2024 Look Ahead: Volcano Vista Hawks

Volcano Vista head coach Chad Wallin is the first to acknowledge last season ended on a disappointing note for the Hawks.   After a 7-3 regular season – the only three regular season losses were to powerhouses La Cueva, Cleveland and Rio Rancho – Volcano Vista earned the No. 6 seed and a home game in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.   But the Hawks promptly lost to No. 11 seed Farmington, 31-21, at Community Stadium and saw their once promising season come to a premature end.   The sour conclusion has furnished the Volcano Vista players with plenty of motivation during the off-season, Wallin said.   “We were definitely very disappointed with how we ended last year,” Wallin told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “It left a sour taste in the coaches' mouths. We reorganized and rededicated ourselves and came up with some ideas for the off-season that we're excited about.      “Right now, I'm very happy with our players. We're pleased with where we're at. This is a different type of group. Last year we had 20 seniors, which is the smallest senior class we've had in seven or eight years. Now we have 30 to 35 seniors. A lot of guys are showing up for weights.”   Wallin and his coaches have emphasized one specific message to the Volcano Vista players.   “We've asked them how are we going to be different, how are we going to make sure what happened last season doesn't happen again,” Wallin said. “There are no guarantees in life, but we need to do the things now to prepare us for those moments.”   For the Volcano Vista offense, replacing workhorse running back [player_tooltip player_id='274709' first='Alijah' last='Gonzales'] (ENMU signee) is the top priority. Last season Gonzales carried the ball 276 times for 1,791 yards and 17 TD in 11 games for the Hawks. He eclipsed 30+ carries three times, including the playoff loss to the Scorpions.   Wallin is confident Volcano Vista will find a suitable successor.   “We're definitely deeper in offensive weapons,” Wallin said. “Alijah was special, there's absolutely no doubt he was an old school workhorse. That was by necessity. He never got down or shied away from that. He will be tough to replace.”   The top candidate to replace Gonzales as the Hawks' new No. 1 RB is 6-foot-0, 185-pound rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1257357' first='Mason' last='Gurule'], last season's backup.   “Mason is cut from the same mold as Alijah,” Wallin said. “He's a big, strong kid, super athletic, catches the ball well. At running back, we feel we have somebody who can step right in and take over for Alijah.”   Rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1257302' first='Kevin' last='Martinez'] will compete for carries, as well. Martinez will fill several roles for the Hawks – RB, Fullback and H-Back. Rising junior (2026) Justus Foutz looks to make the jump from junior varsity.   “We're excited about Justus,” Wallin said. “He just needs to grow up and mature a little bit. Hopefully, he can learn and absorb from Mason and Kevin.”   Rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1119623' first='Ilijah' last='Hansen'] returns at quarterback. His TD Pass-To-INT ratio was close to 3-to-1 (16-6) but he completed just 51.5 percent of his passes. Wallin wants to see Hansen's completion percentage improve significantly over last season.   “Ilijah was wide-eyed last year,” Wallin said. “The game was very fast for him. He didn't take a varsity snap until last year. We had an ongoing QB competition with three guys all last summer. Two of them got hurt, so the job fell to Ilijah. He took a lot of heat when we lost. But he sure grew last year from Week 1 to Week 11. That makes us very comfortable for this season.”        Four of the top five receivers last season were seniors. The fifth was Gurule. Essentially, Volcano Vista must rebuild at the WR spot and hope some inexperienced pass catchers come through.   Leroy Archuleta, Ismael ‘Taco' Mendez and Dominic Dominguez will be counted on to fill those jobs. Tight ends Brennan Nelson and [player_tooltip player_id='1224569' first='Kaleb' last='Vander Wilt'] should contribute as well.        “We weren't dynamic at wide receiver last year, due to injuries and other things,” Wallin said. “That's one reason we dedicated to the run game with Alijah. Right now, we have four or five guys we're excited about. We like the weapons we have. We're going to be more dynamic. We're going to be able to have multiple sets, more than just the spread.”   The offensive line loses CSU-Pueblo signee [player_tooltip player_id='590180' first='Zachary' last='Markham'] among the five departing O-Linemen. The good news for the Hawks is the new group doesn't lack for size or age.   “It's going to be a new group but we have some size that we like,” Wallin said. “They're not young but they're green. I've always been a coach that likes senior linemen. I like the maturity. The guys coming in are going to be seniors, and they were behind seniors last year.”   Rising seniors Aiden Rosette, Darren Lucero and [player_tooltip player_id='1258935' first='Thomas' last='Rivera'] (6-3, 250) will form the core group along with intriguing 6-foot-7, 280-pound rising junior [player_tooltip player_id='1266890' first='Gabe' last='Koeppe'], who is sure to attract plenty of recruiting interest over the next couple of years. He has visited New Mexico Highlands and the Cowboys have verbally offered, according to Wallin.   Unlike the O-Line, Volcano Vista's defensive line returns nearly everybody. Wallin utilizes a six-man rotation for the Hawks' three-man front in a 3-3-5 scheme, so everybody stays fresh throughout the game.   The D-Line will feature 6-foot-0, 230-pound rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1257365' first='Paul' last='Barranca'], who is considered the leader of the unit. He has a high motor. Promising rising junior Alvin Gomez saw varsity action in 2023 as a sophomore. Those two will anchor the defensive line for the Hawks.   At linebacker, ENMU signee [player_tooltip player_id='592401' first='Kian' last='Vander Wilt'] and NMMI signee [player_tooltip player_id='590651' first='Hunter' last='Martinez'] both graduate, leaving a huge void to fill on the second level. Six-foot-2, 195-pound rising senior Thomas-James Pettus has been impressive at camps this spring . Pettus runs the 40 in 4.55 seconds, so he brings plenty of speed to the Volcano Vista defense. He had seven pass breakups and two interceptions in 2023.   “College coaches are going to know Thomas' name pretty quick. He's a physical specimen,” Wallin said. “He played outside linebacker for us last season because we were senior heavy on the inside. Thomas is going to play a little of both and we're going to move him all over the field. He's lightning fast with explosive hips.”   Michael Longo and Mario McNeely, both described by Wallin as ‘scrappy,' should fill two other LB spots.   “They're not big but they get after it,” Wallin said. “I love how they fly to the ball. With the movement we do on defense, they're a great fit.”   In the secondary, rising freshmen [player_tooltip player_id='1613703' first='Aiden' last='Gonzales'] (younger brother of Alijah) is coming off a season in which he started 11 games at free safety as an 8th-grader. He finished with 41 tackles, 1 INT and 3 passes defended. Right now, he's one of the top 2028 prospects in the state.   Joshua Larranaga and [player_tooltip player_id='615749' first='Eli' last='Salas'] return at cornerback. Both battled injuries last season and missed several games.   2024 VOLCANO VISTA SCHEDULE:   Aug. 24 LA CUEVA (Sat., TBA)   Aug. 31 LAS CRUCES (Sat., 1 pm)   Sept. 6 SANDIA   Sept. 13 at West Mesa   Sept. 19 at Eldorado (Thur.)   Sept. 27 Bye   Oct. 4 at Piedra Vista*   Oct. 12 FARMINGTON* (Sat.)   Oct. 18 at Rio Rancho*   Oct. 25 at Cleveland*   Nov. 1 CIBOLA*   * District 6A-1 Game   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/MasonGurule/status/1728348974803738645 </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/kevin_m4821/status/1773898974967321060 </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/PaulBarranca/status/1783682726408888815 </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/ThomasPettus23/status/1764402337332744436 </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/aidengonzales0/status/1728921235537690773 </div></figure>

Volcano Vista head coach Chad Wallin is the first to acknowledge last season ended on a disappointing note for the Hawks.