2024 Look Ahead: Gadsden Panthers

Gadsden has reached unprecedented heights in the past two years under head coach Dino Facio Jr., qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in decades, and reaching the Class 5A quarterfinals in 2022 after posting an impressive first round road win at Los Alamos.   Feeding of the energy from the community, the Panthers now look to keep the momentum going in a new 8-team district that will result in a very challenging schedule.   “When you win, they all want to be a part of it,” Facio told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “You see it here. Our supporters are very excited. Now they expect us to have the same type of season after two years of success. That puts pressure on us to perform, which is good. You have to have little bit of pressure put upon you. It takes a lot of people investing in the program to keep it moving forward. We know we have to keep winning.”   Prevailing in close games will help. Last season three of Gadsden's four losses were by seven points or less. The final two games – both at home - were a 12-10 loss to Deming in a winner-take-all district championship game and a 13-12 setback to Mayfield in a 5A first-round playoff matchup.   That's two losses by a total of three points. They also fell to Alamogordo, 7-0 in Week 3 of the regular season.   “The biggest thing for us going into this season is we have to beat the teams that on paper people really don't give us a chance to beat,” Facio said. “Those are the teams that are in the thick of the race every year and have a history of being successful.   “We're good enough to beat them. We have the talent. We should have beaten them last year. We had great opportunities. There are no secrets anymore and we can't claim to being surprised. We've seen most of the teams in our new district. Our guys believe we can compete. They're not afraid. They're pretty fired up.”   Dynamic dual threat quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1119637' first='Adrian' last='Munoz'] returns to lead the Panthers offense. He threw for nearly 1,500 yards and 17 TD while rushing for 326 yards and 3 TD in 2023.   “Adrian exceeded our expectations after replacing Tomas (Herrera),” Facio said. “That was going to be tough but he stepped in and played well. He took care of the football and made great plays with his feet and his arm. But as we've told him, our opponents are now well aware of him and what he's capable of. He has to continue working hard and rally the guys around him. Most of our skill guys are coming back. We're excited about that.”   One thousand-yard rusher [player_tooltip player_id='615673' first='Alfredo' last='Andrade'] returns as well. He finished last season with 1,016 yards and 8 TD on 133 carries. He had five games with 100+ yards. Rising junior Juan Rios, who played mostly JV last year, will likely be the top backup along with Kenny Lopez.   “It helps me sleep knowing we have Adrian and Alfredo coming back,” Facio said. “But if he has to, Juan can carry the load., He's a very tough kid. Both Juan and Kenny are extremely strong. They're quick with good size. They'll complement Alfredo very well. Our plan now is to ride Alfredo and see what we can get out of him.”   Besides good depth in the backfield, Gadsden return its top three receivers from last year: rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1119699' first='Zakk' last='Minjarez'], rising senior Christopher Orozco and promising rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1155087' first='Anthony' last='Palomares']. That trio combined for 80 receptions in 2023. In addition, rising senior Steven Morales is healthy again after missing most of last season with a knee injury. He gives Gadsden four very capable receivers in the passing game.   “All four of those guys are dynamic players,” Facio said.   Next level talent [player_tooltip player_id='1119551' first='Javier' last='Filerio'] (6-4, 290) anchors the offensive line. Filerio recently deadlifted more than 500 pounds, so he's incredibly strong. Peru State In Nebraska and a California JUCO have offered, but he's attracting interest from numerous other schools. Rising junior [player_tooltip player_id='1751393' first='Luis' last='Loya'] is back as well. [player_tooltip player_id='1266336' first='Frankie' last='Zavala Jr.'] is one to watch.      “Javier was our best linemen last year and I believe he's a Division I talent,” Facio said. “He has a size 14 shoe. The kid is gigantic and can move like a skill player. He's special.”   Defensively, Gadsden loses WNMU signee [player_tooltip player_id='815958' first='Nathaniel' last='Lopez'] on the defensive line but his younger brother, 6-foot-2 [player_tooltip player_id='615426' first='Alex' last='Lopez'] is ready to take his place. The latter Lopez had 91 tackles, 6.0 TFL and 6 sacks as a sophomore defensive end in 2023, so he has two years left. Filerio will likely see action at nose tackle. Some players from last year's JV team are expected to contribute to the DL.   “Alex has the potential to get a lot of Division I attention when he's a senior,” Facio said.   [player_tooltip player_id='615429' first='Daan' last='Cano'] returns at linebacker for his senior season after registering 238 tackles the past two years. Few linebackers in the state have been more productive. Rising senior Ricardo Cervantes was mainly utilized as an outside LB in 2023.   “Daan is a silent assassin,” Facio said. “He doesn't say much but he's everywhere. Daan and Ricardo give  us a lot of experience. We feel good about those two guys directing traffic for us.”   The secondary will have a lot of new faces. [player_tooltip player_id='1594261' first='Silver' last='Morales'] returns at safety but the Panthers lose their cornerbacks. Expect plenty of competition at those spots.   2024 GADSDEN FOOTBALL SCHEDULE   Aug. 23 at Chaparral (7 p.m.)   Aug. 30 at Valencia (7 p.m.)   Sept. 6 CLINT (TX)   Sept. 13 MAYFIELD (7 p.m.)*   Sept. 20 at Artesia (7 p.m.)*   Sept. 27 GODDARD (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 4 at Roswell (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 11 Bye   Oct. 18 LOVINGTON (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 25 SANTA TERESA (7 p.m.)*   Nov. 1 at Deming (7 p.m.)*   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/GadsdenPanthers/status/1779584648957296878 </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/GadsdenPanthers/status/1780251245686505694 </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/JavierFilerio70/status/1776718143001604143 </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/JavierFilerio70/status/1793428644603605281 </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/Alexlopez2026/status/1780239700105552211 </div></figure>

Gadsden has reached unprecedented heights in the past two years under head coach Dino Facio Jr., qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in decades, and reaching the Class 5A quarterfinals in 2022 after posting an impressive first round road win at Los Alamos.