2024 Look Ahead: Bloomfield Bobcats (Four Corners Week)

Bloomfield doesn't lose many football games.   Since the beginning of the 2019 season, the Bobcats have amassed an impressive record of 45-5. The four-season stretch (excluding the shortened 2021 spring campaign) includes a pair of appearances in the Class 4A state championship game, the 2022 title and two semifinal games.   When you consider Bloomfield also reached the 2018 4A state championship game, that's three appearances in the title game in five years. That's a resume few schools in the state can match.   Little wonder Bloomfield refers to its weight room as the ‘championship room.'   “Our message to the players is to get back to work and get back to basics,” Bloomfield coach Mike Kovacs told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “We're not trying to reinvent anything. We're going back to the drawing board. Our guys have been working very hard in the weight room. They're improving. They understand what's at stake. We think we have some young players that can step in and do their jobs.”   The Bobcats have a proud tradition of outstanding quarterback play and the 2024 season should be no different with [player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer'] returning for his senior year after throwing for over 2,700 yards and 35 touchdowns as a junior in 2023. He tossed just 4 interceptions, so he rarely makes mistakes.   Spencer led Bloomfield to a runner-up finish in the top division at last Friday's NMMI 7x7 Tournament in Roswell. Bloomfield also finished second to a 6A school (Fort Collins Fossil Ridge) at a 7x7 Tournament in Denver recently.      “Blake has had a great summer,” Kovacs said. “He's looked very sharp. He's going to have a great senior year. We want him to increase his completion percentage by five percent (66.5 percent in 2023). We want him around 70 percent. Blake is always trying to achieve greatness and do better things. He's had great camaraderie with some of the new guys who are coming up. He's going to have a great pool of talent around him this year.”   Bloomfield had a fairly balanced rushing attack last season with [player_tooltip player_id='1594564' first='Kaden' last='McCown'] leading the way with over 600 yards. McCown has been moved to slot receiver, making junior [player_tooltip player_id='853022' first='Peyton' last='Duncan'] and newcomer [player_tooltip player_id='604669' first='Bryle' last='Matthews'] (transfer) the top two running backs. Duncan has great vision, runs downhill and an excellent burst of speed past the first level of the defense. Matthews had close to 500 yards rushing and 12 TD for Kirtland Central in 2023. He also caught 32 passes.      “Peyton is a great threat out of the backfield,” Kovacs said. “He has great hands.”   The graduated Drew Perez leaves a large void at receiver after 67 receptions for 1,138 yards and 20 TD in 2023. McCown is joined at wide receiver by junior [player_tooltip player_id='1137877' first='Kaleb' last='Hutchens'], senior Christian Alcantar, senior Anthony ‘AJ' Valencia while [player_tooltip player_id='1118395' first='Logan' last='Gosnell'], also an outstanding linebacker, will be the tight end. Speedy freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1826139' first='Cable' last='Carruth'] is a promising up-and-comer and could see varsity action in 2024. He played varsity baseball for the Bobcats as an 8th-grader this past spring.   “We may not have somebody with the versatility that Drew had, but we definitely  have guys that can catch the short and intermediate passes,” Kovacs said. “I'm hoping Carruth can stretch the field for us. I think McCown will be able to stretch the field too. He's fast. Right now, we have eight guys who can go.”   Bloomfield's offensive line will be anchored by 6-foot-4, 265-pound senior LT [player_tooltip player_id='1118899' first='Abraham' last='Santana'], a next level talent (colleges have expressed interest) who has been stellar during camping season. Santana has started at LT for the past two seasons. FCS Northern Colorado expressed interest when Bloomfield competed in a 7x7 event there.   Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1604759' first='Johnny' last='Yates'] is the center with RT [player_tooltip player_id='1751732' first='Cristian' last='Medrano'], RG Ben Hensley and TBA at left guard completing the lineup along the offensive front. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1599881' first='Dean' last='Litsuie'] is a strong contender for the LG opening. Sophomore Marius Benally is competing for that spot as well.                 The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Gosnell, nicknamed ‘Thor' for his flowing blonde hair, anchors the Bobcats defense from his MLB spot. The First-Team All-State selection was impressive at the Prep Redzone Combine in April as he showcased his speed, strength and mobility. He's also an elite wrestler. He has next level aspirations and colleges have expressed interest, including Northern Colorado.   Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='615690' first='McKell' last='Colbert'] Jr. (75+ tackles in 2023) and [player_tooltip player_id='615619' first='Eli' last='Snell-Martinez'] join Gosnell at LB to form a solid trio on the second level. Duncan will play corner back. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1118921' first='Eli' last='Meador'] returns at safety. Several position battles are ongoing along the DL.   “We have some Thundercats coming back on defense,” Kovacs said. “Just a couple of positions have changed. Most of the guys are back. They know the bar is high. Our defensive coordinator has definitely set a mark for them and that's what they're going after.”   2024 BLOOMFIELD FOOTBALL SCHEDULE   Aug. 23 at Belen (7 p.m.)   Aug. 30 at Piedra Vista (7 p.m.)   Sept. 6 MIYAMURA (7 p.m.)   Sept. 13 KIRTLAND CENTRAL ( 7p.m.)*   Sept. 20 at Aztec (7 p.m.)*   Sept. 27 TAOS (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 4 Bye   Oct. 11 at Moriarty (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 18 BERNALILLO (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 25 ESPANOLA VALLEY ( 7 p.m.)*   Nov. 1 at Grants ( 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/BHSBobcatsFB/status/1797027452008403161 </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/BHSBobcatsFB/status/1804902797160132667 </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/logangosnell3/status/1720547325943468158 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/04/39-Kaleb-Hutchens-crop-3111x2043-1715037347.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1268931" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1137877' first='Kaleb' last='Hutchens']

Bloomfield doesn't lose many football games.