2024 Look Ahead: West Mesa Mustangs

The West Mesa Mustangs have made slow and steady progress in Landrick Brody's first two seasons as head coach.   In 2022, West Mesa finished 5-5 but was edged out of a Class 6A playoff berth. Last season, the Mustangs earned the No. 12 seed before dropping a first-round playoff game at Rio Rancho.   The good news, though, is West Mesa reached the playoffs for the first time since 2017. The next step, of course, is to win a playoff game, something the Mustangs haven't done in a long, long time.   Even though West Mesa loses dynamic Second-Team All-State quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='275488' first='Elijah' last='Brody'] (signed with New Mexico), the Mustangs could be improved across the board, particularly the offensive line and the defense.   Along with the boost in talent, though, the West Mesa players must recognize there's a huge difference between hoping to win and expecting to win.   “In my first year (2022), I thought we had a better football team, but the players didn't quite grasp the process or what it takes to win. We weren't there yet,” Landrick Brody told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “We had a lot of guys who were finally getting familiar with being held accountable and understanding the process and craving the coaching.   “That paid dividends for our second year. We weren't nearly as talented at the skill positions. But we had guys who played hard and wanted to compete. After the Rio Rancho game, I told our guys that we had earned the right to be there. We had to use that experience as a building block to where people look at West Mesa making the playoffs as not a surprising thing.”   Brody said he senses his players now understand what it takes to win and how difficult and challenging it is (and will be) just to make the playoffs. That will be especially true in 2024 as West Mesa joins a new district that includes La Cueva, Los Lunas, Sandia and Eldorado.   The $64,000 question, of course, for the Mustangs is who replaces 6-foot-4 [player_tooltip player_id='275488' first='Elijah' last='Brody'] at quarterback. In two seasons at the helm of the West Mesa offense, Brody threw for 4,017 yards, rushed for 2,537 yards and accounted for 86 TD. He signed with UNM as an ‘Athlete,' meaning the Lobos could utilize him at any position on either side of the ball.   Several contenders are ready to compete for the job when West Mesa holds their two weeks of padded practices in late June. Begin with rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1248667' first='Dominic' last='Lucero'], who impressed at the Prep Redzone Combine in Grants six weeks ago, and rising junior [player_tooltip player_id='1672385' first='Jaedon' last='Woods'], who was Brody's backup in 2023. Woods suffered an ankle injury during basketball season but is well down the road to recovery. Promising rising sophomore Santiago Jaramillo will get a look as well.   “It's going to be a competitive spring and summer,” Brody said. “When you're replacing somebody like Elijah, it's going to take some time. Whoever is most efficient and controls the huddle the best will win the job. I'm hoping to get some answers during our two weeks in pads. It won't be clear cut because we'll still have time between then and preseason camp, but it will give us a good indication on who will get the bulk of the reps.”   [player_tooltip player_id='275488' first='Elijah' last='Brody'] was far and away West Mesa's leading rusher last season with 1,772 rushing yards. The top returning rusher is rising junior Marcos Ochoa (345 yards on 48 carries). However, rising junior Logan Jacabson and rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1594033' first='Jamari' last='Phillips-Woods'] both showed enormous in 2023 and should get a considerable number of carries.   Jacabson averaged 6.6 yards per carry in 2023.   “Logan won the job in the latter part of last season,” Brody said. “He was a young dude last season. He made himself undeniable to where we had to find a place to get him on the field. He's got good size and he's physical. He fits into the identity we're trying to create this year. He's nasty and very athletic. He will give us a presence there as we hope to control things up front.   West Mesa has produced some outstanding receivers the past few years. Ochoa is expected to lead Mustangs' WR corps for the 2024 season after averaging 22.6 yards per reception last season.     “Marcos Ochoa is going to be the best receiver in the state this year,” Brody boldly proclaimed. “Just watch. He's an outstanding athlete. He runs track. He's taking the weight room seriously this spring. He's probably put on 10 pounds of solid muscle. In a straight line, he's the fastest receiver I've had.”   [player_tooltip player_id='615617' first='Ronnie' last='Gilletti'] transferred to West Mesa from Hope Christian last year and didn't play a full season for the Mustangs. He'll compete to become West Mesa's No. 2 WR along with rising junior Jordan Jones and rising senior Jeremiah Ellis.   The Mustangs' offensive line should be much improved. It will also be massive with bookend tackles Alejandro Jaramillo (6-1, 290) and 6-foot-4, 330-pound rising junior Miguel Olivas, who battled injuries last season. Olivas is huge but he moves well. Rising junior [player_tooltip player_id='1749009' first='Ayden' last='Gonzales'] returns at center. Rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1672395' first='Noah' last='Ortega'] returns at guard. The other guard spot is up for grabs.           “The offensive line will definitely be our strength this season,” Brody said. “We have huge, strong kids. That will help create our new identity, especially with a new quarterback. Now they have some experience too. If Miguel can stay healthy, he's going to be a force.”   Defensively, West Mesa will be strong in the secondary with next level talent [player_tooltip player_id='1257343' first='Sajon' last='Thompson'], a First-Team All-District selection in 2023, leading the way. He's 6-foot-1, fast and rangy, which is why numerous colleges have expressed interest.   In the defensive front seven, linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1258892' first='Yorik' last='Molinar'] (40 tackles, 14.0 QB Hurries in 2023) returns and could also see action at safety as the successor to [player_tooltip player_id='274992' first='Tavon' last='Archibald'] (signed with Arizona Christian). Seniors Victor Sutherland (45 tackles) and [player_tooltip player_id='615431' first='Tristan' last='Caraveo'] (46 tackles) will anchor the D-Line.   Rising senior Xavier Ortiz will get an opportunity at linebacker.   “Offensively and defensively, we're going to be solid in the trenches,” Brody said. “That's important considering how many offensive skill guys we're replacing. It will keep us in some games and allow us to be competitive.”   2024 WEST MESA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE   Aug. 24 ST. PIUS X (Sat., 11 a.m.)   Aug. 30 at Mayfield (7 p.m.)   Sept. 6 Bye   Sept. 13 at Volcano Vista (7 p.m.)   Sept. 20 at Los Lunas (7 p.m.)*   Sept. 27 LA CUEVA (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 4 ATRISCO HERITAGE (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 11 at Albuquerque High (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 18 at Sandia (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 24 ELDORADO (Thur., 7 p.m.)*   Nov. 1 at Santa Fe (7 p.m.)*   * District 6A-2 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/wmhs_mustangFB/status/1727346476370784634 </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/SajonThompson9/status/1779329207694413879 </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/VicSutherlan4/status/1788300964069597202 </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/DominicLucero_4/status/1779709074956808276 </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/1727346390416916912 </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/_NMAA/status/1755360307655111078 </div></figure>

The West Mesa Mustangs have made slow and steady progress in Landrick Brody's first two seasons as head coach.