New Lovington head coach excited for opportunity

Josh Bailey now occupies one of the most highly visible seats in New Mexico high school football.   After serving as Lovington's offensive coordinator for three full seasons (plus the Covid-shortened 2021 spring campaign), Bailey was officially promoted to Wildcats' head coach by the Lovington municipal school district administration on May 30, replacing Anthony Gonzales, who accepted the AD/HFC jobs at Snyder (TX) High School.   Gonzales led Lovington to a pair of Class 4A state championships in 2021 and 2023 during his tenure there. Lovington, though, has moved to Class 5A in the NMAA's latest football realignment for the 2024-25 cycle.   “Coach G did a great job here and we had a great thing going,” Bailey told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “But I understand he needed to do what was best for him and his family. That's what happens in this profession. Things don't stay together forever. Of course it was hard. He was a good friend of mine and we were winning games and having a good time. You can't ask for much more than that.”   Even though he was a prominent member of Lovington's current coaching staff, Bailey still had to formally apply for the head coaching job and go through the extensive interview process. Bailey was just one of several applicants seeking the job.   “I was blessed enough to be named the next head  football coach at Lovington,” Bailey said.   In Bailey's three full seasons as offensive coordinator, Lovington quarterbacks threw for 8,876 yards and 111 touchdowns. As a result, don't expect significant changes to the scheme, although the Wildcats will have a new signal caller in 2024, succeeding 2023 New Mexico Heisman Trophy winner Wyatt Gomez.   Bailey intends to retain his OC duties and call the plays in 2024. His brother, Caden Bailey, left Lovington to join Gonzales at Snyder as the offensive coordinator. He had been Lovington's receivers coach.   “We've been pretty successful on the offensive side of the ball,” Bailey said. “My offensive philosophy is to do whatever is best for the team this year. I'll still be the offensive coordinator this year. I want to keep some continuity. I think the kids believe in what we're doing on that side of the ball. That's always important. Right now, I'm not sure what we'll look like exactly on the offensive side of the ball. We still want to have a great run game but we'll always throw the ball. We're a multiple styled offense. People have described our offense as ‘multiple spread.'”   While nothing has been decided yet, Bailey said the new Lovington quarterback will likely be rising senior Mathew Prudencio. He was one of Gomez's backups in 2023.   “Mathew is going to be a senior and he deserves the right to be the lead horse in that battle and have his name on the radar,” Bailey said. “Obviously, every position on our football team is always going to be a competition and you have to do your job and do the right thing to keep your spot. Mathew has always done the right thing, so he has a great chance to win the job. I think Mathew will surprise some people.”   If he wins the job, Prudencio will be the third straight senior starting QB for the Wildcats with Ashton Aranda (2022) and Gomez (2023) preceding him. Aranda started as a junior in 2021.   Prudencio will have to earn the job, though. Rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1118377' first='Patrick' last='Sanchez'] will compete for the spot in addition to playing defense end and receiver. He had 46 tackles, 13.0 TFL, 12 QB hurries and 5.5 sacks in 2023.  Another candidate is rising junior [player_tooltip player_id='1137475' first='Jayden' last='Gutierrez'], who also plays safety and receiver. So, even if Prudencio wins the QB job, Sanchez and Gutierrez will be on the field helping in other ways.   Whoever the starting QB is, they'll be protected by one of the best offensive lines in the state. The top-notch unit is led by 6-foot-3, 290-pound rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='613058' first='Valente' last='Herrera'] (multiple college offers) and 6-foot-4, 270-pound rising junior [player_tooltip player_id='853015' first='Alex' last='Rivera'], both next level talents.   “As an offensive coordinator and now head coach, having a good offensive line helps you sleep at night,” Bailey said. “Those guys are great. We lost Jayden Bosquez but after that we're bringing back six or seven guys who got varsity reps last year on the offensive line. Herrera and Rivers will be our tackles and they are out of this world. Great leaders, great kids and they're very strong.”   Rising junior [player_tooltip player_id='1750358' first='Jesus' last='Morales'] and rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1118909' first='Damien' last='Munoz'] will likely fill two of the interior OL spots. [player_tooltip player_id='1787396' first='Jaden' last='Garcia'], Sawyer Bishop and Elijah Gonzalez are three to watch.   [player_tooltip player_id='613065' first='Camon' last='Ochoa'] will likely be Lovington's No. 1 running back after rushing for 742 yards and 9 TD in 2023. He was recently offered by Eastern New Mexico. But [player_tooltip player_id='615565' first='Ondalis' last='Cardenas'] returns after missing the 2023 season with an injury. He rushed for a combined 1,383 yards as a freshman and sophomore in 2021-22.   Most likely, Ochoa and Cardenas will give the Wildcats a lethal duo at running back. The X-factor is rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='615536' first='Alec' last='Holguin'], who has excelled as both a RB and slot WR during his career. [player_tooltip player_id='615686' first='Ryan' last='Wieser'] fought injuries in 2023 but showed enormous promise as a sophomore in 2022.   Lovington loses its top two receivers from a season but rising junior [player_tooltip player_id='1137867' first='Elijah' last='Rivero'] (54 receptions for 823 yards, 8 TD in 2023), promising rising junior [player_tooltip player_id='1137465' first='Kyler' last='Reaves'] and Holguin should fill the void.   “Elijah did a great job for us last season,” Bailey said. “He was great in the playoffs, especially in the state championship game. Kyler plays middle linebacker and outside receiver. He could also help us at tight end. I think he's going to have a great year. He's a very good football player. He looks like a million bucks right now.”   Besides being the head coach, Gonzales also served as Lovington's defensive coordinator. Co-defensive coordinator Carson Ritter has left Lovington to join him at Snyder. As a result, Bailey is searching for a new DC. Bailey said whoever is hired for the position will have the freedom to do his job without micromanaging from him.   “As the head coach, I know everything falls under me, but in game-planning I'm going to let the new defensive coordinator, whoever that is, be the head coach of the defense,” Bailey said. “Obviously, I will have a role. I like to have all my assistant coaches build a game plan together. Our defensive coaches know what's going on offensively and our approach.”   Lovington began summer workouts on Monday.   “The kids are hungry to play football,” Bailey said. “They want to get better. I'm excited to be given this opportunity to be their head coach. They were the reason I wanted to apply for this position. I love them and I think they love me. Hopefully, the transition time won't be an issue. We'll adjust quickly. Our kids are ready to work. They're already working hard.”   2024 LOVINGTON FOOTBALL SCHEDULE:   Aug. 23 HOBBS (7 p.m.)   Aug. 30 at Portales (7 p.m.)   Sept. 6 at Carlsbad (7 p.m.)   Sept. 13 ROSWELL (7 p.m.)*   Sept. 20 at Goddard (7 p.m.)*   Sept. 27 ARTESIA (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 4 MAYFIELD (6 p.m.)*   Oct. 11 Bye   Oct. 18 at Gadsden (6 p.m.)*   Oct. 25 DEMING (6 p.m.)*   Nov. 1 at Santa Teresa (6 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/pchristy11/status/1798359942044467341 </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/lvtwildcatsfb/status/1771174915401462195 </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/CalebAranda8/status/1798427739701276973 </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/OchoaCamon/status/1793261358491816079 </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/herrera_valente/status/1730563261139923103 </div></figure>

Josh Bailey now occupies one of the most highly visible seats in New Mexico high school football.