Prep Redzone Combine: Focus On The Freshmen

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Out of the 70 prospects that participated in Saturday's Prep Redzone Combine at Grants High School, more than 20 are currently freshmen (2027 class). Some played varsity football in 2023. Here are 10 2027 prospects that caught our eye in Grants:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best Offensive Freshman</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154954' first='Hershul' last='Olloway'], St. Pius X</strong>. He was one of our 10 Camp standouts (Click HERE). Ran the fastest 40 time at the camp (4.44 seconds). He's part of a potentially dynamic St. Pius X offense in 2024. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best Defensive Freshman</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248663' first='Colton' last='McKibben'], Carlsbad</strong>. Also one of the top 10 prospects at Saturday's Combine. He's 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and ran the 40 in 4.62 seconds. Nice combination of side and speed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are 8 more 2027 Prospects that stood out at the PRZ Combine In Grants: &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248666' first='Daniel' last='Cardenas'], Rio Rancho</strong>: Already 6-foot-4, 254 pounds, Cardenas has entered man-child territory. He's listed as a DL but could end up on either side of the ball. Either way, he could contribute to the Rams varsity as a sophomore. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853757' first='Ulisses' last='Castro'], Bernalillo</strong>: At 6-foot-3, 192 pounds, Castro is already one of the biggest 2027 offensive skill players in the state. &nbsp;Castro, our No. 1 prospect in the 2027 rankings, enjoyed a solid freshman campaign last fall and showed Saturday the best is yet to come.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248674' first='Isaiah' last='Gomez'], Pojoaque Valley</strong>: Gomez is a 6-foot-1, 195-pound DE/OLB for the Elks. He saw limited action for the varsity in 2023 and certainly looks ready to become a major contributor in 2024.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1213336' first='Jaden' last='Leyba-Moya'], Pojoaque Valley</strong>: What Leyba-Moya lacks in size, he makes up for with talent and quickness. He was rated one of the top four RBs at Saturday's Combine.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248683' first='Lorenzo' last='Lucero'], Aztec</strong>: The Tigers are looking for somebody to replace the highly productive [player_tooltip player_id='275041' first='Baylor' last='Seabolt'] (ENMU signee) at running back and Lucero could be the guy for 2024. He has good speed (4.7 in 40) and will only get faster, stronger and more elusive as he develops.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248717' first='Diego' last='Martinez'], Cleveland</strong>: The varsity rosters for powerhouse programs like Cleveland consist mainly of juniors and seniors. But the 5-foot-11, 228-pound Martinez could break through in 2024 as a sophomore as the Storm are looking for defensive linemen. Martinez was rated as one of the top DLs at Saturday's Combine.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248719' first='Chase' last='Nelson'], St. Pius X</strong>: You don't see many freshmen earn starting jobs on the offensive line at the Class 4A level, but Nelson did that in 2023 as he started all but one game at center for the Sartans. St. Pius X head coach Curtis Flakes II said it best about Nelson: “He's a stud.” Nelson showed those qualities on Saturday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1129687' first='Jonah' last='Villegas'], Pojoaque Valley</strong>: We've talked about Villegas before and he certainly has the potential to become one of the top RBs in northern New Mexico over the next three years. He ran the 40 in under 4.8 seconds, good speed for a freshman. He'll only get faster as he gets older. By the time he's a senior, he could be running in the 4.4-4.5 range.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1780286884163526964","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/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1780286884163526964 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Hersh_Olloway2/status/1779290406263681075","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/Hersh_Olloway2/status/1779290406263681075 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Jonahv_23/status/1779272019433193922","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/Jonahv_23/status/1779272019433193922 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->