Super Sophomores: Twenty 2027 Prospects Who Made Early Impact

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are 20 2027 prospects who made major contributions to their respective teams in Week 1. We're calling them Super Sophomores:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604697' first='Brodie' last='Allen'], Loving</strong>: Seven tackles and 1 pass defended in the Falcons' victory over Estancia.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600888' first='Jacob' last='Angel'], Socorro</strong>: Contributed three different ways to Socorro's effort against Robertson as he rushed twice for 31 yards, caught 1 pass and made 8 tackles with 2 passes defended on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604762' first='Joaquin' last='Aragon'], St. Pius X</strong>: Made 10 tackles with 1 pass defended in the matchup with 6A West Mesa.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1369761' first='William' last='Braun'], Albuquerque Academy</strong>: As the Chargers starting QB, Braun completed 11-of-20 passes for 230 yards (20.9 yards per completion) and 2 TD against Moriarty.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853757' first='Ulisses' last='Castro'], Bernalillo</strong>: Our #1 2027 prospect contributed on both sides of the ball to Bernalillo's thunderous victory over Valley. He had 2 receptions for 31 yards and 1 TD and collected 3 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 sack and 3 QB hurries. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1272734' first='Josiah' last='Chavez'], Atrisco Heritage</strong>: Four tackle against Rio Rancho.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606048' first='Xander' last='Chavez'], Legacy Academy</strong>: The Silverbacks opened their 11-man football era with a lopsided victory over Laguna Acoma. Chavez had a team-high 9 tackles to help spark the shutout.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155256' first='Nathan' last='Gonzales'], Robertson</strong>: Caught 2 passes for 49 yards and made 6 tackle son defense to help the Cardinals beat Socorro.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1272783' first='Jasper' last='Groves'], Highland</strong>: Groves was a menace to the Manzano offense in Week 1 with 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 6.0 QB hurries and 1 forced fumble.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606054' first='Alejandro' last='Guerra'], Organ Mountain</strong>: Guerra had a team-high 8 tackles and 1 pass defended from his safety spot as Organ Mountain battled Eldorado.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605074' first='Logan' last='Hague'], Albuquerque Academy</strong>: Made 11 tackles in the Chargers' clash with Moriarty.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Aaron Harrington, Cobre</strong>: Rushed for 71 yards and 2 TD on 10 carries, returned kicks and made 6 tackles on defense. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155132' first='Aiden' last='Maldonado'], Sandia</strong>: Maldonado was expected to be one of Sandia's top defensive players this season and he delivered in Week 1 with 6 tackles and 1.0 TFL against Piedra Vista.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248663' first='Colton' last='McKibben'], Carlsbad</strong>: McKibben proved his impressive showing at the Prep Redzone Combine was no fluke as he made 11 tackles with 2.0 TFL against Artesia in the Eddy County War. In 2 varsity games for the Cavemen, McKibben has made 21 tackles. Potential star. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154954' first='Hershul' last='Olloway'], St. Pius X</strong>: If we handed out a Sophomore of the Week honor, Olloway would be the Week 1 recipient. Few players in the state had a better first half of football than Olloway against West Mesa. He finished the game with 262 yards rushing and 4 TD. He also made 7 tackles on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606083' first='Tommy' last='Salgado'], Portales</strong>: Four tackles and 1 fumble recovery in the Rams' victory over Goddard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1129687' first='Jonah' last='Villegas'], Pojoaque Valley</strong>: 124 yards rushing on just 5 carries, 2 TD &nbsp;and a 23-yard kickoff return to spark the Elks' big win over Crownpoint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604784' first='Cael' last='Walton'], Raton</strong>: Yes, there's a third Walton on the way. Cael began his first full season with the Raton varsity by rushing for 21 yards on 2 carries, catching 2 passes for 73 yards and making 3 tackles on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606138' first='Amryn' last='Wheeler'], Hobbs</strong>: The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Wheeler brings great size to his DE spot. He had 4 tackles, 2.0 TFL and 1 sack against Lovington. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604984' first='Shamus' last='Wright'], Hobbs</strong>: Rushed for 53 yards on 6 carries, an average of 8.8 yards per carry, and caught 1 pass for 64 yards. Total yards = 117. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Hersh_Olloway2/status/1828246361323773973","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/Hersh_Olloway2/status/1828246361323773973 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/WillBraun_9/status/1828587497234014660","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/WillBraun_9/status/1828587497234014660 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Jonahv_23/status/1827568006886781358","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/Jonahv_23/status/1827568006886781358 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->