2024 Look Ahead: Bernalillo Spartans

Lovington's move to Class 5A by virtue of the NMAA's latest realignment has some Class 4A coaches believing their team has a legitimate chance to lift the blue trophy in late November.   One of those teams is Bernalillo, which won its first six games last season and reached the quarterfinals of the 4A playoffs before falling to eventual runner-up Portales.   The Spartans lose some key pieces from last year's team (Mason Espinda-McChriston, etc.) but return plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. Their first goal is to win the new District 4A-1 title before making a deep run in the playoffs.   “We still have a lot to prove and our message to our kids since the end of last season has been we have unfinished business,” Bernalillo head coach John Cobos told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “We've made the playoffs six years in a row, which has never been done here. We've built the foundation for Bernalillo football and now we're putting up the walls. The roof is on. It's time to put the windows in. We made a lot pf progress last season. The culture has officially changed.”   Bernalillo's participation numbers are way up from a few years ago, Cobos said. More than 60 players have regularly shown up for summer workouts, most in recent memory. Bernalillo's senior class has 18 players.   “People are starting to want to be a part of the winning tradition,” Cobos said. “We still don't have the depth of a few other teams in Class 4A. If we stay healthy, the sky is the limit. Our senior class is a good, talented group. Our expectations are high this year and rightfully so.”   Bernalillo's optimism begins at quarterback, where senior [player_tooltip player_id='615632' first='Uriel' last='Castro'] begins his third season as the Spartans starting QB. As a sophomore in 2022, Castro threw 11 TD passes and 12 INT. Last season, he significantly improved his TD Pass-to-INT ratio to 25 and 6, so Castro's growth as a signal caller was noteworthy.   “We're going to put a lot on Uriel's shoulders as a senior quarterback,” Cobos said. “He and Blake Miller, our offensive coordinator, have really gelled. He is one of our team captains.”   [player_tooltip player_id='1594652' first='Nathan' last='Encinias'] is expected to take over the No. 1 running back role after sharing carries last season with NMMI signee Diego Molinar. Encinias caught 22 passes in 2023, so look for him to be utilized in the passing game out of the backfield. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1267039' first='Josh' last='Barajas'] is slated to be the backup RB.   “Nathan is a very elusive back,” Cobos said. “People will see that this year. Josh is a dynamic kid. He's going to do some special things this season.”   The wide receiver spot could be special for Bernalillo. Everything starts with dynamic 6-foot-3, 190-pound sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='853757' first='Ulisses' last='Castro'], a two-way standout. In addition to catching 25 passes on offense, he made 70 tackles with 10.0 TFL and 5 sacks on defense. That's why he's our #1 prospect in the 2027 class.   Castro is already to attract college interest, Cobos said.   “We've told Ulisses that football is going to be his ticket to a successful life,” Cobos said. “Football is his sport. He knows it. He's dedicating himself to that. He's powerlifting now. That will benefit him a lot. Ulisses is a special kid.”       Junior transfer [player_tooltip player_id='1599893' first='Joseph' last='Duran'] is eligible to play varsity after joining Bernalillo last season. He has showcased his dynamic skills during 7-on-7 season. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1599971' first='Kenneth' last='Saiz'] looks to make a bigger impact in the passing game. Seniors Christian Sanchez, Dominic Doss and Gabe Trujillo add valuable depth.   “We have a lot pf weapons at wide receiver,” Cobos said. “I'm very excited about our offense this year. If defenses want to double team Ulisses, some of other receivers will have a field day. If they worry about our passing attack, we'll run the ball. If they stack the box, we'll run the Air Raid. Teams are going to have to pick their poison.”     Along the offensive line, senior Andres Suazo returns at left tackle. He's a team captain. Senior Jayden Lovato returns at right guard, while senior Ryan Berg is back at center. Junior Bryan Puente will be the right tackle. Jamison Sanchez is the left guard. Six-foot-4, 280-pound junior [player_tooltip player_id='1752446' first='Warren' last='Cooper'] will battle for a starting spot. Mammoth 6-foot-3 sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1787881' first='Avery' last='Gutierrez'] is a name to know for the future.   “We're going to be deep at offensive line,” Cobos said.         Four of five starters return at offensive line. Most of them have been in the program for four years and have loads of experience. Former Capital head coach Joaquin Garcia is Bernalillo's new offensive line coach.   Defensively, junior LB [player_tooltip player_id='853756' first='Mario' last='Molinar'] (122 tackles as a sophomore) and DE [player_tooltip player_id='853757' first='Ulisses' last='Castro'] (70 tackles) anchor the defensive front seven for the Spartans, whose defense is affectionately known as the 'Goon Squad.'. Castro is just one of several players who will play both ways. Junior T.J. Pino returns after suffering an injury in 2023.   Bernalillo's LB corps could rank among the best in Class 4A with Molinar, senior Gabe Trujillo (moves to ILB after 88 tackles in 2023 as OLB), senior [player_tooltip player_id='615568' first='Lee' last='Miller'] (72 tackles, 4.0 TFL in 2023) , junior Isaiah Rogers and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1606143' first='Dusty' last='DeBeer'] all expected to be major contributors. Encinias will play OLB along with being the No 1 RB. [player_tooltip player_id='1599962' first='Ivan' last='Ruiz'] will compete for time at OLB after playing mostly strong safety in 2023.   In the secondary, Duran will play safety in addition to WR. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1752436' first='Anthony' last='Willie'] joins him at safety. Saiz will be one of the cornerbacks along with Christian Sanchez.   2024 BERNALILLO FOOTBALL SCHEDULE:   Aug. 23 VALLEY (7 p.m.)   Aug. 29 at Highland (Thur., 7 p.m.)   Sept. 6 PORTALES (7 p.m.)       Sept. 13 MORIARTY (7 p.m.)*   Sept. 20 Bye   Sept. 27 at Espanola Valley (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 4 KIRTLAND CENTRAL (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 11 at Aztec (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 18 at Bloomfield (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 25 GRANTS (7 p.m.)*   Nov. 1 at Taos ( 7 p.m.)*       * District 4A-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/j2cobos/status/1804728145326534911 </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/gabettrujillo/status/1763613197049774259 </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/UlissesCas09/status/1801820915589910849 </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/NathanEncinias/status/1727019375633256616 </div></figure>

Lovington's move to Class 5A by virtue of the NMAA's latest realignment has some Class 4A coaches believing their team has a legitimate chance to lift the blue trophy in late November.