November Madness: Class 4A/3A/2A Quarterfinals Preview

November Madness enters the second weekend in Classes 6A-2A with quarterfinal action at various stadiums throughout the state. Here is the preview of the games in Class 4A, 3A and 2A:     CLASS 4A   No. 12 Chaparral at No. 4 Bernalillo (Fri., 6 p.m.): Chaparral pulled off one of the biggest upsets (by seeding) of the first round when they returned to Portales and flipped the script by blanked the Rams, 10-0, one week after losing by 25 points on the same field. [player_tooltip player_id='851884' first='Israel' last='Nieto'] is a solid dual threat QB for the Lobos. Bernalillo earned the No. 4 seed by winning its first seven games. Spartans QB [player_tooltip player_id='615632' first='Uriel' last='Castro'] directs a balanced offensive attack (208 passes, 201 runs) and has thrown 30 TD passes. [player_tooltip player_id='1594652' first='Nathan' last='Encinias'] powers the ground game while few WR duos in 4A are better than [player_tooltip player_id='853757' first='Ulisses' last='Castro'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1599893' first='Joseph' last='Duran'].          No. 6 Espanola Valley at No. 3 Taos (Fri., 6 p.m.): Seemingly out of nowhere, Taos rose up and grabbed the No. 3 seed in 4A by winning four of its last five games in Johnny Olguin's first season as head coach. Make no mistake, though, the Tigers have dudes. QB Evan Salazer is an excellent dual threat QB, throwing for over 1,000 yards. He's also a key piece of a three-headed monster at RB that also includes [player_tooltip player_id='853713' first='Reggie' last='Suazo'] and [player_tooltip player_id='615432' first='Mateo' last='Salazar']. If there's a team that knows about running the football, it's Espanola Valley. They eliminated Manzano last week without throwing a single pass. They ran the ball 53 times, grinding out a 14-6 win. The Sundevils are masters at controlling the clock with long, time-consuming drives.        No. 8 Valencia at No. 1 Bloomfield (Sat., 1 p.m.): Bloomfield has rarely been challenged this season, winning six of their nine games by the mercy rule. QB [player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer'] is a 2024 New Mexico Heisman contender after throwing for 2,251 yards and 36 TD while completing 67 percent of his passes. [player_tooltip player_id='853022' first='Peyton' last='Duncan'] is a weapon running and catching. He's close to 1,000 rushing yards with 19 receptions. The Bobcats' defense has been off the charts with six shutouts, but they've faced few better or tougher running backs than Valencia's [player_tooltip player_id='1599923' first='Michael' last='Storms III'], who has rushed for 1,723 yards on a workhorse 261 carries. [player_tooltip player_id='1595752' first='Aidan' last='Harrington'] is a superb dual threat QB.             No. 7 Grants at No. 2 St. Pius X (Sat., 1 p.m.): These teams met in Week 2 with St. Pius X emerging with a convincing victory. This matchup should be a lot closer. Grants is 5-2 since a 1-3 start, including last week's 22-16 win over Silver in a First Round clash. Elite battle between two of the best RBs in Class 4A – Andre Lazos of Grants vs. [player_tooltip player_id='1154954' first='Hershul' last='Olloway'] of St. Pius X.Olloway, just a sophomore, has rushed for 1,462 yards and 18 TD to ignite a prolific Sartans offense that has totaled over 4,000 yards in 10 games. Sophomore QB [player_tooltip player_id='1154948' first='Isaiah' last='Carpenter'] has passed for 2,310 yards and 26 TD, and has a fleet of talented receivers few schools can match. Two-way standout [player_tooltip player_id='854297' first='Tristin' last='Fernandez'] isn't just Grants' QB, he's also the leading tackler with 95.            CLASS 3A   No. 5 NMMI at No. 4 Socorro (Fri., 6 p.m.): These two teams squared off two weeks ago in a District 3A-3 showdown won by Socorro, 42-35. Socorro QB [player_tooltip player_id='613184' first='Isaiah' last='Ocampo'] had one of his best games of the season, throwing for 192 yards and 3 TD while rushing for 202 yards and 2 TD. That's representative of the kind of season Ocampo has enjoyed. NMMI RB [player_tooltip player_id='1119319' first='Cohen' last='Tomasits'] rushed for 181 yards and 3 TD in the first meeting. The Colts love to run the football out of the triple option.                 No. 7 Hatch Valley at No. 2 Dexter (Fri., 7 p.m.): Only a handful of undefeated teams remain and Dexter (10-0) is one of them. That's why they're the No. 2 seed. Sophomore QB [player_tooltip player_id='1155032' first='CJ' last='Granados'] is an elite athlete. He headlines a dynamic Demons offense that features 4 rushers with 364+ yards. Like Dexter, Hatch Valley operates a run-dominated offense led by 1,000-yard rusher [player_tooltip player_id='1119512' first='Orrin' last='Russell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='854279' first='Omar' last='Gonzalez']. Dexter mercy-ruled Hatch Valley two weeks ago, so a major storyline is the adjustments the Bears defense makes to contain the Demons' offense.       No. 9 Thoreau at No. 1 St. Michael's (Sat., 1 p.m.): Is there anybody that can prevent St. Michael's from claiming a second consecutive state championship? After all, the Horsemen are a complete team with a solid, reliable offense and a suffocating physical defense. Face it, the Horsemen have few weaknesses. The first team to get a crack at stopping the St. Michael's train is Thoreau, which went on the road and won a nailbiter over Hope Christian, 22-20. [player_tooltip player_id='1594836' first='Elam' last='Smith'] has rushed for 1,033 yards for the Hawks. LB [player_tooltip player_id='1137830' first='Pete' last='Johnson'] of St. Michael's will try to stop him.       No. 6 West Las Vegas at 3 Robertson (Sat., 1 p.m.): These two crosstown rivals hooked up in an instant classic a few weeks ago with the Cardinals pulling out a dramatic 28-26 victory on WLV's home field. This game could be just as close, although this one will be played on Robertson's home field. Just 10 quarterbacks in state history have thrown for 8,000+ career passing yards and WLV's C.J. Perea is one of them. He eclipsed the magical barrier last week and he now ranks No. 8 on the all-time list. Few dual threat QBs in the state are better than Robertson's Jesse James Gonzalez, who's already a member of the prestigious 1,000-1,000 club after throwing for 1,783 yards and rushing for 1,052 yards during the regular season.   CLASS 2A   No. 8 Navajo Prep at No. 1 Texico (Sat., 1 p.m.): Can Navajo Prep, QB [player_tooltip player_id='1119659' first='Xavier' last='Nez'] and 1,000-yard rusher [player_tooltip player_id='1595788' first='Nehemiah' last='Simpson'] keep up with the physically imposing Wolverines? Texico is big, strong and intimidating, which is why they're the No. 1 seed and favored to repeat as 2A champions.     No. 5 Eunice at No. 4 Tularosa (Sat., 1 p.m.): Tularosa is hosting this game and earned a top four seed because they won a 39-36 thriller over Eunice on Oct. 18. Eunice junior QB [player_tooltip player_id='854273' first='Elijah' last='Melancon'] has thrown for 2,859 yards  and 37 TD, and could reach 8,000 career passing yards if the Cardinals win this game.      No. 6 Loving at No. 3 Legacy Academy (Sat., 1 p.m.): Legacy Academy had their hopes for a perfect regular season dashed with the Week 11 loss to Santa Rosa. [player_tooltip player_id='1600087' first='Lorenzo' last='Sedillo-Urban'] is a dynamic dual threat QB. He has plenty of help too. Loving features the duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1137875' first='Tristen' last='Onsurez'] and [player_tooltip player_id='854281' first='Bobby' last='Parraz'].       No. 7 Raton at No. 2 Santa Rosa (Sat., 1 p.m.): This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Santa Rosa. Surprise! The Lions are the No. 2 seed in the playoffs and won their last five games, including a WTADCG against legacy Academy. QB [player_tooltip player_id='854312' first='Josh' last='Cordova'] leads Santa Rosa's run-dominated attack with 1,246 yards and 20 TD on 158 carries. If it's Raton, there must be a Walton leading the charge, right? Indeed, [player_tooltip player_id='613159' first='Cannon' last='Walton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1604784' first='Cael' last='Walton'] have both had good years.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/dHMsKQMx4h">pic.twitter.com/dHMsKQMx4h</a>— Bobcat sports fanatic (@FanaticBobcat) <a href="https://twitter.com/FanaticBobcat/status/1855460657837064296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2024</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨 PLAYOFF TIME! 🚨 🏈 Join us as we go head-to-head in the playoffs with Loving HS! 🏈 📍 Bernalillo HS 🗓 November 16, 2024 ⏰ 1:00 PM Purchase tickets here: <a href="https://t.co/GTJXsqf68e">https://t.co/GTJXsqf68e</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Playoffs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Playoffs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RespectTheJungle?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RespectTheJungle</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/LegacyAcademyNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LegacyAcademyNM</a> <a href="https://t.co/21NE5X1o88">pic.twitter.com/21NE5X1o88</a>— Legacy Academy Football (Silverbacks) (@legacyacademyFB) <a href="https://twitter.com/legacyacademyFB/status/1857133571565375809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2024</a></blockquote>

November Madness enters the second weekend in Classes 6A-2A with quarterfinal action at various stadiums throughout the state. Here is the preview of the games in Class 4A, 3A and 2A: