Baker's Dozen: Week 2 Preview

High school football season enters its second week of action! Here's our Top 13 Games of Week 2 plus other games. We happily call this the Baker's Dozen:   GAME OF THE WEEK: Lovington at Portales (Fri., 7 p.m.)   Even though Lovington moved to Class 5A for the 2024-25 cycle, these two teams remain fierce rivals. And the competition, always played at an elite level, brings out the best in both teams. This will be the SIXTH meeting between the two schools since October 2021, so there are few secrets. The last meeting, of course, was November's Class 4A state championship game at Greyhound Stadium. The Lovington offense was nearly flawless that day as the Wildcats rolled to their second state championship in three years.   Some of those players returned in 2024. But Lovington also has a new head coach (Josh Bailey) and a new quarterback (Mathew Prudencio), both of whom enjoyed stellar debuts in Week 1's 31-22 victory over Lea County rival Hobbs. Displaying few jitters, Prudencio completed 21-of-28 passes for 230 yards and 3 TD. Equally important, he didn't throw a single interception, so he minimized mistakes.   The run game did just enough and Prudencio skillfully distributed the ball around in Lovington's short-to-medium passing attack with six receivers collected 2+ receptions. Nobody had more than five. The ball-hawking Lovington defense had five interceptions (DB [player_tooltip player_id='1137475' first='Jayden' last='Gutierrez'] had three), 10.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks and 15 QB hurries, so they made big plays when they needed to all night to stymie the Hobbs offense.   Portales traveled to the Wool Bowl in Roswell in Week 1 and gutted out a 22-16 victory over 5A Goddard. RB [player_tooltip player_id='613751' first='Kaidyn' last='Cordova'] had a rushing TD late in the first half to give the Rams an 8-3 halftime lead. After Goddard took a 9-8 lead in the third quarter, Portales rallied to score the next 14 points to take a lead they would never relinquish.   Goddard drove to the 10-yard line late in the game but back-to-back sacks by the Portales kept the Rockets out of the end zone. Senior LB [player_tooltip player_id='613053' first='Manny' last='Chavez'], who had 18 tackles in the opener, has been a tackling machine for the Rams since he was a freshman in 2021. He eclipsed the 400-tackle plateau in Week 1 and now has his sights set on the rarified air of 500 career tackles.   Artesia at Hobbs: The Bulldogs won this game in convincing fashion last year and they look to be hitting on all cylinders early based on their performance against Carlsbad in Week 1's Eddy County War. Artesia always has a very productive offense and 6-foot-2, 185-pound dual threat QB [player_tooltip player_id='1119239' first='Izac' last='Cazares'] can make life miserable for any defense. He certainly did against the Cavemen. [player_tooltip player_id='1118283' first='Frankie' last='Galindo'] is an elite RB with a nose for the end zone. He's a TD Machine for the Bulldogs. WR [player_tooltip player_id='1118257' first='Ethan' last='Conn'] caught an 87-yard TD pass from Cazares to open the scoring in last week's Eddy County War. WR [player_tooltip player_id='1680164' first='Diego' last='Lopez'] was a favorite target as well. The Artesia defense led by LB [player_tooltip player_id='1258077' first='Grant' last='Johnson'] held Carlsbad to less than 100 yards passing and just 19 yards rushing. Hobbs looks to bounce back after a road loss at Lovington in Week 1. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1119255' first='Brock' last='Beaty'] (14-26, 219 passing yards, 1 TD, 4 INT) had good and bad moments against Lovington. RB Omarrion Kennedy rushed for 101 yards on 9 carries. The WR corps looks to have a lot of depth. The Eagles' LB corps of [player_tooltip player_id='1119266' first='Tristan' last='Davis'], Gustavo Diaz-Castro and [player_tooltip player_id='1257310' first='Sammy' last='Baeza'] combined for 33 tackles, 5.0 TFL and 5.0 QB hurries against Lovington.                      Las Cruces at Volcano Vista: This is the first of two straight games in the Albuquerque Metro Region for the Bulldawgs as they go to Rio Rancho in Week 3. Las Cruces began the season on a high note with a convincing victory over rival Mayfield. Few teams in the state have a more explosive offense than the Bulldawgs. Junior QB [player_tooltip player_id='853029' first='Gunnar' last='Guardiola'] (13-20 for 218 yards, 2 TD in opener) who already holds an offer from Western New Mexico, has a cannon arm. He's supported by RB [player_tooltip player_id='1137388' first='Daniel' last='Amaro'] (92 rushing yards + 2 TD, punt return for TD vs. Mayfield) and talented WRs [player_tooltip player_id='615455' first='Nate' last='Libby'] (1 TD) and [player_tooltip player_id='1142363' first='Francisco' last='Winnikoff'] (5 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD) along with a solid offensive line. The Bulldawgs D had a pair of Pick-6s against Mayfield. Volcano Vista was blanked by La Cueva in just over one half of football before the game was halted for good, so the Hawks will look to get going against Las Cruces. Their defense had some shining moments against the defending 6A champions and they'll try for more of the same against the Bulldawgs. Freshman DB Aidan Gonzales is one of the top 2028 prospects in the state and he led Volcano Vista with 7 tackles in one half against La Cueva.                 Highland at Bernalillo: Highland RB [player_tooltip player_id='615425' first='Amiri' last='Mumba'] vs. Bernalillo's aggressive Goon Squad defense? Sign us up. Both teams posted impressive Week 1 victories, significantly moving the needle on the Intrigue-O-Meter. Mumba lived up to his billing as the best RB in the Albuquerque Metro Region by rushing for 291 yards on 26 carries in a 55-28 win over Manzano. The Hornets will hand him the ball early and often in this one. Bernalillo, led by LB [player_tooltip player_id='853756' first='Mario' last='Molinar'], shut down Valley's run game in the season opener by holding the Vikings to 25 rushing yards on 17 carries, an average of just 1.5 yards per attempt. The Spartans had a staggering 14 tackles for loss. Based on Week 1, this is a classic strength vs. strength game. Highland wants to run the ball. Bernalillo showed in Week 1 they can stop the run. Game On.         Bloomfield at Piedra Vista: Arguably one of the best matchups in the Four Corners we'll see this season. We know how prolific Bloomfield's passing offense can be with QB [player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer'], RB [player_tooltip player_id='1594564' first='Kaden' last='McCown'] and WR [player_tooltip player_id='1137877' first='Kaleb' last='Hutchens'] being the primary stars this season. Unfortunately, the Bobcats didn't get much of a chance to display their talents in Week 1 as their game at Belen was cancelled due to severe weather after just a few minutes of action. Piedra Vista posted one of the most impressive victories in Week 1 as they marked their return to Class 6A with a 28-7 road win at Sandia. Panthers RB Brig Keiser is now on the radar of a lot of analysts after rushing for 222 yards and 2 TD on 28 carries against the Matadors. Keiser has the potential to become one of the state's top rushers this season.               Los Lunas at Cleveland: Can the Storm bounce back from Week 1's heartbreaking loss at home to Centennial? That's the major storyline in this game. Cleveland simply made too many mistakes on both sides of the ball, struggled to stop the run and incurred too many penalties against the Hawks. There's a lot to clean up. There were some positive signs, too, but head coach Robert Garza and his assistants are doing a lot of teaching this week. What do we know about Los Lunas? Not much considering their Week 1 matchup with Roswell lasted less than a quarter before the contest was first delayed and then ultimately cancelled by severe weather. What we do know is Los Lunas entered this season with a chip on its shoulder after the 2023 season ended poorly. Now they have an opportunity to knock off a 6A power.        Dexter at West Las Vegas: A battle between two of the top quarterbacks in Class 3A. Dexter sophomore QB C.J. Granados is an elite athlete who's capable of beating you with his arm or his legs. The Demons didn't have to throw the ball much in Week 1's mercy rule win over Jal. Instead, they relied on the RB duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1119136' first='Julian' last='Manzanares'] (126 yards) and [player_tooltip player_id='1137901' first='Garet' last='Gonzalez'] (52 yards). West Las Vegas senior QB [player_tooltip player_id='615555' first='CJ' last='Perea'] is one of the best passers in the state. He threw for 187 yards in last week's weather-shortened 14-12 victory at Hatch Valley, moving him closer to 6,500 career passing yards. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='837201' first='Patrick' last='Rodriguez'] Jr. is emerging for the Dons as a dynamic all-around running back.       Grants at St. Pius X (Thur.): This 4A cross-district matchup features one of the best Week 2 RB duels in the state. For Grants, [player_tooltip player_id='613060' first='Andres' last='Lazos'] rushed for 100+ yards for the seventh time since the beginning of the 2023 season in last week's 34-20 win over Miyamura. The Pirates had some success throwing the ball, too. St. Pius X sophomore RB [player_tooltip player_id='1154954' first='Hershul' last='Olloway'] enjoyed a sensational first half against 6A West Mesa last week, rushing for 3 long TD, including an 87-yarder, and 200+ yards in the first 24 minutes. Obviously, run defense is the key to the outcome of this game. Whichever team does it the best will likely leave with the win.          Gadsden at Valencia: After opening the season with a rousing 33-0 victory over rival Chaparral, Gadsden travels to the southern edge of the Albuquerque Metro region for a fascinating 5A/4A matchup. The Panthers were all about running the football in the opener and when you have an RB as talented as [player_tooltip player_id='615673' first='Alfredo' last='Andrade'], why not? He ran the ball 22 times for 247 yards and 2 TD against the Lobos. Valencia opened the season with a weather-shortened 20-7 win over Kirtland Central, but with Andrade coming to town, the Jaguars must shore up their run defense. They allowed 130 rushing yards and an average of 7.2 yards per carry to the Broncos in one half of football.     Organ Mountain at Deming: The last time these two teams squared off at Deming two years ago marked the final game for Organ Mountain's Abe Romero before his tragic passing from severe injuries he sustained on the gridiron. Organ Mountain battled Eldorado in a 21-12 loss in Week 1 with the defense showing significant improvement over last season. But the offense and special teams are still a work in progress. The Knights look to snap a 16-game losing streak dating back to the 2022 season. Deming QB [player_tooltip player_id='837197' first='Ryan' last='Alfaro'] led the Wildcats to a two-TD win at Alamogordo in Week 1 by rushing for 4 scores. He's a dynamic player and will pose plenty of problems for the Organ Mountain defense.            West Mesa at Mayfield: An intriguing cross-classification matchup at Field of Dreams. West Mesa began the post- Elijah Brody Era by showing off a dominating ground game again St. Pius X, running the ball 44 times for 510 yards behind a massive offensive line against St. Pius X last Saturday. Senior Jamari Wood sled the way with 243 yards on 19 carries. Four other rushers had 50+ yards. Mayfield is licking its wounds after suffering a lopsided loss to rival Las Cruces in the opener. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1257289' first='Luke' last='Linnan'] leads the Trojans offense. They'll need to eliminate the mistakes they made against the Bulldawgs if they want to win their first game of the season.       Pojoaque Valley at Hot Springs: These two teams won in different ways in Week 1. Pojoaque Valley mercy-ruled Crownpoint at home while Hot Springs scored a TD in the final seconds to knock off Tularosa in the head coaching debut of Maximus Buckingham. The Elks have a potent RB duo in D'Marcus Rodriguez and [player_tooltip player_id='1129687' first='Jonah' last='Villegas']. They combined for 225 rushing yards and 4 TD against Crownpoint. Junior QB [player_tooltip player_id='854288' first='Tristan' last='Polanco'] made the plays down the stretch in Hot Springs' Week 1 win and he'll look to do the same against the Elks.      Robertson at Cobre (Sat.): Robertson makes the long trip from Las Vegas to southwestern New Mexico. These two teams are familiar foes as they've met early in the regular season the last several years. Last fall, they also clashed in the semifinals of the 3A playoffs, making Saturday's contest the third meeting in the last calendar year. Robertson senior QB Jesse James Gonzalez was sensational in the Week 1 win over Socorro, accounting for 272 total yards and 2 TD. New name to know: Freshman RB [player_tooltip player_id='1613284' first='George' last='Smith'] had 132 yards rushing for the Cardinals. Cobre opened the season with a 30-26 road win at McCurdy, scoring a late TD to win it. Senior RB Ayzik Jimenez had 202 rushing yards on 20 carries for the Indians. Both teams will try to run the football.       NEW MEXICO VS. TEXAS   El Paso (TX) Mountain View at Santa Teresa (Thur.)   Texico at Bovina (TX)   NEW MEXICO VS. ARIZONA   La Cueva vs. Phoenix (AZ) Pinnacle (at Flagstaff, AZ)   NEW MEXICO VS. COLORADO   Farmington at Durango (CO)   Pagosa Springs (CO) at Kirtland Central   Lamar (CO) at Raton   Montezuma-Cortez (CO) at Crownpoint   BEST OF THE REST:   Alamogordo at Roswell   Rio Rancho at Clovis   Centennial at Atrisco Heritage (Sat.)   Carlsbad at Goddard (Thur.)   Sandia at Cibola (Thur.)   Cuba at Espanola Valley   Loving at NMMI   Belen at Santa Fe   Legacy Academy at Hope Christian   OTHER GAMES:   Newcomb at Santa Fe Indian (Thur.)(Small School Spotlight)   St. Michael's at Capital   Valley at Albuquerque High   Aztec at Miyamura   Moriarty at Shiprock   Navajo Prep at Wingate   Ruidoso at Tularosa   Del Norte at Albuquerque Academy   Socorro at Thoreau   Rio Grande at Manzano   Hatch Valley at Chaparral   Los Alamos at Taos   Jal at Santa Rosa   Estancia at Eunice   Laguna Acoma at Zuni   Tucumcari at Hozho Academy   Gallup at Silver   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/HobbsEaglesFB/status/1828085285240058185 </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/artesiafootball/status/1828128939522564582 </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/DemingWildcat/status/1828070668703010856 </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/STHS_Football/status/1828247942089920957 </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/CoachZekeV/status/1828097260531437707 </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/_NMAA/status/1828528822029045972 </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/_NMAA/status/1828528932896784689 </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/_NMAA/status/1828529016355131466 </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/_NMAA/status/1828529126522654904 </div></figure>

High school football season enters its second week of action! Here's our Top 13 Games of Week 2 plus other games. We happily call this the Baker's Dozen: