Nifty Fifty (Plus): Top Performers of Week 3

Who were some of the top performers from Week 3 of the New Mexico high school football season? For this edition, we've divided those standouts by classes:   Seniors (2025)   [player_tooltip player_id='1594754' first='Jose' last='Aguirre'], Dexter: The senior offensive guard had 10 pancake blocks against Grants.   [player_tooltip player_id='837197' first='Ryan' last='Alfaro'], Deming: In the Battle of 180, Alfaro had 112 yards and 3 TD rushing while throwing for 97 yards and 1 TD in the Wildcats' win over Silver. Right now, few quarterbacks in the state are better running with the football. Nose for the end zone.     Mikey Beck, Farmington: Beck, one of the state's best receivers, had 10+ receptions and 100+ receiving yards in the Scorpions loss to cross-border rival Durango (CO).      [player_tooltip player_id='1119118' first='Daniel' last='Bustamante'], West Las Vegas: Two of his 3 receptions went for TDs against Ruidoso. Finished with 74 receiving yards.   [player_tooltip player_id='1119239' first='Izac' last='Cazares'], Artesia: The Bulldogs found themselves in a shootout with Centennial on Saturday and Cazares delivered with 476 passing yards and 5 TD on 25-of-47 passing.       [player_tooltip player_id='1118257' first='Ethan' last='Conn'], Artesia: 6 receptions for 162 yards and 3 TD against Centennial.   Ezekial Cuevas, Espanola Valley: Helped power the Sundevils rushing attack with 107 yards and 1 TD on 14 carries as Espanola Valley beat Capital, 13-6, to improve to 3-0 heading into district play.      [player_tooltip player_id='613746' first='Zaiden' last='Davis'], Centennial: Proved why he's a leading contender for the New Mexico Heisman Award by rushing (officially) for 352 yards and 6 TD in a 70-39 win over Artesia at Field of Dreams.     [player_tooltip player_id='1594850' first='Paul' last='Duran'], Robertson: Rushed for 2 TD + 11 tackles and 1 INT on defense in the Cardinal's win over Santa Rosa. Robertson is 3-0 and playing great football.   [player_tooltip player_id='1119205' first='Alex' last='Fuentes'], Texico: The Wolverines, reigning 2A champions, are 3-0 and posted their second consecutive win over a Texas school with a 32-19 victory over border rival Farwell. Fuentes scored 4 TD, including a scoop and score on defense, and passed for another. He had TD runs of 80, 7 and 15 yards in the first half.      [player_tooltip player_id='1119120' first='Kaesn' last='George'], Dexter: George had a season high 7 receptions for 130 yards and 1 TD in the Demons' road win at Grants. Also rushed for 61 yards and 2 TD on just 4 carries. 201 total yards. 11 touches, 3 TD. George knows how to make plays.     Jesse James Gonzalez, Robertson: Gonzalez is off to a torrid start for the Cardinals, rushing for 373 yards and passing for 528 in the first three games for 900+ total yards. Against Santa Rosa, he completed 9-of-10 passes for 176 yards and ran 10 times for 177 yards. Serious NM Heisman Trophy contender.     [player_tooltip player_id='1257357' first='Mason' last='Gurule'], Volcano Vista: Rushed for 102 yards on 15 carries in the Hawk's win over Sandia.   [player_tooltip player_id='1258907' first='Isaac' last='Houlihan'], Albuquerque High: Rushed for 3 TD and accounted for 300+ yards in total offense as the Bulldogs posted a huge road win at Alamogordo.   Ayzik Jimenez, Cobre: A young and rebuilding Cobre team is 2-1 after an impressive 32-25 road win at Anthony (TX). Jimenez had a major role in that victory with 145 yards and 2 TD rushing on 19 carries + Pick-6 69-yard interception return and fumble recovery on defense.   [player_tooltip player_id='1257289' first='Luke' last='Linnan'], Mayfield: The Trojans' QB scored 3 rushing TD in a 30-20 victory over Organ Mountain at Field of Dreams.   [player_tooltip player_id='1594482' first='Jaden' last='Lovato'], Bernalillo: Even though Portales was without dynamic QB [player_tooltip player_id='615523' first='Paxton' last='Culpepper'] (out for the season with torn ACL), the Bernalillo defense was magnificent last Friday. Lovato had 10 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks and 2 QB hurries.     [player_tooltip player_id='615426' first='Alex' last='Lopez'], Highland: Made 10 tackles and scored the Hornets' only TD in their loss to Taos Thursday night. Highland played without star RB [player_tooltip player_id='615425' first='Amiri' last='Mumba'], who had 1 carry before leaving the game.   [player_tooltip player_id='1119659' first='Xavier' last='Nez'], Navajo Prep: He threw for 300+ yards and 4 TD on 16-of-24 passing in the Eagles' shootout loss to Pinon (AZ).   Zakkius Negale, Newcomb: Collected 12 tackles and 1 sack in the Skyhawks win over Gallup.   [player_tooltip player_id='836944' first='Keegan' last='Nichols'], Roswell: With the Coyotes trailing by a point to Hobbs in the 4th quarter, Nichols came up with one of the biggest plays of the game, a Pick-6 interception that gave Roswell a 29-22 lead with about 5 minutes left. Hobbs tied the score before Roswell won, 37-35, in OT.       [player_tooltip player_id='613184' first='Isaiah' last='Ocampo'], Socorro: Threw for 284 yards on 15-of-21 passing in Socorro's 46-0 win at Cuba. Nine of his completions went to WR  [player_tooltip player_id='1119374' first='Cenyon' last='Scarborough'].     [player_tooltip player_id='615555' first='CJ' last='Perea'], West Las Vegas: Perea continues to pile up the career passing yardage as he completed 18-of-31 passes for 288 yards and 3 TD in the Dons' road win over Ruidoso. Perea is nearing 7,000 career passing yards.   [player_tooltip player_id='1119650' first='Kason' last='Perez'], Carlsbad: The Cavemen's QB tied a school record with 5 TD passes in the shootout loss to Lovington. He also ran for a TD, accounting for 6 TD on the night. In total, he threw for a school record 373 yards on 20-of-35 passing. He also set a new school record for most total yards in a single game with 408 yards. Perez has improved his completions and passing yards each week.     Mathew Prudencio, Lovington: Prudencio is taking full advantage of his one season as the Wildcats' starting QB. He completed 28-of-36 passes for a season high 347 yards and 6 TD in Lovington's wild 47-44 win at Carlsbad. Prudencio tossed the winning TD with less than a minute remaining, capping a frantic final few minutes between the teams. He has 806 passing yards in 3 games.     [player_tooltip player_id='1594093' first='Diego' last='Ramirez'], Carlsbad: The Cavemen lost a heartbreaker to Lovington but Ramirez had a great game defensively with 10 tackles and 2.0 TFL.     [player_tooltip player_id='837060' first='Rudy' last='Rios'], Centennial: Rushed for 160 yards on 16 carries in Centennial's win over Artesia Saturday.   Justin Rubio, Estancia: He had 115 rushing yards on 14 carries + 5 tackles and 1 TFL in Estancia's loss to Tularosa.     [player_tooltip player_id='1595657' first='Noah' last='Sanchez'], Legacy Academy: Rushed for 105 yards on 7 carries and caught 3 passes for 61 yards in Legacy Academy's 53-3 rout of Hozho Academy.   [player_tooltip player_id='1118377' first='Patrick' last='Sanchez'], Lovington: Collected 7 receptions on offense and 5 tackles with 2.0 QB hurries on defense to help lift Lovington past Carlsbad in a thriller.   Warren Spaniel, NMMI: The Colts are trying to throw the ball more this year in an effort to prevent teams with good defenses from loading the box. Spaniel was 11-of-17 passing for 102 yards and rushed six times for 75 yards in NMMI's heartbreaking last-second loss to Eunice.     Landon Trevino, Lovington: The Wildcats LB had 11 tackles in the 47-44 victory over Carlsbad.   [player_tooltip player_id='1258970' first='James' last='Vautier'], Manzano: Threw 4 TD passes – 2 in each half – as Manzano rallied past Del Norte. Two of his TD throws went to [player_tooltip player_id='1137881' first='Aiden' last='Erickson'].   [player_tooltip player_id='1595769' first='Derek' last='Victorino Jr.'], Laguna Acoma: Accounted for 259 total yards (125 passing + 134 rushing) and 5 TD (1 passing, 4 rushing) in a lopsided win for the Hawks over Santa Fe Indian.   Khaliq Waites, Manzano: He returned a punt for a TD to give Manzano the lead for good as the Monarchs rallied past Del Norte.   [player_tooltip player_id='613159' first='Cannon' last='Walton'], Raton: Completed 10-of-15 passes for 118 yards and 2 TD, rushed for 122 yards and made 2 tackles on defense in Raton's victory over cross-border rival Trinidad (CO).     Juniors (2026)   [player_tooltip player_id='1137388' first='Daniel' last='Amaro'], Las Cruces: Scored 3 TD – two rushing and 1 punt return – in the Bulldawgs' impressive 34-21 road victory at Rio Rancho. His 75-yard punt return snapped a 21-21 tie with just under 5 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter. Then took over by literally willing Las Cruces down the field in the final game-sealing drive.   Robert Castanada, Carlsbad: Castanada continued his fantastic start to the season with 12 receptions for a school record 220 yards (18.3 yards per catch) and 3 TD in Carlsbad's shootout loss to Lovington. Castanada is on pace for 60+ receptions during the regular season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1600953' first='Zach' last='Friberg'], Ruidoso: The Warriors' defensive leader had another good game against West Las Vegas in Week 3 with 12 tackles, 1 TFL and 1 sack. He has 25 tackles and 2 forced fumbles in the last two games.   [player_tooltip player_id='1137475' first='Jayden' last='Gutierrez'], Lovington: Contributed on both offense and defense to Lovington's wild road win at Carlsbad. Seven receptions for 68 yards on offense with 4 tackles and the game-sealing INT on defense.     Jordan Hatch, Cleveland: Completed 7-of-9 passes for 127 yards and 3 TD in Cleveland's 54-0 mercy-rule win over Clovis.   [player_tooltip player_id='1266895' first='Gabe' last='Henry'], Hobbs: His 85-yard kickoff return for a TD midway through the 2nd quarter gave Hobbs their first points of the game against Roswell.   [player_tooltip player_id='1137877' first='Kaleb' last='Hutchens'], Bloomfield:  Caught 2 TD passes from QB [player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer'] in Bloomfield's 55-0 victory over Miyamura.   [player_tooltip player_id='1137830' first='Pete' last='Johnson'], St. Michael's: Key Pick-6 for a TD in the final minute of the 1st half that helped propel the Horsemen past cross-town rival St. Michael's.     [player_tooltip player_id='854273' first='Elijah' last='Melancon'], Eunice: Melancon is one of the top passing quarterbacks in southern New Mexico. He threw for 209 yards on 18-of-27 passing and rushed for 84 yards in Eunice's 35-30 miracle win at NMMI. The Cardinals scored a TD on a squib kickoff with no time left after trailing by a point with 1 second left.   [player_tooltip player_id='853756' first='Mario' last='Molinar'], Bernalillo: Molinar is a tackling machine for the Spartans and he proved it again against Portales. Molinar had 13 tackles to push his season total to 38 in 3 games.       [player_tooltip player_id='851884' first='Israel' last='Nieto'], Chaparral: Nieto engineered a vastly improved Chaparral offense, throwing for 125 yards and 1 TD, as the Lobos snapped a 43-game losing streak with a 26-7 victory over Santa Teresa.   [player_tooltip player_id='1595671' first='Landon' last='Noble'], Newcomb: The state's No. 2 rusher did it again for Newcomb as the Skyhawks improved to 3-0 with a 20-12 win over Gallup. Noble rushed for a season high 201 yards on a workhorse 38 carries. Added 4 tackles, 1.0 TFL and 1 INT on defense. He has rushed for 170+ yards in all 3 games with 7 TD this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1137457' first='Taylen' last='Payne'], Goddard: Sparked an outstanding defensive effort by Goddard in a 14-3 win over Valley with 10 tackles, 3.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks.     [player_tooltip player_id='1416992' first='D'Marcus' last='Rodriguez'], Pojoaque Valley: The Elks beat Los Alamos, 14-13, in front of no fans due to social media threats. Rodriguez had 115 yards and 1 TD on 21 carries.   Juan Carlos Ruvalcaba, NMMI: Made 13 tackles and 1 TFL in the loss to Eunice.         Kenenth Saiz, Bernalillo: Caught the game-winning 49-yard TD pass from QB [player_tooltip player_id='615632' first='Uriel' last='Castro'] with less than 5 minutes remaining in the Spartans' hard-fought win over Portales. Also made 2 tackles on defense.     [player_tooltip player_id='1672745' first='Juan' last='Urquizo'], Chaparral: Played a huge role in Chaparral's victory over Santa Teresa with 125 rushing yards on 12 carries. The Lobos amassed 250+ rushing yards in their first win since 2018.        [player_tooltip player_id='1224569' first='Kaleb' last='Vander Wilt'], Volcano Vista: After a weather-shortened loss to La Cueva in Week 1, Volcano Vista has responded with back-to-back impressive victories over Las Cruces and Sandia. Vander Wilt had 7 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack and 2 QB hurries vs. Sandia.      Nicolas Vierra, Santa Teresa: Threw for 100 yards and rushed for 116 yards and a TD in the Desert Warriors loss to Chaparral.   Sophomores (2027)   [player_tooltip player_id='1369761' first='William' last='Braun'], Albuquerque Academy: Completed 21-of-29 passes for 377 yards and 4 TD as the Chargers beat Hope Christian, 40-14. Three of his TD passes went to slot WR [player_tooltip player_id='1119328' first='Jett' last='Galles'].   [player_tooltip player_id='1604956' first='Jagger' last='Casillas'], Los Lunas: Showed he has the potential to become a top-notch RB with 140 yards rushing on 15 carries in Los Lunas' 37-28 win over Farmington.   [player_tooltip player_id='1155032' first='CJ' last='Granados'], Dexter: Granados and the Demons have lived up to expectations through the first three weeks. They improved to 3-0 with an impressive 34-12 road win at Grants in which Granados threw for 211 yards and 1 TD on 13-of-23 passing and rushed for 109 yards and 1 TD on 8 carries.       [player_tooltip player_id='1155082' first='Raul' last='Lopez'], Chaparral: Rushed for 120 yards on 14 carries in Chaparral's long-awaited victory over Santa Teresa. First win for Chaparral since 2018.     [player_tooltip player_id='1155116' first='Jahari' last='Morehead'], Eldorado: The dynamic sophomore did it again with a kickoff return for a TD in the Eagles' 27-20 victory over Cibola.   [player_tooltip player_id='1154954' first='Hershul' last='Olloway'], St. Pius X: Scored 3 TDs in St. Pius X's come-from-behind victory over Moriarty.      [player_tooltip player_id='1155114' first='Deon' last='Session'], Atrisco Heritage: Caught 2 passes, both for TDs, for 102 yards in the Jaguars' lopsided win over Rio Grande.   [player_tooltip player_id='1604784' first='Cael' last='Walton'], Raton: The youngest Walton brother is beginning to make a significant impact on the Raton program. He rushed for a team-high 126 yards and 1 TD while making 8 tackle son defense in the rivalry win over Trinidad (CO).     Freshmen (2028)   [player_tooltip player_id='1423739' first='D'Angelo' last='Mitchell'], Volcano Vista: We got a taste of Mitchell's skills when he had 41 rushing yards against as Cruces. He erupted for 134 yards and 2 TD on 17 carries in the Hawk's win over Sandia. He already has 4 rushing TDs this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1613284' first='George' last='Smith'], Robertson: Smith, apparently, never got the memo that he's supposed to play like a nervous freshman. In Robertson's win over Socorro, he had 7 receptions for 128 yards and 2 TD while making 4 tackles on defense. In3 games, he has 442 total yards and 8 TD.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/PayneTaylen/status/1833292209015210037 </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/Hersh_Olloway2/status/1833313353982480648 </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/ryanaalfaro06/status/1832947326228250720 </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/GeorgeKaesn/status/1832824370995065271 </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/cj_granados10/status/1832928996922909125 </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/Alex_Fuentes8/status/1832586267550187981 </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/Jordan_k1Hatch/status/1832829466126791061 </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/CavemenFBall/status/1833182533791645863 </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/Kaleb_vw/status/1832918564984029589 </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/ThomasPettus23/status/1833125150243324315 </div></figure>

Who were some of the top performers from Week 3 of the New Mexico high school football season? For this edition, we've divided those standouts by classes: