers.   “We have a lot of guys fighting for those positions,” Back said. “We're expecting Tanner to get a lot more double coverages this upcoming season.  Everybody knows his name now. So, he might not have the same numbers (as 2023) but he'll have the same role. It depends on what the defenses try to do. I feel we're going to have weapons in a variety of spots, so hopefully it will be hard for defenses to key on one guy.”   Some of the newcomers include rising senior slot receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1258091' first='Jayden' last='Parsons'], who played well late last season, and a pair of tall basketball standouts: 6-foot-1 [player_tooltip player_id='853566' first='Isaiah' last='Goree'] and 6-foot-2 Hunter Butler. Both are rising juniors that saw action mostly on La Cueva's JV team in 2023.   The 6-foot-6, 285-pound Handy, offered by Georgia Tech, Oregon State and TCU in March, is one of four returning starters along La Cueva's offensive line. Only RG [player_tooltip player_id='340277' first='Carson' last='Armstrong'] departs. Handy will be joined by returning starters C [player_tooltip player_id='851889' first='Skyler' last='Sargent'], G [player_tooltip player_id='1672518' first='Maurice' last='Williams'] and RT Eddy Xu.   Back said the competition to replace Armstrong at right guard will be spirited among several contenders.   Defensively, rising seniors [player_tooltip player_id='611083' first='Mason' last='Posa'] (our #1 prospect in the 2025 class) and [player_tooltip player_id='611069' first='Nick' last='Mertz'] are one of the top linebacker duos in the state. Few, if any, will be more productive. Posa is a coveted Power 5 prospect (Alabama has offered) because of his rare combination of size, speed, strength and determination. He recently secured his third straight individual state championship in wrestling in his weight class.   “What's special about Mason in his motor,” Back said. “He wants to be involved in every single play, even when he's on the backside or when he's blitzing. He finds a way to get himself into most plays. Every college coach I've talked to says that's the most impressive thing about Mason. They love watching him track a play down from the backside.”   Mertz has been overshadowed by Posa but he has made over 160 tackles in the past two years. All he lacks is the height to make him a major college prospect.   “Nick and Mason have played together the last few years, so they know each other very well,” Back said. “We have moved Mason around to a variety of spots but Nick is the guy who shores up the middle for us. He has to make those plays and he does a fantastic job. He's one of our best blitzers. His ability to get into the backfield is impressive.”   The entire Bears defensive line graduates. Some of the new names to know are [player_tooltip player_id='1594063' first='Shaun' last='Anaya'], [player_tooltip player_id='613743' first='Carlos' last='Barela'] and Ryan Fish.      “We have some holes to fill on defense,” Back said. “We have some guys that are going to have to step up and figure things out quickly. We'll have some new faces on defense. We have to put all the pieces together and figure out where they fit the best. But our core linebackers return and that's a big deal.”   The secondary will have plenty of new faces as well. [player_tooltip player_id='274980' first='Jackson' last='Cherry'] (Amherst College signee), McKay Burtenshaw and Luke Reiter graduate. Rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1594136' first='Landon' last='Greene'], who missed the second half of last season with an injury,  will likely fill one of the safety spots.   “The secondary is probably where we're going to have to most development in the summer,” Back said. “We have a lot of guys fighting for those positions. It should be a good battle.”            2024 LA CUEVA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE:   Non-District: Volcano Vista (Week 1), vs. Phoenix (AZ) Pinnacle (at Flagstaff, AZ)(Week 2), Farmington (Week 5)   District: Sandia (Week 4), West Mesa (Week 6), Eldorado (Week 7), Los Lunas (Week 8), Atrisco Heritage (Week 9), Santa Fe (Week 10), Albuquerque High (Week 11).   Bye: Week 3.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/camdyer7/status/1742589821090979968?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/MasonPosa/status/1729524226929946803?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/SSarge2026/status/1771952239302639894?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/MarkHandy75/status/1761814416608395459?s=20 </div></figure>

Just when many folks thought La Cueva was down and out with an 0-3 record (including one forfeit loss) to begin the 2023 season, the Bears roared to life, winning their final 10 games by an average margin of 36.3 points and capturing the Class 6A state championship with a 35-14 road win at Cleveland.