Weekly Whiparound: First Round Playoffs Edition

The 2024 high football playoffs began this weekend with First Round action unfolding throughout the state. Here is our 12th edition of the Weekly Whiparound, our comprehensive deep dive into everything that happened on the field:   Teams of the Week: Hobbs (6A); Highland (5A); Chaparral (4A); Thoreau (3A); Navajo Prep (2A).   Hobbs earned a quarterfinal round matchup with #1 La Cueva by beating No. 8 Eldorado in the Battle of the Eagles Friday night on the road at Wilson Stadium in Albuquerque. The Eagles jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, scoring less than a minute into the game on a screen pass to RB [player_tooltip player_id='1604984' first='Shamus' last='Wright'], and never trailed. Ahead 21-14 late in the third quarter, the Hobbs defense stopped Eldorado on 4th-and-2 from the Hobbs 28 and the Eagles offense promptly drove 67 yards for a 12-yard TD pass from QB [player_tooltip player_id='1119255' first='Brock' last='Beaty'] to RB [player_tooltip player_id='1422014' first='Omarrion' last='Kennedy'] on the final snap of the third quarter. Kennedyscored the final TD of the game in the 4th quarter.   Highland's main offensive strategy most of the season has been simply to hand the ball to stud RB [player_tooltip player_id='615425' first='Amiri' last='Mumba']. Usually, that strategy has paid huge dividends for the Hornets and it did again in a 20-12 road victory at Miyamura. Mumba rushed for 251 yards and 2 TD on a workhorse 31 carries to spark Highland to its first playoff win in two decades. It was the seventh time this season – and the fifth consecutive game - Mumba has topped 200 yards rushing in a single game. Mumba galloped 63 yards on Highland's 1st offensive snap.   Chaparral lost at Portales in Week 11 by a 44-19 score (but the score was 17-13 going to the 4th quarter), and when the 4A brackets were released last Sunday, the Lobos knew they had to return to Greyhound Stadium but needed to do something different (i.e. a different game plan) to reverse the outcome. Whatever they did, it worked. Chaparral, the No. 12 seed with a 3-7 record, blanked No. 5 Portales, 10-0. The Lobos a completed a 90-yard catch-and-run TD pass from QB Isaiah Nieto to junior WR [player_tooltip player_id='854303' first='Aaron' last='Eliserio'] over the middle for the game's only TD late in the 1st quarter before adding a 31-yard field goal early in the 2nd quarter. Neither team scored in the final 32 minutes of the contest. The Chaparral defense forced four Portales turnovers.       Thoreau was the only team from District 3A-1 to make the playoffs and they took full advantage of their opportunity with a thrilling 22-20 victory over Hope Christian at Milne Stadium. Thoreau scored the winning TD with about 3 minutes left. Hope Christian's dynamic WR/KR [player_tooltip player_id='613163' first='Breylon' last='Williams'] returned the ensuing kickoff for a TD but it was wiped out by a penalty. Hope Christian drove inside the Thoreau 5-yard line but the clock expired to give the Hawks the victory and a quarterfinal matchup with No. 1 seed St. Michael's.                      Player of the Week: [player_tooltip player_id='615425' first='Amiri' last='Mumba'], Highland.   Best Games: Valencia 35, Moriarty 34; Los Lunas 28, Piedra Vista 27.   Valencia won a thriller over Moriarty in a battle between two teams that know a thing or two about running the football. When Moriarty freshman FB [player_tooltip player_id='1613470' first='Rylan' last='Thackerson'] scored a TD with just over 3 minutes remaining, the Pintos decided to go for the two-point conversion and the lead. But the Valencia stopped them, preserving the one-point victory. When Moriarty got the ball back with less than a minute left, Valencia DB [player_tooltip player_id='1604768' first='Santino' last='Mares'] intercepted his second pass of the game. Valenica RB [player_tooltip player_id='1599923' first='Michael' last='Storms III'] scored 3 TD for the Jaguars. His third TD gave Valenica a 35-22 lead before Moriarty rallied and nearly pulled off the road win.      Los Lunas blocked Piedra Vista's 30-yard FG attempt with about a minute remaining to preserve a one-point victory on the Tigers' home field. Piedra Vista scored on a 1-yard rushing TD early in the 4th quarter to take a 27-21 lead and the Panthers seemed ready to spring the upset. But Piedra Vista missed the PAT and that proved to be the difference in the game. Los Lunas responded with [player_tooltip player_id='615687' first='Gage' last='Marquez']'s 6-yard TD run and PAT with about 5 minutes left to take a 28-27 lead. Stud Piedra Vista RB Brig Keiser did not play because of an injury.             Quarterfinals Set: Based on the results of the 1st round, the quarterfinal matchups in Classes 6A-3A have been set. Two Class 2A 1st round games will be played Monday.   Class 6A   Hobbs (9) at La Cueva (1), Sat., 11/16, 1 p.m.   Las Cruces (5) at Volcano Vista (4), Fri., Nov. 15, 7 p.m.   Los Lunas (6) at Cleveland (3), Fri., Nov. 15, 7 p.m.   Rio Rancho (7) at Centennial (2), Fri., Nov. 15, 7 p.m.   Class 5A   Highland (9) at Roswell (1), Fri. 11/15, 7 p.m.   Los Alamos (5) at Gadsden (4), Sat., 11/16, 1 p.m.   Mayfield (6) at Deming (3), Fri., 11/15, 7 p.m.   Lovington (7) at Artesia (2), Sat., 11/16, 1 p.m.   Class 4A   Valencia (8) at Bloomfield (1), Sat., 11/16, 1 p.m.   Chaparral (12) at Bernalillo (4), Fri., 11/15, 6 p.m.   Espanola Valley (6) at Taos (3), Fri., 11/15, 6 p.m.   Grants (7) at St. Pius X (2), Sat., 11/16, 1 p.m.   Class 3A      Thoreau (9) at St. Michael's (1), Sat., 11/16, 1 p.m.   NMMI (5) at Socorro (4), Fri., 11/15, 6 p.m.   West Las Vegas (7) at Robertson (3), Sat., 11/16, 1 p.m.   Hatch Valley (7) at Dexter (2), Fri., 11/15, 7 p.m.   Class 2A   Navajo Prep (8) at Texico (1), Sat. 11/16, 1 p.m.   Eunice (5) at Tularosa (4), Sat., 11/16 1 p.m.   Class 6A Roundup: No. 7 seed Rio Rancho routed Sandia, 47-17, as Rams QB J.J. Arellano rushed for 3 TD and connected with WR [player_tooltip player_id='1259000' first='Jace' last='Pitt'] on three TD passes for 62, 11 and 59 yards to spark a prolific offense. One of Arellano's TD runs was a 74-yard scamper through the Sandia defense. His 59-yard TD run gave Rio Rancho a 40-10 lead late in the 3rd quarter and extinguished Sandia's comeback hopes. . .Las Cruces scored 3 TD in the first quarter and 3 more in the second for a 42-0 halftime lead and the Bulldawgs cruised past No. 12 West Mesa, 49-7, at Field of Dreams to set up the quarterfinal clash Friday night against No. 4 Volcano Vista. RB [player_tooltip player_id='1137388' first='Daniel' last='Amaro'] scored 4 TD for Las Cruces, including a 30-yard screen pass on the final play of the first half, to give him 22 on the season. The West Mesa offense was stymied all night long by the Las Cruces defense and didn't cross midfield until late in the third quarter.             Class 5A Roundup: No. 7 Lovington posted a decisive 55-21 victory over No. 10 Goddard to advance to play Artesia in the quarterfinals. QB Mathew Prudencio scored on a 29-yard draw play for the Wildcats' first points. A few minutes later in the 1Q, RB [player_tooltip player_id='615565' first='Ondalis' last='Cardenas'] scored on a 2-yard run out of the Wildcat formation. [player_tooltip player_id='1137867' first='Elijah' last='Rivero'] caught 21-yard TD pass from Prudencio to make it 20-7 early in the 2nd quarter and Lovington cruised home from there. . .No. 5 Los Alamos eliminated No. 12 Valley with a 49-21 home victory at Sullivan Field. The Hilltoppers beat the Vikings twice in a span of four weeks, scoring a combined 112 points in the two victories. Los Alamos will make the long journey to No. 4 Gadsden in the quarterfinals. . .No. 6 Mayfield trounced No. 11 Belen, 53-7, at Field of Dreams on Saturday. The Trojans built a 15-0 lead after the first quarter and led, 25-7, at halftime. Mayfield broke the game open with 3 TD in the third quarter. Senior Zaiden Salcido caught a 28-yard touchdown pass early in the 3rd quarter. The Trojans scored a pair of TD in the final two minutes on Justin Madrid's Pick-6 interception return for a touchdown and 35-yard run by QB [player_tooltip player_id='1257289' first='Luke' last='Linnan'] made the score 46-7. Madrid added his third TD of the game with 8 minutes remaining.       Class 4A Roundup: No. 6 Espanola Valley scored all the points they would need in the first half as the Sundevils held off No. 11 Manzano, 14-6. As it usually does, Espanola Valley ran the football all day and dominated time of possession. In the first quarter, EVHS took over at the Manzano 32 after a short punt and quickly scored on a TD run by [player_tooltip player_id='1599942' first='Leonard' last='Martinez'], his team-leading 6th of the season, for a 7-0 lead. In the second quarter, Espanola Valley faked a punt to keep a drive alive and it paid off when QB Isaiah Primero powered over from 4 yards out. Manzano scored its only TD with about 7-1/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter but they never got the ball back as the Sundevils drained the remaining time off the clock with a methodical drive. . .No. 7 Grants rallied past No. 10 Silver, 22-16, by scoring on a 90-yard kickoff return by [player_tooltip player_id='1594702' first='Boudy' last='Melonas'] late in the third quarter and a 20-yard scoop and score fumble return by [player_tooltip player_id='1248679' first='Juaquine' last='Rivera'] early in the 4th quarter. Melonas intercepted two passes in the fourth quarter to preserve the 6-point lead.   Class 3A Roundup: No. 5 NMMI rushed for 239 yards and averaged 8.0 yards per carry in a convincing 35-6 victory over No. 12 Hot Springs in Roswell. RB [player_tooltip player_id='1119319' first='Cohen' last='Tomasits'] led the ground assault with 7 carries for 97 yards and 2 TD. He also caught a TD pass and tied for team high in tackles with 7. The Colts led, 22-6, after the 1st quarter and held Hot Springs scoreless the rest of the way. . .Hatch Valley scored two TD in the fourth quarter to rally past Pojoaque Valley, 28-20, in the Chile Capital of the World Saturday. The Bears took the lead for good on a 52-yard TD pass early in the 4th quarter and scored again to expand the lead to 8 points. Because Hatch Valley failed on both 2-point conversion attempts, Pojoaque Valley had an opportunity to tie the score in the final minutes of regulation. The Elks drove into the red zone but were denied on a fourth-down QB sneak. [player_tooltip player_id='1416992' first='D'Marcus' last='Rodriguez'] scored all three touchdowns for Pojoaque Valley. . .No. 6 West Las Vegas set up a quarterfinal showdown with crosstown rival Robertson with a 26-0 victory over Ruidoso. The Dons led by just 7-0, at halftime on RB [player_tooltip player_id='615662' first='Ethan' last='Tafoya']'s 7-yard run. [player_tooltip player_id='613150' first='Jonathon' last='Gonzales'] scored on a 7-yard run to make it 13-0 in the third quarter. WLV ran a flea flicker for their third TD as Tafoya took a handoff on a reverse and then threw a 71-yard TD pass to Deshaun Kensey. WLV QB C.J. Perea surpassed the 8,000 careering passing yardage mark by throwing for 145 yards, becoming just the 10th QB in state history to reach 8,000 yards.   Class 2A Roundup: Eunice stormed out to a 28-0 lead after the 1st quarter and mercy-ruled Laguna-Acoma, 56-6. The Cardinals scored in a variety of ways, including a Pick-6 and punt return in the 1st half. . .In Farmington, Navajo Prep snapped a 16-16 tie with three unanswered TD in the second quarter and went on to beat McCurdy, 54-30. [player_tooltip player_id='1595788' first='Nehemiah' last='Simpson'] scored on a 9-yard rushing TD, QB [player_tooltip player_id='1119659' first='Xavier' last='Nez'] threw a 52-yard TD pass to WR [player_tooltip player_id='1613435' first='Gracin' last='Vigil'] and Nez added a 38-yard TD pass to Levaughn Jim to give the Hawks a 34-16 halftime lead. . .Two Class 2A playoff games will be played Monday: Jal at Raton and Cuba at Loving.      <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">1st Round Playoff Sat. Scoreboard (10/9) Mayfield 53, Belen 7 Lovington 55, Goddard 21 Los Alamos 49, Valley 28 Espanola Valley 14, Manzano 6 Valencia 35, Moriarty 34 Grants 22, Silver 16 West Las Vegas 26, Ruidoso 0 Hatch Valley 28, Pojoaque Valley 20 Eunice 56, Laguna Acoma 6 <a href="https://t.co/SwN1kUIkeP">pic.twitter.com/SwN1kUIkeP</a>— Prep Redzone New Mexico (@PrepRedzoneNM) <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1855396235949019165?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2024</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">First Round Scoreboard - Fri. Nov. 8 6A: Los Lunas 28, Piedra Vista 27 6A: Las Cruces 49, West Mesa 7 6A: Hobbs 35, Eldorado 14 6A: Rio Rancho 47, Sandia 17 5A: Highland 20, Miyamura 12 4A: Chaparral 10, Portales 0 3A: NMMI 35, Hot Springs 6 Thoreau-Hope Christian pending. <a href="https://t.co/FJwbh2NWuK">pic.twitter.com/FJwbh2NWuK</a>— Prep Redzone New Mexico (@PrepRedzoneNM) <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1855113019690287542?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2024</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This is the Hornets first playoff win in 20 years. They will travel to the Wool Bowl and face #1 Roswell in the state Quarterfinals. Congratulations to coach Lovato on his first playoff win at Highland and to the Hornet on their playoff victory! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DOWHATITTAKES?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DOWHATITTAKES</a> <a href="https://t.co/lDdqYBx7Ll">pic.twitter.com/lDdqYBx7Ll</a>— Highland Hornets Football (@HHS_HornetsFB) <a href="https://twitter.com/HHS_HornetsFB/status/1855150192699301892?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2024</a></blockquote>

The 2024 high football playoffs began this weekend with First Round action unfolding throughout the state. Here is our 12^th edition of the Weekly Whiparound, our comprehensive deep dive into everything that happened on the field: