2025 Team Preview: Sandia Matadors

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 SANDIA PREVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OVERVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fear not, Sandia football fans. Just because new Matadors head football coach Tylon Wilder directed a run-dominant scheme at Espanola Valley the past two years doesn't mean he'll rely on the same offensive philosophy at Sandia. Especially since he knows he has a talented young quarterback with a powerful throwing arm at his disposal in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We're still going to be physical and pound the ball,” Wilder told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “But the scheme will be a little bit different. I don't think we're going to run the wishbone like we did last year, but we have to be physical. We have to dominate the line of scrimmage. But we're going to throw too.” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wilder proved he wasn't tied down to one scheme at Espanola Valley. In 2022, his first season there, the Sundevils threw the ball 224 times in 10 games compared to 277 rushing attempts. The following season (2023), Espanola Valley threw the ball 91 times vs. 372 rushes. Last fall, the Sundevils threw the ball just 15 times in 13 games. The scheme, though, worked like a charm as Espanola Valley won 9 games and reached the Class 4A semifinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“It's all based on personnel,” Wilder said. “We're going to be what our personal allows us to be. That's what I did at Espanola Valley. My first year at Espanola, we had the leading passing attack in 4A. But we had a quarterback who could do it. The past two years, we didn't have a quarterback who was a pure passer. We had a good offensive line and good running backs, so we did what our personnel dictated.” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OFFENSE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3 Players To Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='1594010' first='Jahleel' last='Lewis'] </strong>(QB)<strong>, [player_tooltip player_id='1613382' first='Gad' last='Harris'] </strong>(RB)<strong>, [player_tooltip player_id='1155132' first='Aiden' last='Maldonado'] </strong>(RB)<strong>.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After getting his feet wet as a freshman in 2023, 6-foot-4, 215-pound rising junior QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594010' first='Jahleel' last='Lewis']</strong> debuted as a varsity signal caller last season for the Matadors. He threw for 1,613 yards and 17 TD while rushing for close to 400 yards. Wilder plans to take full advantage of Lewis' impressive skill set, allowing him to make higher percentage throws and designed runs. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“[player_tooltip player_id='1594010' first='Jahleel' last='Lewis'] is big (physically) and has a big arm,” Wilder said. “We're going to unleash him and let him throw as much as he can throw. We're going to let him throw. He's being recruited. He's going to camps. I don't want to just put him under center and let him hand off. That wouldn't be fair to him because he can throw. We have him for a couple more years, so we're going to keep developing him. He's coachable and he executes. We believe he's going to be a star. It's going to be an interesting ride over the next couple of years.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sandia's leading returning rusher is rising sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613382' first='Gad' last='Harris']</strong>,  a dynamic athlete who's coming off an impressive hoops season. Wilder anticipates Harris will understandably divide his attention between basketball and football this summer. Harris has been offered by New Mexico Highlands in basketball.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We've started doing some drills and implementing Gad into the scheme,” Wilder said. “He had Jahleel seem to work real well together. If Jaheel is not throwing or running it, Gad is going to have the ball. We're designing some plays for him to run between the tackles and run in space and do the things I know he can do. He's going to be special. We're going to figure out a way where he can do both basketball and football. He's a good enough athlete where you just give him the ball and he'll go to work. I like him a lot.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155132' first='Aiden' last='Maldonado']</strong>, who was utilized mainly as an H-Back in 2024, should also get some carries at running back. He impressed scouts with his size (200+ pounds) and speed at the Prep Redzone Stock Up Showcase in January and the College Prospect ID camp in February. Wilder envisions Harris and Maldonado becoming a ‘Thunder and Lightning' type combination. Maldonado also made 61 tackles with 11.0 TFL on defense and will likely play both ways again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sandia's top two receivers last season were seniors, so the Matadors are rebuilding at that position. In fact, Wilder said the receiver position is ‘wide open' heading into the summer months.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We have some good kids who should be able to do it, but right now we don't know who they will be,” Wilder said. “We're hoping that kids show up and want to take it.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With no starters returning, Sandia will be extremely young along the offensive line. One of them is expected to be rising sophomore Texas transfer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1684478' first='Rylan' last='Roof']</strong>, who is currently about 6-foot-1, 270 pounds with plenty of muscle. Rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1679933' first='Eli' last='McGovern']</strong> will likely start at center.                </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DEFENSE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2 Players To Watch</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155132' first='Aiden' last='Maldonado']</strong> (LB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672502' first='Izzy' last='Lopez']</strong> (DB).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ten of Sandia‘s top 12 tacklers last season were seniors, so the Matadors will be relying on numerous inexperienced players on that side of the ball. One of the exceptions will be <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155132' first='Aiden' last='Maldonado']</strong>, Sandia's top returning tackler (61 tackles, 11 QB hurries in 2024) and he'll play both ways. Maldonado will line up at linebacker and has already emerged as the defensive leader in spring workouts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rising senior DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672502' first='Izzy' last='Lopez']</strong> was a ballhawk on defense with 49 tackles and 2 interceptions in 2024. He's expected to play free safety.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“The coaches are going to have their work cut out trying to find so many kids who haven't played varsity football,” Wilder said. “Some freshmen are going to have to play. We're going to be very young. But that's the fun part of it. We're going to have to coach a lot of football. The kids who are showing up every day are motivated and working very hard. They just don't have much experience. We're going to coach the heck out of them and put them in the right positions.” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 Sandia Football Schedule:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 22 at Piedra Vista</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 29 CIBOLA</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 5 VOLCANO VISTA</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 12 at La Cueva*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 19 at Santa Fe*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 26 at Atrisco Heritage*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 3 Bye</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 10 ELDORADO*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 17 at West Mesa*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 24 ALBUQUERQUE HIGH*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 31 LOS LUNAS*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Got some more work today! <a href="https://twitter.com/tony_mccoy3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tony_mccoy3</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/_andrewhenry?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_andrewhenry</a> <a href="https://t.co/J2hma6evNE">pic.twitter.com/J2hma6evNE</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1594010' first='Jahleel' last='Lewis'] (@JahleelLewis1) <a href="https://twitter.com/JahleelLewis1/status/1903844040824766588?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">2027 Sandia LB [player_tooltip player_id='1155132' first='Aiden' last='Maldonado'] runs well for a guy who&#039;s about 6-foot-0, 200 pounds. Just a sophomore. <a href="https://t.co/ZxxNRM49kq">pic.twitter.com/ZxxNRM49kq</a></p>&mdash; Prep Redzone New Mexico (@PrepRedzoneNM) <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1883235884029604336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->