Under the Radar: 10 More Breakout Candidates For 2024 (Part 3)

<p>Kickoff of the 2024 New Mexico high school football season is still five months away but many storylines are beginning to crystallize. One of them is who will be the breakout performers. These are the players who fans might not  be familiar with now but they likely will be by the end of November. Today, in Part 3 of a periodic series, we offer 10 more names:</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119160' first='Soren' last='Annon'], St. Michael's</strong>: Annon was part of an outstanding RB trio for the Horsemen last season, combining with graduating senior [player_tooltip player_id='275066' first='Matthias' last='Duran'] and rising junior [player_tooltip player_id='853063' first='Isaiah' last='Dominguez'] to give St. Michael's as good a ground game as any in Class 3A. Annon ascends to the No. 1 job in 2024.</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1257310' first='Sammy' last='Baeza'], Hobbs</strong>: The Eagles already have two outstanding linebackers ready to go in 2024 – [player_tooltip player_id='1119266' first='Tristan' last='Davis'] and Gustavo Diaz Castro – and Baeza could join them. He has received Junior Day invites from New Mexico Highlands and Eastern New Mexico.  </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1257353' first='Robert' last='Benitez'], Valencia</strong>: Perhaps the most impressive Twitter video we've seen during the offseason shows Benitez deadlifting 520 pounds. Presumably, he'll only get stronger before the season starts. With his strength, Benitez will be a handful for opposing offensive linemen.</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853022' first='Peyton' last='Duncan'], Bloomfield</strong>: Duncan was a nice contributor to Bloomfield's ground game last season. With the Bobcats losing several major players to graduation, Duncan's time has come, along with RB [player_tooltip player_id='1594564' first='Kaden' last='McCown'].  Bloomfield has lost just one game since the middle of the 2022 season.</p>   <p><strong>Michael Gonzales, Alamogordo</strong>: In  a run-dominated offensive attack, Gonzales had 26 receptions for 233 yards as he proved to be an outstanding intermediate range receiver. Alamogordo's two other receivers with 25+ receptions are graduating.   </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119699' first='Zakk' last='Minjarez'], Gadsden</strong>: Minjarez led Gadsden in receptions (35) and receiving TD (7) in 2023. But the Panthers love to play physical and run the football. Still, Minjarez figures to catch a lot of passes from QB [player_tooltip player_id='1119637' first='Adrian' last='Munoz'] in 2024.  </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1230420' first='Elijah' last='Richards'], Cleveland</strong>: Is Richards the next great defensive end/outside linebacker in New Mexico? Going into his junior season, Richards is 6-foot-5, 210 pounds. After gaining experience on the varsity level as a sophomore, college coaches have taken notice. He was impressive recently at camps in Albuquerque and Phoenix, which has led to invitations to other camps.    </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137896' first='Max' last='Roche'], Clovis</strong>: Since Clovis utilizes the run-dominated flexbone offense, the 6-foot-2, 2150-pound Roche is used primarily as a blocking tight end. However, he shines on defense, making 46 tackles in just 6 games for the Wildcats as a sophomore.    </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1257343' first='Sajon' last='Thompson'], West Mesa</strong>: The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Thompson had a solid junior campaign for the Mustangs, earning First-Team All-District honors at defensive back. He has the size and skills college coaches love on the third level, which is why he's been invited to numerous Junior Days (NM Highlands, ENMU, West Texas A&M and more) and camps.</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1257335' first='Jack' last='Warble'], Rio Rancho</strong>: The level of optimism surrounding the Rio Rancho program is high heading into the fall due in large part to an experienced offensive line. Warble will anchor the Rams OL from his vital LT position. Warble is 6-foot-4, 275 pounds with next level talent. Junior Day invites from Eastern New Mexico, Fort Lewis College, Peru State (NE) and Kansas Wesleyan. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Samuelbaeza36/status/1761440334129586630?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/VHSJagFootball/status/1765773194538148329?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/wmhs_mustangFB/status/1727346476370784634?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/Fb78Warble/status/1764994008840032418?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/E_Richards22/status/1751797246050623813?s=20 </div></figure>

Kickoff of the 2024 New Mexico high school football season is still five months away but many storylines are beginning to crystallize. One of them is who will be the breakout performers. These are the players who fans might not be familiar with now but they likely will be by the end of November. Today, in Part 3 of a periodic series, we offer 10 more names: