The Nifty Fifty: Top Performers of Week 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's our First Edition of the Nifty Fifty, the Top 50 performers of Week 1:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 6A</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137388' first='Daniel' last='Amaro'], Las Cruces</strong>: Amaro burst onto the scene last season when he helped lead the Bulldawgs to the 6A semifinals. His junior campaign got off to a solid start as he rushed for two touchdowns – one from 39 yards out on just his third touch of the game - and returned a punt 58 yards for another score in Las Cruces' lopsided 50-7 win over rival Mayfield. He finished with 92 rushing yards and 165 special teams yards. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613752' first='JJ' last='Arellano'], Rio Rancho</strong>: The Rams quarterback began his senior season on a high note as he threw for 273 yards and 4 TD – all to different receivers – and rushed for 1 score as Rams opened the season with a convincing Thursday night victory over Atrisco Heritage. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613746' first='Zaiden' last='Davis'], Centennial</strong>: Displayed his impressive dual threat skills throughout Centennial's 35-28 road victory over Cleveland, completing 11-of-18 passes for 157 yards and 2 TD while rushing for 109 yards on 21 carries. Accounted for 266 total yards and 4 TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853029' first='Gunnar' last='Guardiola'], Las Cruces</strong>: Guardiola was very efficient in the Bulldawgs lopsided win over rival Mayfield. He completed 13-of-20 passes for 218 yards and 2 TD. He'll be tested in Week 2 by Volcano Vista's defense that did OK against La Cueva. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brig Keiser, Piedra Vista</strong>: Keiser rushed for 222 yards and 2 TD on a workhorse 28 carries and caught a 23-yard TD pass as the Panthers marked their return to Class 6A with an emphatic 28-7 road victory over Sandia.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1354822' first='Jared' last='Meechan'], Farmington</strong>: Scorpions head coach Jeff Dalton described Meechan as the ‘heart and soul' of Farmington's 2024 defense. In Week 1 he lived up to the billing with 12 tackles and 1 TFL against Clovis.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155116' first='Jahari' last='Morehead'], Eldorado</strong>: Just a sophomore, Morehead lived up to his potential as a dynamic wide receiver and kick returner for the Eagles as he returned a kickoff for a TD in Eldorado's 21-12 victory over Organ Mountain Saturday. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137899' first='John' last='Royal'], Clovis</strong>: &nbsp;The Wildcats lost to Farmington in Stan Hodges' head coaching debut at Clovis but Royal was sensational running the football as he rushed for 148 yards and 1 TD on 23 carries. He also made 4 tackles on defense, including 1 TFL. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='851889' first='Skyler' last='Sargent'], La Cueva</strong>: In just one half of football, La Cueva's starting junior center had 5 pancake blocks vs. Volcano Vista. La Cueva has one of the best O-Lines in the state. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1595714' first='Waylon' last='Schake'], Farmington</strong>: Schake was impressive in his first career start for Farmington as the Scorpions trounced new look Clovis, 47-8, Saturday in a weather-delayed game. Schake threw for 242 yards and 4 TD on 17-of-25 passing, and also ran for a TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1595894' first='Riley' last='Test'], Organ Mountain</strong>: Collected a team-high 8 tackles and a 76-yard Pick-6 against Eldorado Saturday afternoon at Field of Dreams from his free safety spot. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jamari Woods, West Mesa</strong>: Woods came close to matching St. Pius X RB [player_tooltip player_id='1154954' first='Hershul' last='Olloway'] (see below) in the rushing statistics as he amassed 243 yards and 2 TD on 19 carries. The Mustangs dominated the second half in a 48-29 win over the Sartans. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 5A</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='837197' first='Ryan' last='Alfaro'], Deming</strong>: Alfaro showed off his skills as the Wildcats quarterback in a 35-21 victory at Alamogordo by rushing for 4 TD. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615673' first='Alfredo' last='Andrade'], Gadsden</strong>: Andrade is one of the most underrated running backs in the state. He led the Panthers past ‘Battle of the Gap' rival Chaparral, 33-0, as he rushed for 247 yards and 2 TD on 22 carries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615429' first='Daan' last='Cano'], Gadsden</strong>: Cano is one of the top LBs in New Mexico and he proved it again against Chaparral with 12 tackles. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119239' first='Izac' last='Cazares'], Artesia</strong>: Cazares threw TD passes of 87, 74 and 12 yards and rushed for 1 TD in the first half alone as Artesia built a 37-0 halftime cushion over rival Carlsbad in the Eddy County War and eventually cruised to a convincing 50-7 victory at the Bulldog Bowl.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137847' first='David' last='Gutierrez'], Santa Teresa</strong>: The Desert Warriors surprised many people by nipping Silver, 15-14, in the opener. Gutierrez did yeoman's work by rushing for 135 yards on 20 carries and making 6 tackles on defense. He combined with QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137846' first='Nicholas' last='Vierra']</strong> for 221 rushing yards. Great start for Santa Teresa. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615426' first='Alex' last='Lopez'], Highland</strong>: Made 13 tackles and 1 pass defended in the win over Manzano. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248663' first='Colton' last='McKibben'], Carlsbad</strong>: The Cavemen lost to Artesia in the Eddy County War but McKibben began his sophomore season by making 11 tackles and 2.0 TFL for Carlsbad. Potential superstar. Great size at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119692' first='Ulysses' last='Montes'], Santa Teresa</strong>: 2 interceptions for the Desert Warriors in the one-point win over Silver. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615425' first='Amiri' last='Mumba'], Highland</strong>: Mumba picked up where he left off last season when he rushed for over 1,800 yards as he carried the Hornets past Manzano, 55-28, with 291 yards rushing and 5 TD on&nbsp; 26 carries. It's the third highest single game total of his career. He's eclipsed 300 rushing yards twice.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mathew Prudencio, Lovington</strong>: Prudencio has large shoes to fill following Wyatt Gomez as the Wildcats' quarterback, but he proved he was up to the task by completing 21-of-28 passes for 230 yards and 3 TD with zero interceptions against a very good Hobbs defense as the Wildcats knocked off their Lea County rivals, 31-22, Friday night at home.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604684' first='Ryan' last='Romero'], Goddard</strong>: The sophomore had a solid game against Portales with 74 yards rushing on 16 carries and 1 catch for 21 yards. Romero is emerging as a major contributor for the Rockets offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1118377' first='Patrick' last='Sanchez'], Lovington</strong>: A lot of offensive players contributed for Lovington in their victory over Hobbs, including Sanchez, who had three receptions. Sanchez also made an impact on defense from his LB spot with 9 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 3 QB hurries and 2 forced fumbles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 4A</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613053' first='Manny' last='Chavez'], Portales</strong>: As he has often done throughout his career, Chavez piled up the tackles in Portales' 22-16 win at Goddard. He finished with 18 tackles to surpass the 400 tackle plateau and now has his sights firmly on 500 career tackles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='851898' first='Gage' last='Conway'], Albuquerque Academy</strong>: Conway excelled both receiving and kicking in the close loss to Moriarty. Conway finished with 4 receptions for 137 yards and 2 TD and booted 3 kickoffs for touchbacks and 3 PAT.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>JJ Foutz, Kirtland Central</strong>: Collected 10 tackles in one half of football for the Broncos against Valencia. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613060' first='Andres' last='Lazos'], Grants</strong>: The Pirates' top returning rusher got his 2024 season off to a great start with 100 yards rushing on 12 carries as Grants beat Miyamura, 34-20, at home.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='604669' first='Bryle' last='Matthews'], Kirtland Central</strong>: The senior running back for the Broncos rushed for 100 yards on just 8 carries in one half of football in their loss to Valencia. The game was halted at halftime due to severe weather.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615568' first='Lee' last='Miller'], Bernalillo</strong>: The Spartans' ‘Goon Squad' defense brought its ‘A' game against Valley. Miller had 8 tackles, 2.0 TF: and 4 QB hurries. He spent a lot of time in Valley's offensive backfield.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853756' first='Mario' last='Molinar'], Bernalillo</strong>: Molinar showed again that he's one of the top linebackers in Class 4A, leading the Spartans with 12 tackles and 2 TFL in a 46-6 victory over Valley in the Battle of the Cobos. Molinar and the heralded ‘Goon Squad' defense limited Valley to 25 rushing yards on 17 carries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154954' first='Hershul' last='Olloway'], St. Pius X</strong>: Olloway, one of the state's fastest players with 4.4 speed in the 40, was a one-man wrecking crew in the first half of Saturday's loss to West Mesa, rushing for about 200 yards and 3 TD. He finished with 262 yards and 4 TD on 15 carries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='837203' first='Victor' last='Parra'], Espanola Valley</strong>: The Sundevils won at Los Alamos for the first time in 20+ years as Parra rushed for 196 yards and 2 TD on 24 carries, and made 4 tackles on defense. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='416093' first='Ryan' last='Ramirez'], Albuquerque Academy</strong>: The Chargers suffered a heart-breaking 28-27 loss to Moriarty but Ramirez was special on both sides of the ball. As an OL, he had 4 pancake blocks. Defensively, he had 10 tackles, 3 TFL and 1 forced fumble. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248679' first='Juaquine' last='Rivera'], Grants</strong>: Tallied 13 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks and 2 QB hurries as he led Grants' defensive effort against Miyamura. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 3A</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853063' first='Isaiah' last='Dominguez'], St. Michael's</strong>: The Horsemen blanked Taos, 42-0, even though they didn't have their head coach Joey Fernandez on the sidelines (he was suspended for 2 games by school administration). Dominguez was part of a balanced rushing attack. He had two touchdowns on the ground and caught a key 20-yard pass on third down that gave the Horsemen a first down inside the 10-yard line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kash Ewen, Hope Christian</strong>: The freshman DE was fantastic in the Huskies' 25-14 victory over Del Norte as he collected 5 sacks and a fumble return for a TD. Definitely a player to watch in the future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jesse James Gonzalez, Robertson</strong>: Gonzalez did it all for the Cardinals in their 56-20 victory over Socorro. As quarterback, he threw for 148 yards and 2 TD and rushed for 124 yards on 11 carries. Defensively, he made a team-high 7 tackles. In short, Gonzalez never came off the field and made a ton of plays. And he still has one of the best names in NM High School football. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615689' first='Trenton' last='Hall'], Ruidoso</strong>: The Warriors are THE ‘feel good' story going into the 2024 season considering everything the town of Ruidoso has experienced over the past few months. Hall had 9 tackles and 50 rushing yards in a loss to Eunice.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Julian&nbsp; Manzanares, Dexter</strong>: The Demons lived up to the preseason hype with a 58-7 win over Jal as Manzanares rushed for 126 yards on 8 carries. Dexter travels to West Las Vegas In Week 2 for an intriguing matchup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1595671' first='Landon' last='Noble'], Newcomb</strong>: Noble was the definition of a workhorse RB in Newcomb's 42-18 victory over Wingate as he carried 35 times – most of anybody in the state – for 173 yards and 3 TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854288' first='Tristan' last='Polanco'], Hot Springs</strong>: The Tigers' junior quarterback led a remarkable fourth quarter comeback as Hot Springs rallied for a 20-18 victory at Tularosa. With little time left and Hot Springs trailing, Polanco completed a long pass to the 1-yard line before plunging into the end zone for the game-winning TD with about 20 seconds left. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1129687' first='Jonah' last='Villegas'], Pojoaque Valley</strong>: The Elks offense had its way with the Crownpoint defense in a 53-0 victory. Villegas rushed for 124 yards and 2 TD on just 5 carries &nbsp;.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613159' first='Cannon' last='Walton'], Raton</strong>: The younger brother of Raton legend Cayden Walton is a pretty good football player, too. In Raton's 41-0 victory over Tohatchi, Walton was dynamic both throwing and running. He passed for 150 yards and 3 TD while rushing for 128 yards and 2 TD on 7 carries. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 2A</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672586' first='Leon' last='Maxwell-Priesen'], Estancia</strong>: LMP rushed for 139 yards on 23 carries in Estancia's loss to Loving.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854273' first='Elijah' last='Melancon'], Eunice</strong>: The junior QB has already put up lofty numbers for the Cardinals in two years, and he still has two seasons left. Against Ruidoso, he completed 16-of-25 passes for 230 yards and 3 TD. Melancon should surpass 5,000 career passing yards in Week 2.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854281' first='Bobby' last='Parraz'], Loving</strong>: Parraz and Falcons QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137875' first='Tristen' last='Onsurez']</strong> are one of the top QB-RB duos in Class 2A. In a 49-20 victory over Estancia, Parraz rushed for 182 yards on just 7 carries while Onsurez had 169 rushing yards on 4 carries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600087' first='Lorenzo' last='Sedillo-Urban'], Legacy Academy</strong>: Legacy Academy's 11-man football debut was a spectacular success as they trounced Laguna-Acoma, 48-0. Sedillo-Urban completed 10-of-15 passes for 226 yards and 5 TD while rushing for 97 yards and 2 TD on 4 carries. He accounted for 7 TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1599529' first='Braven' last='Vasquez'], Loving</strong>: Vasquez had 17 tackles in Loving's victory over Estancia, one of the largest single game totals in the state for Week 1, &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615650' first='Eljan' last='Woods'], Eunice</strong>: Woods proved again he's one of the top running backs&nbsp; in Class 2A by rushing for 117 yards on 10 carries in the Cardinals' lopsided win over Ruidoso. </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/j1arellano/status/1827476576860303661","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/j1arellano/status/1827476576860303661 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/AmaroDaniel22/status/1827520434755039315","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/AmaroDaniel22/status/1827520434755039315 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/brylematthews34/status/1827424005676265726","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/brylematthews34/status/1827424005676265726 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Patrick1_13/status/1828086951012135017","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/Patrick1_13/status/1828086951012135017 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/ryanromero_11/status/1827799915206242334","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/ryanromero_11/status/1827799915206242334 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Ryan70Ramirez/status/1827458026909184140","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/Ryan70Ramirez/status/1827458026909184140 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/JaredMeechan/status/1828125811100262706","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/JaredMeechan/status/1828125811100262706 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/kklyps/status/1827808067775234169","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/kklyps/status/1827808067775234169 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/GunnarGuardiola/status/1828233518553669864","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/GunnarGuardiola/status/1828233518553669864 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->