First Round Playoff Preview: Classes 4A-3A-2A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The playoffs are here. First-round action in Classes 6A-2A gets underway Friday night and continues Saturday at various stadiums throughout the state. Please note the severe winter storm currently affecting New Mexico could alter some of the dates and kickoff times: &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CLASS 4A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 11 Manzano at No. 6 Espanola Valley (Sat., 1 p.m.)</strong>: This game moved to Saturday &nbsp;because of the winter storm. Manzano (5-5) enters the playoffs searching for momentum after losing their final four games. QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1258970' first='James' last='Vautier']</strong> has thrown for close to 2,000 yards and 25 TD. He's supported by RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854302' first='Justin' last='Duran']</strong>. Junior WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137881' first='Aiden' last='Erickson']</strong> has 56 receptions. The Monarchs' defense will be challenged physically by Espanola Valley's punishing ground attack. The Sundevils passed the ball only 13 times in 10 games. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='837203' first='Victor' last='Parra']</strong> is the leading rusher with 515 yards, but he's one of just several guys that will get the ball. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 12 Chaparral at No. 5 Portales (Fri., 7 p.m.)</strong>: These two teams met last weekend at Greyhound Stadium and the Lobos return there for the playoffs. Chaparral is one of the best stories this season. Earlier this year, they ended a 40+ game losing streak and now they're in the playoffs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='851884' first='Israel' last='Nieto']</strong> is a dangerous dual threat QB. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594674' first='Tommy' last='Lopez']</strong> has done a tremendous job replacing [player_tooltip player_id='615523' first='Paxton' last='Culpepper'] at QB for the Rams after the latter suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2. He is also the leading tackler for Portales, which is trying to reach the 4A championship game&nbsp; for the second straight year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 10 Silver at No. 7 Grants (Sat., 1 p.m.)</strong>: Silver won its final two games against Albuquerque Academy and Manzano to secure a playoff berth. The Colts have a history of performing well in the playoffs, so we'll see how this year goes. QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1709925' first='Josiah' last='Madrid']</strong> leads the Colts offense. Grants QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854297' first='Tristin' last='Fernandez']</strong> and RB <strong>Andres Lazo</strong> ignite the Pirates offense. Fernandez is also an elite defender with a team-high 85 tackles, four more than solid LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137886' first='Brandon' last='Wheeler']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 9 Moriarty at No. 8 Valencia (Sat., 1 p.m.)</strong>: An intriguing matchup between two of the top running backs in Class 4A. Moriarty, which has thrown just 24 passes in 10 games, features RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1258989' first='Caedon' last='Kamplain']</strong> (757 rushing yards), the leader of the Pintos balanced attack. Valencia junior RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1599923' first='Michael' last='Storms III']</strong> is a serious contender for 4A Breakout Player of the Year after rushing for 1,531 yards and 18 TD on a workhorse 233 carries. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1595752' first='Aidan' last='Harrington']</strong> is an outstanding dual threat QB. His favorite passing target is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1595834' first='Cade' last='Ash']</strong> (50 receptions).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1552213,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Gbd-cewaIAEQAKn.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1552213" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Twitter</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CLASS 3A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 9 Thoreau at No. 8 Hope Christian (Fri., 7 p.m.)</strong>: Thoreau is the lone team from District 3A-1. The Hawks offense is led by QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615723' first='Stetson' last='Perry']</strong> (1,193 passing yards) and 1,000-yards rusher senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594836' first='Elam' last='Smith']</strong>, who scored 20 TD. Hope Christian counters with dynamic QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137124' first='RJ' last='Montoya']</strong> (1,590 passing yards) and WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613163' first='Breylon' last='Williams']</strong>, who has 69 receptions for 1,316 yards and 14 TD. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 12 Hot Springs at No. 5 NMMI (Fri., 7 p.m.)</strong>: Any chance Hot Springs has to spring the upset boils down to one thing: their ability to contain NMMI's vaunted rushing attack. There's no secret to what NMMI will do on offense. The key question is whether Hot Springs can stop it, particularly the highly productive trio of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1089649' first='Cole' last='Seidenberger']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119319' first='Cohen' last='Tomasits']</strong> and <strong>Matthew Cao</strong>. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 10 Pojoaque Valley at No. 7 Hatch Valley (Sat., 1 p.m.)</strong>: This game was moved to Saturday after originally being scheduled for Friday night. Pojoaque Valley takes a strong running game to the Chile Capital of the World, led by junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1416992' first='D'Marcus' last='Rodriguez']</strong> and sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1129687' first='Jonah' last='Villegas']</strong>. Hatch Valley has its own talented RB duo in senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119512' first='Orrin' last='Russell']</strong> and junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854279' first='Omar' last='Gonzalez']</strong>. Which team has the better ground game? We'll find out.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 11 Ruidoso at No. 6 West Las Vegas (Sat., 1 p.m.): </strong>West Las Vegas AD Richard Tripp told the Santa Fe New Mexican Thursday this game could move to Monday as the town of Las Vegas has been battered by the winter storm. WLV senior QB <strong>C.J. Perea</strong> has 8,000 career passing yards in his sights as he is just 120 yards away from the prestigious mark. Ruidoso has fashioned one of the best stories of 2024 by going from a town devastated by catastrophic wildfires and flooding this summer to a playoff spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1552214,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/3ABracketGbd5dIab0AAIdeM.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1552214" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Twitter</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CLASS 2A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 7 Jal at No. 10 Raton (Mon., noon)</strong>: This game has been moved to Monday at noon due to northeast New Mexico experiencing blizzard-like conditions from the winter storm. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600830' first='Daniel' last='Ornelas']</strong> is a solid dual threat QB for Jal. Raton features a balanced offensive attack led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613159' first='Cannon' last='Walton'].</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 12 Laguna Acoma at No. 5 Eunice (Sat., 1 p.m.)</strong>: Laguna Acoma must figure out how to stop Eunice's prolific passing attack led by QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854273' first='Elijah' last='Melancon']</strong> and four receivers with 30+ receptions. If they can't, the game will be a track meet for the Eunice offense. The Hawks have dual threat QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1595769' first='Derek' last='Victorino Jr.']</strong>, a 1,000-yard rusher, in their corner. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 11 Cuba at No. 6 Loving (Sat., 2 p.m.)</strong>: Cuba makes the long 900-mile round trip to Loving, a small town of 1,500 near the Texas border. QB [player_tooltip player_id='854274' first='Richard' last='Lovato'] leads the Cuba offense. Loving features the 1-2 punch of QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137875' first='Tristen' last='Onsurez']</strong> and RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854281' first='Bobby' last='Parraz']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 9 McCurdy at No. 8 Navajo Prep (Sat., 3 p.m.)</strong>: These District 2A-1 rivals squared off three weeks ago with Navajo Prep winning by 20 points. <strong>Jeremaya Roybal</strong> sparks the McCurdy offense, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119659' first='Xavier' last='Nez'] </strong>does the same for Navajo Prep. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1552215,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/2ABracketGbd5TV6aYAALMAn.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1552215" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Twitter</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->