Midseason Report: 2028 Prospects Making A Difference

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2028 class has shown in the first six weeks of the 2024 season that there is plenty of promising young talent in New Mexico. Here are some of the top freshmen making a difference for their teams as we begin October:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BEST OFFENSIVE PLAYER:</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613284' first='George' last='Smith'], Robertson</strong>. Along with QB Jesse James Gonzalez, Smith is a key part of one of the most dynamic offensive backfields in northern New Mexico. Smith has already rushed for 432 yards and 8 TD, and caught 16 passes for 395 yards and 6 TD in 6 games. He is averaging 17.98 yards every time he touches the football. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: [player_tooltip player_id='1613280' first='Kashton' last='Ewen'], Hope Christian</strong>. Two numbers stand out about Ewen's performance in the first half of the season – he has 8.0 sacks and 13.0 tackles for loss (TFL) in 6 games for the Huskies. Second most tackles among freshmen with 36.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MORE STANDOUTS</strong> (Listed in Alphabetical Order)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1258842' first='Andres' last='Acosta'], Highland</strong>: The Hornets carry a two-game winning steak into Saturday's home game against Miyamura. Acosta has 28 tackles and 1.0 TFL in 4 games, 20 in the last two games, both wins.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613382' first='Gad' last='Harris'], Sandia</strong>: His breakout game came in Week 2 when he rushed for 129 yards on 17 carries (both season highs) in a 37-7 win over Cibola. Harris and the Matadors carry a two-game winning streak into the bye week before they face Eldorado on Oct. 11.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613370' first='Romeo' last='Jones'], Organ Mountain</strong>: Leads all freshmen with 448 rushing yards on 75 carries, an average of about 90 yards per game. He has scored 6 TD. He played prominent roles in both of Organ Mountain's victories, rushing for 178 yards in the win over St. Pius X and 116 yards in the win over Alamogordo.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1423739' first='D'Angelo' last='Mitchell'], Volcano Vista</strong>: Rushed for 257 yards and 5 TD on 43 carries. His finest moment came in Week 3 when he rushed for 134 yards on 17 carries in a 28-6 win over Sandia. He's also made 4 tackles with 1 sack on defense. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613476' first='Christian' last='Morales'], St. Pius X</strong>: The Sartans have one of the best young receiving corps in the state and Morales has shined as one of St. Pius X's top intermediate range pass catchers. He has 14 receptions in 4 games after catching 15 passes as an 8^th grader in 2023. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613517' first='Joel' last='Nieto'], Jal</strong>: Nieto has played on both sides of the ball for the Panthers and has been outstanding on defense with 30 tackles, 1 interception and 1 fumble recovery.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613352' first='Broden' last='Price'], Manzano</strong>: The 6-foot-1 Price has been remarkably consistent in the first half of the season. He has caught 3+ passes in four games and enters the bye week with 14 receptions for 254 yards and 3 TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613423' first='Brez' last='Tiller'], Laguna Acoma</strong>: Leads all freshmen with 37 tackles (24 solo, most in state) in 5 games. He has 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 2 QB hurries, 3 passes defended and 1 forced fumble. He's been around the football all season. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HONORABLE MENTION</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1613703' first='Aiden' last='Gonzales'], Volcano Vista</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1613398' first='Slade' last='Segovia'], Portales</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1613594' first='Diego' last='Maez'], Robertson</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1613448' first='Christian' last='Perez'], Legacy Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1613624' first='Preston' last='Bevan'], Hope Christian</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1613409' first='Mason' last='Fikany'], Ruidoso</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1613664' first='Santos' last='Martinez'], Robertson</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1613687' first='Isaac' last='Salinas'], Jal</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1613769' first='Ezekiel' last='Bennet'], Newcomb</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/aidengonzales0/status/1832932182127710244","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/aidengonzales0/status/1832932182127710244 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->