November Madness: Class 4A Championship Game Preview

CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREVIEW   Who: St. Pius X Sartans (10-2) vs. Bloomfield Bobcats (11-0);   What: Class 4A State Championship Football Game;   Where: Bloomfield High School, Bloomfield, NM   When: Sat., Nov. 30, 1 p.m.   Bloomfield will be looking for its second Class 4A state championship in three season when they host St. Pius X on Saturday in the Four Corners. The Sartans, meanwhile, are striving for the third state championship in school history (1999 and 2016).   Bloomfield brings one of the most explosive offenses in the state into Saturday's clash. The Bobcats have scored 41 or more points in 10 of their 11 games and totaled 5,600 offensive yards in 11 games, an average of 509.1 yards per game. And many of those games didn't go the distance as Bloomfield has won SEVEN games this season by the 50-point mercy rule, including a 65-14 trouncing of Bernalillo in the 4A semifinals last weekend.   “Our expectations were high,” Bloomfield head coach Mike Kovacs told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “But we didn't know how high the ceiling was. Our guys have definitely exceeded my expectations from the summer. They're such a pleasure to be around and to coach.”   St. Pius X head coach Curtis Flakes, who has led the Sartans into the state championship game in just his second year at the helm, is hesitant to say his extremely young team is ahead of schedule. St. Pius X's roster is dominated by sophomores, particularly at the offensive skill positions. Both of their losses this season have come to Class 6A schools (West Mesa and Organ Mountain) and they'll carry an 8-game winning streak into Saturday's contest.   “The goal every year is get an opportunity to compete for a state championship,” Flakes told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “We never wait until next year to try to win games. Fortunately, our guys got 1 percent better every week in terms of their effort, attitude and discipline. We're blessed to be in a position to compete for a state title this week.”                        WHEN ST. PIUS X HAS THE BALL   St. Pius X's starting quarterback, leading rusher, top receiver and best offensive linemen are all sophomores. Begin with 6-foot-5 QB [player_tooltip player_id='1154948' first='Isaiah' last='Carpenter'], who has quickly developed into one of the top passers in the state. He has thrown for 2,844 yards and 32 TD in 12 games.   “Isaiah has done a phenomenal job for us this year,” Flakes said. “Seeing how he has matured this year and taken on a leadership role has been fun to watch. He knows the offense and he's been able to play a full season. One of the main things is his accountability. If something doesn't go right, he knows exactly what he did and what he needs to do to improve. He has definitely matured throughout the year and you see the results of that in his stats.”         Speedy running back [player_tooltip player_id='1154954' first='Hershul' last='Olloway'] (4.4 in the 40) is one of the top ball carriers in the Albuquerque Metro Region. He has rushed for 1,653 yards and 21 TD on 181 carries, an average of 9.1 yards per carry. Olloway has reached 100 yards rushing eight times this season.   “Hershul is a generational talent as far as where he's at as a sophomore,” Flakes said. “He's patient. He has the speed. His vision is next level. He sees things before they happen, so he can make a cut. He goes from zero to full speed very quickly. You can't coach that.”       Six-foot-3 athletic WR [player_tooltip player_id='1154956' first='Cayl' last='Cox-Liggins'] has 63 receptions for 1,074 yards and 12 TD. He headlines a talented trio of receivers that also includes senior [player_tooltip player_id='1119300' first='Bryan' last='Thomas'] (48 catches for 738 yards and 10 TD) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1155012' first='Curtis' last='Flakes III'] (28 catches for 381 yards, 5 TD). Six-foot-2 junior [player_tooltip player_id='1751737' first='Logan' last='Underwood'] is underrated.   “Cayl has the rare ability to go up and get any ball,” Flakes said. “He runs great routes. [player_tooltip player_id='1119300' first='Bryan' last='Thomas'] is tough. We flex him out a lot from the tight end spot. It's great to have so many weapons in our arsenal. Curtis plays both ways and his best attributes may be on the defensive side of the ball.     Sophomore center [player_tooltip player_id='1248719' first='Chase' last='Nelson'], who started every game last season as a freshman, anchors the offensive line. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='615695' first='Michael' last='Deller'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1594615' first='Leandro' last='Garcia'] hold down the tackle spots.   “Chase has dominated on both sides of the ball,” Flakes said. “Our offensive line play has been phenomenal. They've been locked in all season. They're moving in unison and communicating.”        The high octane St. Pius X offense will face a nasty Bloomfield defense that has recorded seven shutouts this season, including five straight weeks in September and October. Next level talent [player_tooltip player_id='1118395' first='Logan' last='Gosnell'], nicknamed ‘Thor' for his long flowing hair, leads the Bobcats with 107 tackles from his linebacker spot. [player_tooltip player_id='615619' first='Eli' last='Snell-Martinez'] (94 tackles), [player_tooltip player_id='1594644' first='Elias' last='Johnson'] (78 tackles) and nose tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1599958' first='Cole' last='Gosnell'] (75 tackles) are active defenders as well.   “Our defense has been phenomenal this season,” Kovacs said. “We have a complete defense. We have five linebackers that are all seniors. We put a lot of pressure on offenses. We create a lot of bad passes and bad choices by quarterbacks.   “We generate success through enthusiasm. This game will be decided by which team can hit home first, meaning which defense gets into the other quarterback's head quicker. Blake being a senior helps us there. It's going to be a great matchup.”           WHEN BLOOMFIELD HAS THE BALL   Has there been a better passing quarterback in the state this season than Bobcat senior [player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer']? Often playing less than four quarters because of the 50-point mercy rule, Spencer has thrown for over 2,900 yards and 43 TD while completing 69 percent of his passes in 11 games. He's also rushed for 544 yards, a testament to his special dual threat skills.   “Blake is operating at such a high level, it's fun to watch,” Kovacs said. “Our offensive line keeps him upright and healthy.”   [player_tooltip player_id='853022' first='Peyton' last='Duncan'] is one of the best all-around running backs anywhere. He has rushed for over 1,200 yards and caught 26 passes for close to 700 yards. He has accounted for 21 TD. Duncans has an integral role in a balanced WR corps led by [player_tooltip player_id='1137877' first='Kaleb' last='Hutchens'] (31 receptions for 653 yards, 12 TD) and [player_tooltip player_id='1594564' first='Kaden' last='McCown'] (29 for 542). Spencer has an array of weapons at his disposal.     Junior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1267030' first='Kolbe' last='Padilla'] (moved to LB from safety) and senior DL [player_tooltip player_id='615695' first='Michael' last='Deller'] lead an underrated St. Pius X defense with 106 and 100 tackles, respectively.  The duo has combined for 31.0 tackles for loss and 26 QB hurries. They know how to wreak havoc in opposing offensive backfields. Nelsonhas 13.0 TFL among his 57 tackles. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1604762' first='Joaquin' last='Aragon'] replaced Padilla at safety and has 73 tackles.   “Kolbe and Michael are both very physical players,” Flakes said. “And they're athletic enough to run with guys. Kolbe brings an edge that our defense needs to thrive.”   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">11 games, 7 mercy rule wins! Defense averaging 5.6 points a game against them. <a href="https://t.co/PrUwc8fNxZ">pic.twitter.com/PrUwc8fNxZ</a>— Bobcat sports fanatic (@FanaticBobcat) <a href="https://twitter.com/FanaticBobcat/status/1860531962496094436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2024</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Final: Sartans 46, Grants 14 <a href="https://t.co/UDhwdRjpn1">pic.twitter.com/UDhwdRjpn1</a>— St. Pius X (ABQ) (@SartanX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SartanX/status/1857925434547253465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2024</a></blockquote>

CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREVIEW