Baker's Dozen: Week 3 Preview

High school football season enters its third week of action! Here's our Top 13 Games of Week 3 plus other games. We fondly call this the Baker's Dozen:   GAME OF THE WEEK: Artesia at Centennial (Sat., 1 p.m., Field of Dreams)   Yes, it could be scorching hot Saturday afternoon at the Field of Dreams. But the action on the field in this elite 6A vs. 5A battle could be even hotter. Artesia, facing their third straight 6A opponent before district play begins in Week 4, has scored 84 points in the first two games, including 40 in last week's shootout road loss to Hobbs. Dual threat QB [player_tooltip player_id='1119239' first='Izac' last='Cazares'] has been as dynamic as advertised. RB [player_tooltip player_id='1118283' first='Frankie' last='Galindo'] continues to be a TD machine for the Bulldogs as he had an 80-yard TD run against a very good Hobbs defense last week. WR [player_tooltip player_id='1118257' first='Ethan' last='Conn'] is off to a great start after an outstanding 2023 season. DB [player_tooltip player_id='1266497' first='Tootie' last='McNeil'] sparked Artesia's defense last week with 2 interceptions.     After two trips to the Albuquerque Metro Region to begin the season, Centennial finally gets to host its home opener at Field of Dreams. And the Hawks are already battle tested, having won at Cleveland in Week 1, 35-28, scoring a late tiebreaking TD. Last week they trounced Atrisco Heritage. Centennial stuck mostly to running the football in the first two weeks. Already they have FOUR rushers with 100+ yards: [player_tooltip player_id='613746' first='Zaiden' last='Davis'] (NM State commit), [player_tooltip player_id='837060' first='Rudy' last='Rios'], [player_tooltip player_id='1605033' first='Dailen' last='Ramirez'] and [player_tooltip player_id='280925' first='Jordan' last='Lucas']. Getting Lucas, a wide receiver, involved in the ground game has been a major tweak to the offense for 2024. That strategy was key to the win at Cleveland. The balance Centennial has shown on offense extends to the defense as well.              Las Cruces at Rio Rancho: Whenever two Class 6A traditional powers square off, it always has the feel of a heavyweight championship boxing match. This game is no different. In fact, had Las Cruces beaten Volcano Vista in Week 2, it would probably have been the Game of the Week. Las Cruces couldn't hold a two-TD lead against the Hawks and lost, 27-24. However, the offensive quartet of QB [player_tooltip player_id='853029' first='Gunnar' last='Guardiola'], RB [player_tooltip player_id='1137388' first='Daniel' last='Amaro'], WR [player_tooltip player_id='615455' first='Nate' last='Libby'] and WR [player_tooltip player_id='1142363' first='Francisco' last='Winnikoff'] is as potent as any in the state. The Bulldawgs are capable of scoring a boatload of points. Rio Rancho's defense must bring its ‘A' game. QB [player_tooltip player_id='613752' first='JJ' last='Arellano'] has thrown for 464 yards and 7 TD in the first two games. Perhaps the most interesting storyline for the Rio Rancho offense through the first two weeks is the emergence of leading rusher [player_tooltip player_id='1604705' first='Micah' last='Takahashi'], who's also the backup QB.            Hobbs at Roswell: Another intriguing 6A vs. 5A matchup, except this time the 6A team is going on the road to the Wool Bowl. Hobbs won a wild 44-40 shootout over Artesia last week after opening the year with a loss at Lea County rival Lovington. Eagles QB [player_tooltip player_id='1119255' first='Brock' last='Beaty'] threw for 205 yards and, most importantly, cut down on his interceptions against Artesia. His younger brother [player_tooltip player_id='1600876' first='Braddock' last='Beaty'] was the Eagles top receiver in the win. [player_tooltip player_id='1119266' first='Tristan' last='Davis'] is an elite LB and leads the Hobbs defense. Roswell's two biggest stars in last week's season-opening win over Alamogordo (Week 1 game at Los Lunas was cancelled) were RB [player_tooltip player_id='1594192' first='Jaylon' last='Cloud'] (126 yards rushing, 2 TD) and WR/KR [player_tooltip player_id='1258088' first='Abey' last='Toscano'], who returned the opening kickoff for a TD and later had another big return. The rugged Roswell defense, led by a superb defensive line, will offer a stern test to the Hobbs offense.               Lovington at Carlsbad: Few teams in the state have been more impressive than Lovington in the first two weeks. The Wildcats began the season with a solid home win over 6A Hobbs before going on the road and beating Portales, 30-7, last week. Lovington always seems to have outstanding quarterback and senior Mathew Prudencio is taking full advantage of his one opportunity to lead the offense. Through two games, he has completed 69 percent of his passes and thrown 4 TD passes. But he also has an array of weapons around him, including WR [player_tooltip player_id='1137475' first='Jayden' last='Gutierrez'] and RB [player_tooltip player_id='615565' first='Ondalis' last='Cardenas']. Carlsbad bounced back from the lopsided loss in the Eddy County War with a 45-22 road win at Goddard last week. Cavemen QB [player_tooltip player_id='1119650' first='Kason' last='Perez'] was a camp warrior this summer and all that hard work paid off in the win at the Wool Bowl. [player_tooltip player_id='1137066' first='Robert' last='Castaneda'] is a dangerous receiver and kick returner.            Sandia at Volcano Vista: Both teams posted much-needed Week 2 victories after stumbling out of the gate. Sandia looked like an entirely different team in last week's 37-7 win over Cibola. It may have been the coming out party for the young offensive backfield duo of sophomore QB Jahleel Lewis (15-25, 201 passing yards) and freshman RB [player_tooltip player_id='1613382' first='Gad' last='Harris'] (129 rushing yards). Volcano Vista was staring an 0-2 start squarely in the face at halftime of last week's clash with Las Cruces. But the Hawks rallied in the second half for a 27-24 win that boiled down to a missed FG by the Bulldawgs in the final seconds. Volcano Vista may have found the successor to Alijah Gonzales at running back as [player_tooltip player_id='1257357' first='Mason' last='Gurule'] rushed for 104 yards on 23 carries              Portales at Bernalillo: After ‘holding' Highland RB [player_tooltip player_id='615425' first='Amiri' last='Mumba'] down just enough for a one-point victory in Week 2, Bernalillo's ‘Goon Squad' defense gets its biggest test so far against Portales. You know the Spartan defensive coaches have methodically broken down the film of last week's 30-7 victory by Lovington at Portales to determine what the Wildcats did right schematically. Portales QB [player_tooltip player_id='615523' first='Paxton' last='Culpepper'] is still dangerous, though. The Rams feature a balanced rushing attack. Linebackers [player_tooltip player_id='853756' first='Mario' last='Molinar'] and Gabe Trujillo spark the Bernalillo defense while RB [player_tooltip player_id='1594652' first='Nathan' last='Encinias'] headlines the running game with [player_tooltip player_id='1599893' first='Joseph' last='Duran'] emerging as a star at wide receiver.   Santa Fe at St. Michael's: The annual renewal of the most fierce rivalry in the state's capitol. This year's contest is between unbeaten teams as Santa Fe has beaten Capital and Belen in the first two weeks. The Demons, who have already equaled last season's win total, may have found their starting QB in last week's come-from-behind 34-28 win over Belen as Izaiah Juarez led the Demons offense to four second-half TDs. All four drives ended with scoring runs by Juarez. St. Michael's, meanwhile, has pounded the football behind an excellent offensive line and the talented RB trio of [player_tooltip player_id='1119160' first='Soren' last='Annon'], [player_tooltip player_id='613193' first='Cole' last='Sandoval'] and [player_tooltip player_id='853063' first='Isaiah' last='Dominguez']. [player_tooltip player_id='1119628' first='Reed' last='Bass'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1600843' first='Kamal' last='Stith'] have rotated at QB.             Deming at Silver: The Battle of 180 is one of the state's most underrated rivalries. Deming dual threat QB [player_tooltip player_id='837197' first='Ryan' last='Alfaro'] is off to a scorching start running the football. Few quarterbacks anywhere are more dangerous with their feet than Alfaro, who has led the unbeaten Wildcats to victories over Alamogordo and Organ Mountain in the first two weeks. [player_tooltip player_id='851887' first='Isaac' last='Martinez'] and [player_tooltip player_id='611155' first='Isaiah' last='Pizarro'] are pretty good too. Silver must find a way to slow down Deming's ground assault or it could be a long night for the Colts, who walloped Gallup in Week 2 after a disappointing one-point loss to Santa Teresa two weeks ago.        Miyamura at Bloomfield: Is there are more dangerous offensive team in the state than Bloomfield? Right now, the answer is probably no. The Bobcats have weapons all over the field, starting with QB [player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer'], who shrugged off the Week 1 cancellation by throwing for 471 yards and 5 TD with 0 interceptions against 6A Piedra Vista last week. [player_tooltip player_id='1137877' first='Kaleb' last='Hutchens'] (214 receiving yards), [player_tooltip player_id='853022' first='Peyton' last='Duncan'] (145) and [player_tooltip player_id='1594564' first='Kaden' last='McCown'] (100) is an impressive pass catching duo. Miyamura counters with QB [player_tooltip player_id='1600795' first='Salid' last='Rashid'] and speedy RB [player_tooltip player_id='1258872' first='Seth' last='Torres']. Miyamura ran the ball about 67 percent of the time in the first two games.           Robertson at Santa Rosa: After convincing victories over Socorro and Cobre to begin the season, Robertson is already showing early signs of being a 3A championship contender. The Cardinals are blessed with talent, beginning with dual threat QB Jesse James Gonzalez. Freshman RB [player_tooltip player_id='1613284' first='George' last='Smith'] has emerged as one of the top 2028 prospects in the state. He has 174 rushing yards and 4 TD in 2 games. Santa Rosa rebounded from a Week 1 mercy rule loss to Texico to defeat Jal last weekend.              Eunice at NMMI: From a contrasting offensive scheme perspective, this is one of the most intriguing games of Week 3. Eunice QB [player_tooltip player_id='854273' first='Elijah' last='Melancon'] is one of the top passing QBs in southern New Mexico and threw for 446 yards and 8 TD in lopsided victories over Ruidoso and Estancia. [player_tooltip player_id='615650' first='Eljan' last='Woods'] is a talented RB for the Cardinals. NMMI runs the triple option and they do it very well. The Colts only threw three passes in their opening game win over Loving. Expect more of the same against Eunice, where ball control for NMMI could be key.        Dexter at Grants: Dexter has so far lived up to the preseason hype with a rout of Jal and an impressive road win at West Las Vegas in Week 2. The Demons are winning mainly with a balanced punishing rushing attack led by [player_tooltip player_id='1119136' first='Julian' last='Manzanares'] (12.1 yards per carry) . Grants has seen mixed results in their first two games, beating Miyamura at home and losing on the road at St. Pius X. [player_tooltip player_id='613060' first='Andres' last='Lazos'] is off to a solid start with 163 rushing yards in 2 games.   Hozho Academy at Legacy Academy (Sat.): Two undefeated Class 2A school battle at Bernalillo Saturday at noon. Hozho Academy has beaten Zuni and Tucumcari to open the season. Led by powerful RB [player_tooltip player_id='1595657' first='Noah' last='Sanchez'] (178 rushing yards in 2 games) and QB [player_tooltip player_id='1600087' first='Lorenzo' last='Sedillo-Urban'] (393 passing yards, 6 TD), Legacy has played two 11-man football games  and they're 2-0.         NEW MEXICO VS. TEXAS:   Cobre at Anthony (TX)   Farwell (TX) at Texico   Clint (TX) at Gadsden   NEW MEXICO VS. COLORADO   Durango (CO) at Piedra Vista   Bayfield (CO) at Aztec   Raton at Trinidad (CO)   BEST OF THE REST:   Cleveland at Clovis   Farmington at Los Lunas   Albuquerque High at Alamogordo   Cibola at Eldorado   Taos at Highland (Thur.)   Capital at Espanola Valley (Thur.)   Valencia at Belen   Hope Christian at Albuquerque Academy (Sat.)   Moriarty at St. Pius X (Sat.)   OTHER GAMES:   Atrisco Heritage at Rio Grande (Sat.)   West Las Vegas at Ruidoso (Thur.)   Capitan at Hot Springs (Thur.)   Socorro at Cuba   Shiprock at Kirtland Central   Santa Fe Indian at Laguna Acoma   Tularosa at Estancia   Newcomb at Gallup   Santa Teresa at Chaparral   Organ Mountain at Mayfield   Los Alamos at Pojoaque Valley   Goddard at Valley   Manzano at Del Norte   Zuni at Hatch Valley   Tucumcari at McCurdy   <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/1831741951168684163 </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/1830613650136268898 </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/HobbsEaglesFB/status/1830770907914142104 </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/BernalilloF/status/1830240227262173309 </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/1831047350565093836 </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/1831047440474263832 </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/1831047559877644644 </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/rick_tripp58/status/1831403497889423620 </div></figure>

High school football season enters its third week of action! Here's our Top 13 Games of Week 3 plus other games. We fondly call this the Baker's Dozen: