Missing You: Top Players Not In The Playoffs You Need To Know

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Unfortunately, every team doesn't get a chance to compete in November Madness. But that doesn't mean those teams don't possess talent. In fact, they do. Some prospects on those teams have the talent, ability, determination and discipline to play at the next level. Here are 12 talented prospects we sadly won't see in the playoffs (listed in alphabetical order):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='611107' first='Michael' last='Beck'], Farmington</strong>: Beck is one of the top wide receivers in New Mexico. He's 6-foot-3, runs the 100 in under 10.8 seconds and possesses elite athleticism. He'll be a hot commodity in recruiting between now and Signing Day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604910' first='Tristan' last='Begay'], Tohatchi</strong>: Even though Tohatchi fell short of earning a 3A playoff bid with a 7-3 record, Begay was outstanding this season as he threw for 1,776 yards and 24 TD to lead the Cougars offense. And he's just a sophomore. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600835' first='Nathanael' last='Best'], Alamogordo</strong>: Best, a junior, has emerged as one of the top dual threat quarterbacks in the state. He rushed for 1,146 yards and 8 TD on 195 carries and passed for over 700 yards and 12 TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1369761' first='William' last='Braun'], Albuquerque Academy</strong>: Who was the top passing QB in Class 4A this season? Braun, who's just a sophomore. He threw for 2,374 yards and 19 TD. Braun is 6-foot-2 and he should add another inch or two before next season. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='604669' first='Bryle' last='Matthews'], Kirtland Central</strong>: Matthews was Mr. Everything for Kirtland Central this season, even taking over the quarterback duties in the second half of the season. He ended up passing for close to 600 yards and 5 TD in 4 games in that role while rushing for 685 yards on 116 carries, including a season high 116 yards in the final game against Moriarty.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248663' first='Colton' last='McKibben'], Carlsbad</strong>: When we saw McKibben at the Prep Redzone Combine in April, we knew he had the potential to have a big season. He finished as the ninth leading tackler in Class 6A with 95 tackles, 11.5 TFL and 1 INT. He's just a sophomore, so McKibben is only going to get better. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1595671' first='Landon' last='Noble'], Newcomb</strong>: Noble was the definition of ‘workhorse' running back this season. Nobody came close to his 301 carries. In fact, the second highest number of carries was 233. He finished the regular season as the nation's fifth leading rusher with 1,411 yards and 11 TD. He's a junior so he'll be back next season. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119650' first='Kason' last='Perez'], Carlsbad</strong>: Per MaxPreps, Perez was one of eight QBs with 2,000+ passing yards during the 2024 regular season. He finished with 2,173 yards and 27 TD with just 7 INT while rushing for 223 yards. Perez has next level talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Xavier Perez, Organ Mountain</strong>: Organ Mountain's revival under second-year head coach Kenneth Sanchez was one of the best stories of 2024. Perez led the way as threw for nearly 1,000 yards and rushed for over 750 yards while accounting for 16 TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259063' first='Antonio' last='Salcido'], Cibola</strong>: Cibola is just 2-18 in the last two seasons, but Salcido has been a stalwart on defense for the Cougars. After collecting 58 tackles as a sophomore in 2022 and 71 as a junior in 2023, Salcido pushed those numbers higher in 2024 with 88 tackles and 6 INT. He finished his career with 217 tackles and 14 INT. Next level talent. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1272752' first='J'ven' last='Smith'], Atrisco Heritage</strong>: Just a sophomore, Smith emerged this season as one of the top young receivers in the Albuquerque Metro Region. He finished with about 40 receptions for 500 yards and about a half dozen TD. He should be even better in 2025 with another strong summer of camps and 7-on-7.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137846' first='Nicholas' last='Vierra'], Santa Teresa</strong>: The Desert Warriors suffered their second consecutive 1-9 season but Vierra was fantastic on the offensive side as the team's QB. He passed for 1,139 yards and rushed for 936, coming close to joining the prestigious 1,000-1,000 club. He's a junior, so he'll be back next season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Highlights from game #6 against rio rancho, ended with 1 interception , 9 tackles , and made big plays on the offensive side of ball <a href="https://t.co/kHyu7JxqE1">https://t.co/kHyu7JxqE1</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1259063' first='Antonio' last='Salcido'] (@Antonio50430501) <a href="https://twitter.com/Antonio50430501/status/1843811393096847667?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Check out my highlight - <a href="https://t.co/jN3Y61lbvx">https://t.co/jN3Y61lbvx</a> yards 90 3 receptions 2 touchdowns ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_Fishback?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Coach_Fishback</a>⁩ ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/NMrecruits?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NMrecruits</a>⁩ ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a>⁩ ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/nm_PrepCoSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nm_PrepCoSports</a>⁩ ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/KyleMorgan_XOS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KyleMorgan_XOS</a>⁩ ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/coachbuttsUNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coachbuttsUNM</a>⁩</p>&mdash; Mikey beck (@mikeybeck12) <a href="https://twitter.com/mikeybeck12/status/1839805341141479760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Some of my highlights from the Piedra Vista game #12💯 <a href="https://t.co/0ODtyfR2nv">pic.twitter.com/0ODtyfR2nv</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1600835' first='Nathanael' last='Best'] (@NathanBest65684) <a href="https://twitter.com/NathanBest65684/status/1835525870456590801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">End of Season Stats<br><br>170/273 62.5%<br>2173 Passing Yards<br>27 Passing TDs<br>3 Rushing TDs<br>QB Rating 110<br><br>Broke CHS most passing TDs in season <br>Broke CHS most passing TDs in a game<br>Broke CHS most total yards in a game<br>Broke CHE most passing yards in game <a href="https://t.co/ftaE6K6OzB">pic.twitter.com/ftaE6K6OzB</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1119650' first='Kason' last='Perez'] ‘25 QB (@kasonperez18) <a href="https://twitter.com/kasonperez18/status/1853884131085557804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->