City Series: Top QBs in Northern New Mexico for 2024

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Part 3 of our new ‘City Series' takes a look at the top quarterbacks in northern New Mexico, including those signal callers on the rise:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TOP FIVE</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119597' first='Kyle' last='Evenhus'], Los Alamos</strong>: Evenhus led Los Alamos to the Class 5A quarterfinals last season by throwing for 1,772 yards and 22 TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615560' first='Jesse' last='James Gonzales'], Robertson</strong>: A major presence on the Cardinals since he was a freshman, Gonzales switched to QB last season and totaled over 2,200 offensive yards, including nearly 1,300 through the air. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615555' first='CJ' last='Perea'], West Las Vegas</strong>: Staking his claim as the top QB in northern New Mexico, Perea enters his senior season with 6,165 career passing yards and 62 TD. Perea is also incredibly strong, deadlifting over 500 pounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853710' first='Evan' last='Salazar'], Taos</strong>: Another outstanding dual threat quarterback, Salazar accounted for nearly 2,200 yards in 2023 to lead the Tigers to the 4A playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer'], Bloomfield</strong>: In his first season as Bloomfield's starting QB, Spencer finished as the state's No. 4 passer with 2,748 yards and 35 TD. He led the Bobcats to an undefeated regular season and a semifinal appearance in the 4A playoffs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>ON THE RISE</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119628' first='Reed' last='Bass'], St. Michael's</strong>: All Bass did in his first season as St. Michael's QB was lead the Horsemen to the 3A title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Felipe Begaye, Piedra Vista</strong>: Begaye led Piedra Vista to the 5A semifinals. No the Panthers move up to 6A, rejoining rival Farmington.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137855' first='Brandon' last='Bonaguidi'], Hozho Academy</strong>: Hozho Academy moves from being an independent to District 2A-1.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853019' first='DJ' last='Chavez'], Grants</strong>: As a sophomore, Chavez threw for over 1,000 yards and 11 TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854274' first='Richard' last='Lovato'], Cuba</strong>: The Rams were one of the surprise teams of 2023, winning their first 6 games and finishing 8-2. Lovato had over 1,100 passing yards and 245 rushing yards, accounting for 17 TD. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='604669' first='Bryle' last='Matthews'], Kirtland Central</strong>: Matthews appears to be the successor to [player_tooltip player_id='1103787' first='Tyler' last='Joe'] at QB for the Broncos after serving as the backup in 2023 when he had close to 500 rushing yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119613' first='Deaven' last='Montano'], Capital</strong>: Capital is switching to the Air Raid and Montano will lead the way. Don't be surprised if he finishes among the state's passing leaders. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119659' first='Xavier' last='Nez'], Navajo Prep</strong>: Nez led Navajo Prep to the 3A playoffs in 2023 by passing for over 1,000 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137865' first='Irvin' last='Primero'], Espanola Valley</strong>: The Sundevils are one of the rising programs in northern New Mexico. Primero has an opportunity to be the QB for Espanola Valley for 2 years. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nicolas Romero, Tucumcari</strong>: The Rattlers showed improvement last season and look to be on the rise with Romero at QB.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1258981' first='Jermiah' last='Roybal'], McCurdy</strong>: The Bobcats are a relative newcomer to 11-man football and Roybal enjoyed a superb season in 2023 throwing and running.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137851' first='McKenzie' last='Tsosie'], Crownpoint</strong>: Tsosie takes over at QB for the Eagles after being a backup in 2023.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Derek Victorino, Laguna Acoma</strong>: Victorino threw for over 800 yards and rushed for nearly 500 for the Hawks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TEAMS LOOKING FOR NEW QB</strong>: Aztec, Farmington, Miyamura, Pojoaque Valley, Raton, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Indian, Santa Rosa.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/CoachCarlos62/status/1767573672758538599?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/1767573672758538599?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/CoachCarlos62/status/1762346840794738833?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/1762346840794738833?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->