Semifinals Whiparound: Championship Saturday Matchups Finalized

The 2024 New Mexico high football playoffs completed its third weekend with exciting semifinal action around the state. Here is our comprehensive deep dive into everything that happened on the field:   Albuquerque Metro Schools Dominate In Las Cruces: Both Class 6A semifinal games were played at Field of Dreams, offering the Centennial Hawks and Las Cruces Bulldawgs hope that one or both schools could become the first Las Cruces school to compete in the 6A title game since 2016. But those dreams were dashed as Cleveland and La Cueva won by a combined 64 points. Friday, working behind a stellar offensive line led by Power 4 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='851862' first='Moses' last='Sparks'] (offered by Nebraska, Texas Tech and Houston), Storm running back [player_tooltip player_id='611120' first='Juan' last='Munoz'] rushed for a career-high 249 yards and 3 TD on 22 carries in less than three quarters of action as Cleveland trounced Centennial, 56-20.   Munoz's 62-yard gallop midway through the second quarter gave Cleveland a 21-0 lead, and the Storm led, 28-6, at halftime. Munoz also had a 59-yard TD run on Cleveland's third offensive snap of the game. Two more TDs in the third quarter made it 42-6, invoking a running clock. Defensively, the Storm held dynamic Centennial QB [player_tooltip player_id='613746' first='Zaiden' last='Davis'] to 72 yards rushing on 19 carries. Davis completed 15-of-24 passes for 216 yards and 1 TD but also tossed two interceptions.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Cleveland 49, Centennial 6 (11:43 4th) First play of the 4th is a Storm pick-6. Hawks were 3 yards from scoring and [player_tooltip player_id='613746' first='Zaiden' last='Davis'] tried to find [player_tooltip player_id='1259081' first='Omar' last='Sanchez'], but it's intercepted by [player_tooltip player_id='1193983' first='Michael' last='Haynes']. He takes it coast to coast for the TD. <a href="https://t.co/4ah2Rg66oU">pic.twitter.com/4ah2Rg66oU</a>— Nick Coppola (@Nick_Coppola__) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nick_Coppola__/status/1860169895708860634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2024</a></blockquote>   La Cueva Rolls Past Bulldawgs: Las Cruces scored first in Saturday's 6A semifinal as workhorse RB [player_tooltip player_id='1137388' first='Daniel' last='Amaro'] powered over from the 1-yard line to cap a 10-play, 55-yard drive, but La Cueva quickly seized control when [player_tooltip player_id='853013' first='Tanner' last='Montano'], one of the fastest players in the state, returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and the Bears went on to a 47-19 victory. After Las Cruces fumbled the kickoff return, QB Cam Dyer then powered his way into he end zone from 14 yards out for a 14-6 lead. The Bears converted another Bulldawg fumble into a TD as Dyer ran 13 yards for his second TD of the game for a 21-6 lead after the 1st quarter. Las Cruces drove 80 yards in 14 plays, draining almost 8 minutes off the clock, and scored on QB [player_tooltip player_id='853029' first='Gunnar' last='Guardiola']'s 3-yard TD pass to [player_tooltip player_id='1142363' first='Francisco' last='Winnikoff'] to cut the deficit to 21-13, but that was as close as the Bulldawgs would get the rest of the way.   Dyer Hurt, Posa Fills In: When La Cueva QB Cam Dyer left the game after suffering an injury late in the second quarter of Saturday's win over Las Cruces, the Bears turned to Wisconsin commit [player_tooltip player_id='611083' first='Mason' last='Posa'] and the Wildcat to fill the void. The move paid dividends when Posa raced 64 yards for a TD on an option play less than 90 seconds into the third quarter to give the Bears a 28-13 lead. Posa faked the handoff and tore through the Las Cruces defense as he was barely touched. Dyer returned the game later in the third quarter and proceeded to float an 18-yard catch and run TD pass to Cheeto Lumbrera for a 34-19 lead with less than 4 minutes left in the third quarter. Less than 2 minutes later, Dyer fired a 66-yard TD strike to [player_tooltip player_id='1258091' first='Jayden' last='Parsons'] for a 41-19 lead after three quarters. A 55-yard Pick-6 by La Cueva LB [player_tooltip player_id='1266328' first='Brody' last='Clark'] completed the scoring with 9-1/2 minutes left in the contest. While it appears La Cueva may have survived the Dyer injury scare, his status will definitely be monitored over the next several days heading into the 6A championship game against Cleveland.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Championship game here we go‼️‼️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnWisconsin?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OnWisconsin</a> <a href="https://t.co/UZXj0EQL6p">pic.twitter.com/UZXj0EQL6p</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='611083' first='Mason' last='Posa'] (@MasonPosa) <a href="https://twitter.com/MasonPosa/status/1860494687884267799?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2024</a></blockquote>   Artesia, Roswell Still Dominate Class 5A: While the gap may have closed a little bit, Artesia and Roswell have proven in the playoffs that they're still the two dominant programs in Class 5A by a significant margin. The two long-time rivals will meet for the second consecutive year in the 5A championship game on  Saturday at the Wool Bowl. Artesia secured their fourth straight 5A championship game appearance with a emphatic 50-14 victory over Mayfield Saturday at the Bulldog Bowl. Artesia scored 22 points in the second quarter and built a 29-0 halftime lead and cruised to the win over the Trojans, who have struggled against Artesia and Roswell since joining 5A three years ago.   Artesia RB [player_tooltip player_id='1118283' first='Frankie' last='Galindo'] raced 75 yards for a TD on the Bulldogs' first offensive snap. Early in the 2nd quarter, QB [player_tooltip player_id='1432984' first='Izac' last='Cazares'] galloped 89 yards for a TD, giving Artesia two scored on three offensive plays. Galindo's second TD of the game, a 33-yard run, made it 22-0 midway through the 2nd quarter. Cazares capped the 1st half scoring with a 13-yard TD pass to WR [player_tooltip player_id='1118257' first='Ethan' last='Conn']. Artesia scored two more TDs in the third quarter and led, 43-7, going into the final period.     <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">State Championship Bound with my brothers!🧡🖤 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AGTG?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AGTG</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/artesiafootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@artesiafootball</a> <a href="https://t.co/m7FCjBEqda">pic.twitter.com/m7FCjBEqda</a>— i z a c c a z a r e s (@cazares1710) <a href="https://twitter.com/cazares1710/status/1860821566306525403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2024</a></blockquote>   Roswell Subdues Gallant Gadsden: The first time Gadsden and Roswell met this season, the Coyotes won easily, 48-7, at the Wool Bowl. Saturday, the two teams met again. But, as is often the case, this semifinal matchup was much closer. Roswell built an early 14-0 lead on a Pick-6 by [player_tooltip player_id='1118273' first='Xai' last='Carrasco'] and a TD off a special teams mistake by Gadsden. However, Gadsden battled back and trailed by just 7 points at halftime, 28-21. Roswell dominated the final 20 minutes to clinch a spot in the 5A championship game, 49-21. [player_tooltip player_id='1118051' first='Mason' last='Greathouse'], a standout DE with offers to play at the next level, caught 3 TD passes for the Coyotes.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Final: Roswell 49, Gadsden 21. Artesia vs. Roswell next Sat. at the Wool Bowl in the Class 5A state championship game. Rematches in 6A and 5A. <a href="https://t.co/GY5xI908Xz">pic.twitter.com/GY5xI908Xz</a>— Prep Redzone New Mexico (@PrepRedzoneNM) <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1860452826381423024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2024</a></blockquote>   St. Pius X Ends Espanola Valley's Magical Season: St. Pius X sophomore QB [player_tooltip player_id='1154948' first='Isaiah' last='Carpenter'] completed 15-of-28 passes for 261 yards and 3 TD to lead the Sartans to their first state championship game appearance since 2016 when they beat Artesia in the Class 5A title game and finished 12-1. Saturday, St. Pius X built a 17-0 halftime lead and expanded the advantage to 31-7 midway through the 3rd quarter before holding off Espanola Valley over the final 13 minutes. Carpenter connected with WR [player_tooltip player_id='1154956' first='Cayl' last='Cox-Liggins'] for a 14-yard TD pass for a 7-0 lead. By halftime, Cox-Liggins had caught 7 passes for 125 yards.   Tylon Wilder's three-year tenure as Espanola Valley's head coach has been filled with firsts. Saturday, the Sundevils competed in a semifinal playoff game for the first time in school history. They finished the season 9-4 and won two playoff games for the first time in school history. Espanola Valley has thrived playing power football. Coming into Saturday's game, they had attempted only 13 passes all season. Saturday, the Sundevils amassed over 350 yards rushing but struggled to score until it was too late.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">If the Sundevils reconvene for another playoff push a year from now, remember that the starting point was this speech right here. <a href="https://t.co/EpTqUe3JB8">pic.twitter.com/EpTqUe3JB8</a>— New Mexican Sports (@sfnmsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/sfnmsports/status/1860456749515571583?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2024</a></blockquote>   Unbeaten Bloomfield Zooms Past Bernalillo: Bloomfield reached the Class 4A state championship game for the second time in three seasons with their SEVENTH mercy-rule win of the season, 65-14, over Bernalillo in the Four Corners. The Bobcats will host St. Pius X in the 4A state championship game on Saturday. Bernalillo actually scored first to take a 7-0 lead on [player_tooltip player_id='1594652' first='Nathan' last='Encinias']' 36-yard run on a pitch from QB [player_tooltip player_id='615632' first='Uriel' last='Castro'], but Bloomfield soon asserted it dominance, scoring three times in the first quarter (2 TD receptions by [player_tooltip player_id='853022' first='Peyton' last='Duncan']) by relying mainly on the powerful throwing arm of QB [player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer'].   He finished the game with 5 TD passes and completed 19-of-29 passes for 366 yards, 300+ yards coming in the first half alone. He has 43 TD passes in 11 games this season. [player_tooltip player_id='1751727' first='Gavin' last='Pecotte'] caught two TD passes in the second quarter to help lift Bloomfield to a 45-14 halftime lead. Bloomfield's defense forced five Bernalillo turnovers – three interceptions and two fumbles  and sacked the Bernalillo QB twice.       Dexter Walks Off Robertson, Will Face St. Michael's: In Saturday's most exciting game, Dexter QB C.J. Granados proved he's more than just one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the state as he booted a 32-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Demons past Robertson, 27-24, in Las Vegas and secure a spot opposite St. Michael's in Saturday's Class 3A state championship game in Santa Fe. Dexter led, 6-3, after a low-scoring first half. The two teams combined for 5 TD in the second half. The winning kick was set up by [player_tooltip player_id='613197' first='Omar' last='Loya']'s 30-yard punt return in the final minute. Granados completed three straight passes to move the ball to the Robertson 15 with 2 seconds left before cooly booting the ball through the uprights to set off a massive celebration among the Dexter players and fans, most of them wearing blue.   Robertson tied the score at 24-24 with 4:55 remaining when freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1613284' first='George' last='Smith'] caught a pass from QB [player_tooltip player_id='615560' first='Jesse' last='James Gonzales'] and scampered 55 yards for the tying TD. St. Michael's, meanwhile, reached the Class 3A state championship game for the fourth straight year with a punishing 46-7 victory over NMMI Friday night in Roswell. The Horsemen amassed 329 yards rushing and 245 passing for 574 total yards of offense. The Horsemen built a 39-0 lead (it was 32-0 at halftime) before NMMI scored for the only time in the game.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">There will be no rematch as Dexter escapes Cardinal Field with 27-24 win. <a href="https://t.co/cnsUQyBHrd">pic.twitter.com/cnsUQyBHrd</a>— New Mexican Sports (@sfnmsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/sfnmsports/status/1860451589565124722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2024</a></blockquote>   Santa Rosa, Texico Advance to 2A Title Game: Surprising Santa Rosa raced out to a 26-0 lead against Loving after the first quarter and cruised to a 47-13 victory over the Falcons, propelling the Lions to their first state championship game since 2018. They added another TD before loving finally scored. But Santa Rosa responded with another TD to grab a 40-7 halftime lead. Meanwhile, Texico, perhaps the quietest defending champion in the state, beat Eunice, 36-27, for their second victory over the Cardinals this season. Texico trailed, 27-20, in the fourth quarter before rallying for two scores, including the clinching TD and 2-point conversion with about a minute left. Texico will play in the Class 2A state championship game for the third year in a row. They faced Eunice (2023) and Jal (2022) the past two years.   Championship Games Set: The championship game matchups are set. Four of the five classifications involve the No. 1 seed facing the No. 2 seed. In Class 6A, No. 3 Cleveland squares off with No. 1 La Cueva at Wilson Stadium in Albuquerque. All five games will kick off simultaneously at 1 p.m. on Sat., Nov. 30.   Class 6A   No. 3 Cleveland at No. 1 La Cueva, 1 pm   Class 5A   No. 2 Artesia at No. 1 Roswell, 1 pm   Class 4A   No. 2 St . Pius X at No. 1 Bloomfield, 1 pm   Class 3A   No. 2 Dexter at No. 1 St. Michael's, 1 p.m.   Class 2A      No. 1 Texico at No. 2 Santa Rosa, 1 p.m.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">SIGHTS & SOUNDS: We have the comprehensive recap & extensive video from Saturday's Class 5A semifinal between Gadsden & Roswell at the iconic Wool Bowl. <a href="https://t.co/UD2XT7jASf">https://t.co/UD2XT7jASf</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoyotesRising?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoyotesRising</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MasonGr8house?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MasonGr8house</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/GadsdenPanthers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GadsdenPanthers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JacobPalomino21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JacobPalomino21</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CarrascoXai?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CarrascoXai</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KeeganNichols_7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KeeganNichols_7</a> <a href="https://t.co/woxSYduRcK">pic.twitter.com/woxSYduRcK</a>— Prep Redzone New Mexico (@PrepRedzoneNM) <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1860581387549454791?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2024</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Made it to the last game! <a href="https://t.co/PYAieqKkM4">pic.twitter.com/PYAieqKkM4</a>— BulldogFootball 🏈🏆x32 (@artesiafootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/artesiafootball/status/1860460189411082289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2024</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">What a battle today in Vegas‼️ Proud of every Demon we have, stepped up and didn't shy away from the challenge. Playoff football baby!!! 🫡🔥🧱 <a href="https://t.co/6q2MHWLche">pic.twitter.com/6q2MHWLche</a>— Dexter Demon Football (@DDemonFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/DDemonFootball/status/1860503816468144421?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2024</a></blockquote>

The 2024 New Mexico high football playoffs completed its third weekend with exciting semifinal action around the state. Here is our comprehensive deep dive into everything that happened on the field: