NMHSCA Small School All Star Game: Top 16 Prospects To Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The annual New Mexico High School Coaches Association Big School and Small School All Star Games will be played Saturday at the Bulldog Bowl in Artesia. Here are 16 Players to Watch In The Small School (Class 3A-2A) Game:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119205' first='Alex' last='Fuentes'], Texico</strong>: Making his case for being the best RB at the small school level, Fuentes keyed Texico's unbeaten season – along with the massive offensive line – by rushing for 1,589 yards and 27 TD during te regular season. He averaged about 9 yards per carry. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119120' first='Kaesn' last='George'], Dexter</strong>: George and Dexter fell just short of winning the Class 3A title, but George enjoyed an outstanding season with over 400 yards rushing and 32 receptions for 738 yards. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615560' first='Jesse' last='James Gonzales'], Robertson</strong>: Gonzales was one of 10 finalists for our 2024 New Mexican Heisman Award for a reason. He's one of the top dual threat quarterbacks in the state. He threw for close to 2,000 yards, rushed for over 1,000 yards (making him a member of the prestigious 1,000-1,000 club) and accounted for 39 TD. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615689' first='Trenton' last='Hall'], Ruidoso</strong>: Another two-way standout, Hall and his Ruidoso teammates endured a difficult year both on and off the field. Defensively, Hall was fantastic, leading the Warriors with 117 tackles, tying him for 8^th in the state. He had 10+ tackles six times.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1258904' first='Samuel' last='McCargish'], NMMI</strong>: With a 6-foot-5, 270-pound frame, McCargish is one of the top small school offensive linemen in the state, he's powered NMMI's ground attack for the past couple of years. Offered by New Mexico Highlands and College of Idaho. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613750' first='Chase' last='Middlebrook'], Raton</strong>: Raton moved from Class 3A to 2A for the 2024-25 cycle. Middlebrook flourished on the defensive side of the ball with 74 tackles and 2 forced fumbles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613184' first='Isaiah' last='Ocampo'], Socorro</strong>: Ocampo has been the engine behind Socorro's prolific offense for two years. He's a two-time member of the 1,000-1,000 club. He threw for nearly 2,600 yards, rushed for close to 1,291 yards and accounted for 45 TD in 11 games this past season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jose Olivas, Loving</strong>: Played OL/DL for the Falcons, who reached the Class 2A semifinals. Made 56 tackles on defense with 10.0 TFL and 5.0 sacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fabien Pacheco, Tularosa</strong>: Outstanding two-way player for the Wildcats this season. Caught 32 passes for 449 yards and 3 TD while making a team-high 60 tackle son defense. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613133' first='Joseph' last='Sanchez'], St. Michael's</strong>: One of the top OL in Class 3A. Good size at 6-foot-1, 250 pounds. One of the Horsemen's captains. Major role in St. Michael's powerful ground game this season. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1595657' first='Noah' last='Sanchez'], Legacy Academy</strong>: Legacy Academy had a fantastic first year playing 11-man football. The Silverbacks reached the 2A semifinals. Sanchez was a major contributor on both sides of the ball. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613691' first='Taye' last='Smith'], Texico</strong>: The Wolverines dominated in the trenches this season, a big reason they went a perfect 12-0 and won the 2A title. The 6-foot-2, 250-pound Smith had 33 tackles, 9.0 sacks and 25 QB hurries. Eastern New Mexico has offered.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615662' first='Ethan' last='Tafoya'], West Las Vegas</strong>: Tafoya emerged as one of the top offensive weapons in Class 3A this season. Valuable role in the Dons' very balanced rushing attack and caught a team-high 52 passes for 580 yards as an intermediate range receiver.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Derek Victorino, Laguna Acoma</strong>: As Laguna Acoma's quarterback, Victorino rushed for 1,147 yards and 18 TD to lead the Hawks to the 2A playoffs. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613163' first='Breylon' last='Williams'], Hope Christian</strong>: Williams led all of Class 3A by a wide margin with 78 receptions for 1,510 yards and 17 TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615650' first='Eljan' last='Woods'], Eunice</strong>: Class 2A was blessed with plenty of talented ball carriers in 2024. Woods was one of 8 with over 1,000 yards rushing. He finished with 1,116 rushing yards and 14 TD in 11 games, combining with QB [player_tooltip player_id='854273' first='Elijah' last='Melancon']&nbsp; to form one of the top QB-RB duos in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Check out my Senior Regular Season highlights! The wolverines have obtained a 9-0 record and we are heading into the quarterfinals.<br>-27 Touchdowns<br>-1,589 yards<br>-Avg 9 yards per carry<a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_Herrera3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Coach_Herrera3</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/GilbreathBob?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GilbreathBob</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> @nm_PrepCoSports <a href="https://t.co/rYTMWmT2UQ">https://t.co/rYTMWmT2UQ</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1119205' first='Alex' last='Fuentes'] (@Alex_Fuentes8) <a href="https://twitter.com/Alex_Fuentes8/status/1855377337136697626?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Regular Szn tape‼️ C/O 2025<br><br>10-0 #2 seed in 3A<br>-1281 all purpose yards <br>-15 tds <a href="https://twitter.com/DDemonFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DDemonFootball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://t.co/8Oxk6nhl6h">https://t.co/8Oxk6nhl6h</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1119120' first='Kaesn' last='George'] (@GeorgeKaesn) <a href="https://twitter.com/GeorgeKaesn/status/1855402621072208094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Junior powerlifter Sam McCargish took 1st place in the 308lb class at the Capitan Powerlifting Meet on Friday with a total weight of 1195lbs. He further cemented his school record in back squat at 440lbs.<br>McCargish is ranked No. 1 in the state at 275lbs for Classes 1A-3A! <a href="https://t.co/Ttq6ghKamC">pic.twitter.com/Ttq6ghKamC</a></p>&mdash; NMMI Athletics (@NMMIAthletics) <a href="https://twitter.com/NMMIAthletics/status/1761568395969822933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Check out Smith Taye&#039;s highlight tape on <a href="https://twitter.com/Hudl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Hudl</a> <a href="https://t.co/1ftH0FxuWY">https://t.co/1ftH0FxuWY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hudl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#hudl</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='613691' first='Taye' last='Smith'] (@TayeSmith58) <a href="https://twitter.com/TayeSmith58/status/1658859132093431809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2023</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->