2024 Look Ahead: Cobre Indians

Because Cobre is located in southwestern New Mexico not far from Silver City, the Indians don't receive a lot of mainstream media coverage. So, we're here to tell you Cobre was a very good football team in 2023 as they earned the No. 3 seed for the Class 3A playoffs and blanked Dexter in the quarterfinals before dropping a slugfest at No. 2 seed Robertson in the next round.   Cobre now hopes to carry the momentum and positive vibes generated from the successful 2023 season into the upcoming campaign. However, they must find a way to overcome the departure of arguably the largest senior class (15 players) in long-time head coach Jerry Martinez's tenure at Cobre.   Martinez has been the Indians head coach since 2011.   “We're a pretty small school, so the fact we had 15 seniors (was key),” Martinez told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “I've been here for a long time and until last year I think the biggest senior class we had was nine. This will definitely be a rebuilding year for us. We're going to struggle with depth this season. We have some solid kids, but we have a lot of positions to fill. Last season we came up short but I am excited about this year.”   Two candidates are battling for the starting quarterback position: junior Eythan Castillo and sophomore Aaron Harrington. However, Martinez said both could see action behind center, especially early in the season.   “We'll see how it plays out,” Martinez said.   Senior Ayzik Jimenez is the top candidate for the No. 1 RB job after seeing limited action in 2023. He'll face competition from several young prospects, including sophomore Luis Molina, who is described by Martinez as a weight room warrior.   “Luis definitely wants to see the field this year, so he'll give Ayzik a run for his money,” Martinez said.   Promising sophomore Noah Rodriguez headlines a young wide receiver corps. Behind him is a group of incoming freshman.   The strength of the offense could be an offensive line featuring returning seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1119094' first='Derick' last='Ramirez'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1119105' first='Gerald' last='Polk']. Both are “horses,” Martinez said, with experience, toughness and strength. Both are being counted on to be the leaders and role models for the Cobre offense. Because the Indians appear to have a big, solid O-Line plus an inexperienced WR corps, Martinez expects Cobre will run the ball a majority of the time this season.   Defensively, 6-foot-2, 175-pound senior Jake Morales returns at ILB. He's fast with great football instincts. Junior Aaden Villanueva is expected to fill the other ILB spot.   Ramirez and Polk will anchor the defensive line, so they'll play both ways. Junior Cameron Ortiz will fill a DT spot as well. Junior Christian McBride will play center and D-Line.   Cobre's four-game non-district slate is highlighted by home battles against Robertson and Silver.       2024 COBRE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE   Aug. 24 at McCurdy (Sat., 1 p.m.)   Aug. 31 ROBERTSON (Sat., 1 p.m.)   Sept. 6 at Anthony (TX)(7 p.m.)   Sept. 13 SILVER (7 p.m.)   Sept. 20 at Dexter (7 p.m.)*   Sept. 27 NMMI (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 4 RUIDOSO ( 7p.m.)*   Oct. 11 at Hot Springs (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 18 SOCORRO (7 p.m.)*   Oct. 25 Bye   Nov. 1 at Hatch Valley (7 p.m.)*   * District 3A-3 Game   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-26-at-21-49-43-13-Facebook.png?w=934" alt="" class="wp-image-1349777" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Facebook</figcaption></figure>

Because Cobre is located in southwestern New Mexico not far from Silver City, the Indians don't receive a lot of mainstream media coverage. So, we're here to tell you Cobre was a very good football team in 2023 as they earned the No. 3 seed for the Class 3A playoffs and blanked Dexter in the quarterfinals before dropping a slugfest at No. 2 seed Robertson in the next round.