Baker's Dozen: Week 8 Preview

High school football season enters its eighth week of action! District play is shifting into high gear around the state. Here's our Top 13 Games of Week 8 plus other games. We fondly call this the Baker's Dozen:   GAME OF THE WEEK: Robertson at West Las Vegas (Fri., 6 p.m.)   Renewal of one of the most fierce rivalries in New Mexico. If you don't agree, you haven't been to a Robertson-West Las Vegas game. Classic small-to-medium size town rivalry. Las Vegas, a mountain town located along I-25 about 60 miles northeast of Santa Fe, has a population of about 13,000 residents. All the players grew up together and played on the same youth teams. All the fans know each other and work side-by-side during the week. But for one day a year, they're rivals. Some wear red, some wear green.   Robertson (No. 3) and West Las Vegas (No. 4) are ranked in the top four of this week's MaxPreps Class 3A poll. Robertson (7-0) has overpowered opponents all season long behind senior dual threat QB Jesse James Gonzalez (still one of the best names in NM high school football) and freshman RB [player_tooltip player_id='1613284' first='George' last='Smith']. Together, they've combined for over 1,000 rushing yards. [player_tooltip player_id='1594850' first='Paul' last='Duran'] has 57 tackles to lead the Cardinals' stout defense. Robertson's closest margin of victory this season is 30 points. They've won their last two games by mercy-rule.   West Las Vegas (3-3) have an opportunity to make a splash and announce themselves as major contenders when the 3A playoffs start next month. Senior C.J. Perea has been the Dons' starting QB for four year and he's already surpassed 7,200 passing yards and 70 TD passes with an eye on 8,000 yards before his prolific career concludes. But WLV runs the ball too and they have a balanced attack with four rushers contributing. [player_tooltip player_id='615662' first='Ethan' last='Tafoya'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1119118' first='Daniel' last='Bustamante'] are the top receivers. [player_tooltip player_id='837201' first='Patrick' last='Rodriguez'] Jr. leads the WLV defense with 54 tackles.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-09-at-19-09-45-New-Mexico-Class-3A-High-School-Football-Rankings-Football.png?w=563" alt="" class="wp-image-1524652" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: MaxPreps</figcaption></figure>   Eunice at Texico: The Class 2A Game of the Year. Defending champion Texico (6-0) hasn't lost and is coming off an impressive mercy-rule road win at Loving. This is the Wolverines' first home game in five weeks. Their best offensive asset is a massive offensive line that clears holes. And some of those guys play on defense too. Eunice brings arguably the top passing offense in Class 2A to Texico. Junior QB [player_tooltip player_id='854273' first='Elijah' last='Melancon'] has already thrown for over 6,000 yards in his career and he still has a year of eligibility left. This season he's completing a career-best 62.5 percent of his passes. [player_tooltip player_id='615650' first='Eljan' last='Woods'] is an outstanding RB with nearly 400 rushing yards in just 4 games. [player_tooltip player_id='837204' first='Jaen' last='Castro'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1119224' first='Luis' last='Gomez'] headline a balanced receiving corps.   Dexter at Socorro: The second big game in Class 3A this week features an intriguing QB battle. Dexter (7-0, 3-0) jumped Robertson to No. 2 in this week's MaxPreps 3A poll after an impressive road shutout win over NMMI in Week 7. Sophomore QB [player_tooltip player_id='1155032' first='CJ' last='Granados'] is a dynamic and very athletic dual threat signal caller. He is a key part of a very balanced rushing attack in which five ball carriers have between 25 and 39 attempts. [player_tooltip player_id='1119120' first='Kaesn' last='George'] has 26 receptions. Socorro (5-1, 2-0) hasn't lost since a Week 1 road loss to Robertson. QB [player_tooltip player_id='613184' first='Isaiah' last='Ocampo'] is headed towards his second 1,000-1,000 yard season. Junior WR [player_tooltip player_id='1137096' first='Jay' last='Lee'] has 32 receptions and is averaging close to 20 yards per reception.   St. Pius X at Portales: Huge matchup between two of the top four teams in District 4A-2. St. Pius X (4-2, 2-0) can take a major step towards a district title with a win at Greyhound Stadium. Sartans RB [player_tooltip player_id='1154954' first='Hershul' last='Olloway'] (808 yards on 82 carries, 11 TD) is arguably the top running back in Class 4A and one of the best in the Albuquerque Metro Region. Six-foot-5 QB [player_tooltip player_id='1154948' first='Isaiah' last='Carpenter'] (1,228 passing yards) throws to a deep and talented WR corps led by [player_tooltip player_id='1154956' first='Cayl' last='Cox-Liggins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1119300' first='Bryan' last='Thomas']. If you dismissed Portales (4-3, 2-1) following the Week 2 season-ending injury to dynamic QB [player_tooltip player_id='615523' first='Paxton' last='Culpepper'], you were premature. The Rams have won three of their last four games. [player_tooltip player_id='1594674' first='Tommy' last='Lopez'] has filled the void nicely and he's the Rams' leading rusher. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='613751' first='Kaidyn' last='Cordova'] is the top receiver with 27 receptions.       Hobbs at Centennial: Unbeaten Centennial (6-0) is cruising towards a Week 11 showdown with Las Cruces at Field of Dreams for the District 6A-3 title. But first they must get past a Hobbs (3-3) team that's probably better than their .500 record indicates. Wins over Artesia, El Paso (TX) Parkland and Alamogordo have been offset by close losses to Lovington and Roswell (OT) and a lopsided defeat to Las Cruces. Eagles QB [player_tooltip player_id='1119255' first='Brock' last='Beaty'] (1,169 passing yards, 18 TD) is supported by a solid ground game (sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1604984' first='Shamus' last='Wright'], senior [player_tooltip player_id='1422014' first='Omarrion' last='Kennedy']) and his favorite passing target has been younger brother [player_tooltip player_id='1600876' first='Braddock' last='Beaty']. Centennial QB [player_tooltip player_id='613746' first='Zaiden' last='Davis'] is a New Mexico Heisman favorite and has put up astounding numbers, especially running the ball. He's the second leading rusher (927 yards) and the leading scorer (110 points) in the state. [player_tooltip player_id='837060' first='Rudy' last='Rios'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1605033' first='Dailen' last='Ramirez'] complement him in the run game. [player_tooltip player_id='280925' first='Jordan' last='Lucas'] is the top receiver by a wide margin.        Los Lunas at La Cueva (Thur.): Realistically, Los Lunas (4-1) could be the last team this season with greater than a remote hope of beating La Cueva (6-0). But the Tigers must bring their ‘A+' game on both sides of the ball (and special teams too) to just stick with the Bears over the course of 48 minutes. Los Lunas is red hot with four consecutive victories since a Week 2 loss to Cleveland. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1137088' first='Kaiden' last='Reese'] has developed into a talented dual threat QB. La Cueva has won its last four games by an average margin of 34.5 points. The names of the Bears' key players are very familiar to high school FB fans in New Mexico. Get past this game and the Bears have games remaining against Atrisco Heritage, Santa Fe and Albuquerque High. Win those and La Cueva is a lock for the No. 1 seed in the 6A playoffs.          Taos at Grants: Taos (4-2), ranked No. 3 in Class 4A by MaxPreps, rebounded nicely from a mercy-rule loss to Bloomfield with an emphatic 20-point victory over Espanola Valley in Week 7. The Tigers are back on the radar and with games remaining against Moriarty and Bloomfield, have an opportunity to earn a high seed in the 4A playoffs. Grants (3-3) has won two games in a row following a 1-3 start. RB [player_tooltip player_id='613060' first='Andres' last='Lazos'] is the main ball carrying threat, although 8th grader [player_tooltip player_id='1720592' first='Julian' last='Fernandez'] had a huge game against Aztec a couple of weeks ago. QB [player_tooltip player_id='854297' first='Tristin' last='Fernandez'] is a capable dual threat signal caller.   Cleveland at Cibola; A week ago, this game might not have appeared on this list. Then Cibola put up a spirited defensive effort against Rio Rancho, holding the Rams to just 2 TD over the final 3-1/2 quarters. We'll see if they can repeat that performance against Cleveland, ranked No. 3 in Class 6A by MaxPreps. Storm QB Jordan Hatch has been on fire the past two games, completing 76 percent of his passes (28-37) for 549 yards and 8 TD with 0 interceptions in victories over El Paso (TX) Pebble Hills and Farmington. Cleveland's run game is pretty good, too, with seniors [player_tooltip player_id='611120' first='Juan' last='Munoz'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1595801' first='Isaiah' last='Yannis'] leading the way with a combined 900 rushing yards and 18 TD. Cibola's leading tackler is MLB [player_tooltip player_id='1601052' first='Andrew' last='Lueras'] (57 tackles) , who is just ahead of junior OLB [player_tooltip player_id='854199' first='Hayes' last='Baum'] (54 tackles).        Bloomfield at Moriarty: The most intriguing aspect of this game is the contrast in offensive philosophies between the teams. Unbeaten Bloomfield (5-0), ranked No. 1 in Class 4A by MaxPreps, has overwhelmed opponents this season with a prolific passing attack led by QB [player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer'] (1,412 passing yards, 22 TD, 75.0 completion percentage) and ‘Special K' receivers [player_tooltip player_id='1137877' first='Kaleb' last='Hutchens'] (7 TD) and [player_tooltip player_id='1594564' first='Kaden' last='McCown'] (4 TD) along with RB [player_tooltip player_id='853022' first='Peyton' last='Duncan']. The Bloomfield defense has posted 4 straight shutouts. Moriarty (3-3) loves to run the ball with their power option offense, The Pintos have attempted only 13 passes all season. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1258989' first='Caedon' last='Kamplain'] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1605026' first='Mateo' last='Griego-Manley'] are the primary ball carrying threats.           Manzano at Albuquerque Academy (Sat., 1 p.m.): As each week goes by, Manzano's decision to move to Class 4A, as unpopular as it might have been with some skeptics within the Monarchs community, looks like a genius move. Manzano (5-1) is currently tied with St. Pius X atop the District 4A-2 standings. The Monarchs have won five straight games since the Week 1 loss to Highland. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1258970' first='James' last='Vautier'] (19 TD passes) has played well. Albuquerque Academy (2-4) has lost three straight games and likely faces a must-win scenario here with regards to their playoff hopes. Sophomore QB [player_tooltip player_id='1369761' first='William' last='Braun'] has thrown for nearly 1,600 yards and 13 TD.             Sandia at Eldorado: Ranked No. 10 (Sandia) and No. 11 (Eldorado) by MaxPreps in Class 6A, these two middle-of-the-pack teams are battling for playoff seeding. Sandia (3-3) is led offensively by sophomore QB Jahleel Lewis (880 passing yards) and freshman RB Gad Smith. Two of the Matadors' three losses have come to Volcano Vista and La Cueva. Eldorado's defense was a question mark coming into the season but the Eagles have performed better than expected. They've allowed 27+ points only three times this season, including last week's loss to rival La Cueva.          Farmington at Volcano Vista (Thur.): Rematch of last year's first-round playoff game won by Farmington (3-3) at Community Stadium when the Scorpions upset the No. 6 seeded Hawks. This game marks Farmington's third straight trip to the Albuquerque Metro region. The first two resulted in losses to La Cueva and Cleveland. Volcano Vista (5-1) has won five straight since the weather-shortened shutout loss to La Cueva in Week 1. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1119623' first='Ilijah' last='Hansen'] has steadily improved since the season began. Last week he was magnificent at Piedra Vista as he completed 18-of-21 passes for 258 yards and 3 TD. The Hawks, though, like to run the football with [player_tooltip player_id='1257357' first='Mason' last='Gurule'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1423739' first='D'Angelo' last='Mitchell'] sharing the load. Volcano Vista's defense has allowed just 28 points in the last 4 games.     Loving at Tularosa: A battle between the No. 5 and No. 6 ranked teams in Class 2A. Loving (5-2) is coming off a home loss to Texico that snapped a four-game losing streak. The dynamic backfield duo of QB [player_tooltip player_id='1137875' first='Tristen' last='Onsurez'] and [player_tooltip player_id='854281' first='Bobby' last='Parraz'] has combined for over 1,400 rushing yards. Tularosa (4-3) has had a roller coaster season. The Wildcats beat Jal in Week 7. This is the first of a daunting final three-game stretch that includes games against Eunice and Texico.   <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/1843709581941453017 </div></figure>   BEST OF THE REST:   Silver at Chaparral   West Mesa at Albuquerque High   Alamogordo at Carlsbad   Hope Christian at Pojoaque Valley   Piedra Vista at Rio Rancho   OTHER GAMES:   Organ Mountain at Clovis   Atrisco Heritage at Santa Fe   Bernalillo at Aztec   Espanola Valley at Kirtland Central   Legacy Academy at Capitan   Cuba at Navajo Prep   Zuni at Crownpoint   Santa Rosa at Estancia   Cobre at Hot Springs   McCurdy at Laguna-Acoma   Hozho Academy at Newcomb   Tucumcari at Raton   Hatch Valley at Ruidoso   Santa Fe Indian at Thoreau   Shiprock at Tohatchi   Gallup at Wingate   NMMI at El Paso (TX) Cathedral   <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/1843666786413404592 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-09-at-19-01-07-7-Home-_-X.png?w=470" alt="" class="wp-image-1524646" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Twitter</figcaption></figure>

High school football season enters its eighth week of action! District play is shifting into high gear around the state. Here's our Top 13 Games of Week 8 plus other games. We fondly call this the Baker's Dozen: