2024 Look Ahead: Aztec Tigers (Four Corners Week)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When Nic Williams left Shiprock High in 2015 to return to his native Texas for family medical reasons, he hoped someday to return to the Four Corners.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nearly a decade later, he's back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Williams was named Aztec head coach in February following one year as head coach and AD at Clarkesville (TX) High School (2023) and three years as the head coach at Booker (TX) High School.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This won't be Williams' first head coaching gig in New Mexico. He was the head coach of Grants in 2013 when current Pirates head coach Steve Brown was the offensive line coach for the Pirates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Williams, born and raised in San Antonio, takes over an Aztec program that has been competitive in Class 4A the past several years despite Williams being the Tigers' fifth different head coach since 2019. Last season, Aztec went 7-5 and reached the quarterfinals of the Class 4A playoffs for the second straight year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“When I left here to go back home to San Antonio in 2015, I always told people I would come back if I had the chance,” Williams told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “That chance came in February, so I made the move. I love this area. It's beautiful country. It's been good to me. It's a nice area. Aztec has traditionally been a good area for football. We have the kids to do it.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Along with a new head coach, Aztec will also have a new quarterback in 2024 following the graduation of Landan Frost, who threw for over 2,500 yards and 33 TD in his prep career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>His likely successor will be strong-armed senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259057' first='Angelo' last='Griego']</strong>, who now gets his chance to be the Tigers' starter after patiently waiting for his opportunity. Senior <strong>Dalton Wilmer</strong>, a baseball standout, will compete for the starting job.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whoever wins the job will direct a fast-paced offense designed to run the football out of the spread about 60 percent of the time. Williams said Aztec's goal is to run a play every 12 seconds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Who replaces ENMU signee Baylor Seabolt at running back? It won't be easy considering Seabolt rushed for 1,247 yards and 15 TD last fall. Dynamic Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248683' first='Lorenzo' last='Lucero']</strong> gets his opportunity to shine. He impressed the coaches and scouts at the Prep Redzone Combine in April with his skill set. Wilmer will likely carry the football as well if he's not the QB.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137468' first='Kale' last='Watson']</strong>, last season's leading receiver as a sophomore, is back. He'll also play cornerback. Basketball standouts <strong>Christian Jacquez</strong>, widely regarded as the best athlete at AHS, and <strong>Jaden Sims</strong> have joined the football program and look to make an impact at WR.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Six-foot-2, 270-pound OT <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1118903' first='Matais' last='Zah-Pena']</strong> will anchor the offensive line. New Mexico State and Fort Lewis College have expressed interest. Zah-Pena is coming off an injury but should be ready by preseason camp. The rest of the offensive line is up for grabs, Williams said. Two spots could be claimed by the Calderon brothers – Joseph (senior) and Julian (sophomore). Six-foot-2, 280-pound <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1134298' first='Israel' last='Silva']</strong> is expected to win an OL job. Overall, the Aztec O-Line has the potential to be HUGE.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively, Watson is an elite CB in addition to being a reliable WR. The other CB will be junior <strong>Jaton Sims</strong>. Junior <strong>Braylon Phelps </strong>will make a major contribution to the Tigers' defense as well. Six-foot-1 freshman <strong>Brody Segotta</strong>, whose father played at NM State, is a promising newcomer. He will likely play OLB.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 AZTEC FOOTBALL SCHEDULE</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 23 RIO GRANDE (7 p.m.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 30 at Miyamura (7 p.m.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 6 BAYFIELD (CO.)(7 p.m.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 13 at Taos (70 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 20 BLOOMFIELD (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 27 at Grants (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 4 at Moriarty (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 11 BERNALILLO (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 18 Bye</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 25 KIRTLAND CENTRAL (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nov. 1 at Espanola Valley (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/williamsbuddy82/status/1777016728469614684","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/williamsbuddy82/status/1777016728469614684 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>   </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->