Top Storylines for 2025: Class 2A

It's been more than four months since the 2024 state championship games were played Thanksgiving weekend. Some teams have already started offseason workouts. Here are the top storylines in Class 2A for the 2025 season:   Will Texico Three-Peat? The Texico Wolverines have gone 23-2 over the past two seasons and go into the 2025 campaign as the two-time Class 2A state champions. They haven't lost since midway through the 2023 season and will carry an 18-game winning streak into the fall. Yes, Texico loses some major contributors from last season but 6-foot-4 rising senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1343408' first='Bennett' last='Wahlen'] returns along with No. 2 running back [player_tooltip player_id='1604779' first='Jett' last='Curtis'], who had over 600 rushing yards as a sophomore in 2024. Texico should be strong in the trenches again. Defensively, four of their top six tacklers are back. Texico should be one of the favorites to win the title in 2025.      Will Eunice QB [player_tooltip player_id='854273' first='Elijah' last='Melancon'] Make History? According to the NMAA record book, just three quarterbacks in state history have thrown for over 10,000 yards in their careers. The last one to accomplish the feat was Easton Bruere at Rio Rancho in 2014. Going into the 2025 season, Eunice QB [player_tooltip player_id='854273' first='Elijah' last='Melancon'], who has been the Cardinals starting signal caller since he was a freshman, is well within striking distance of the magical figure. He has passed for 8,044 yards and 115 TD in his first three years. He threw for a career high 3,338 yards and 43 TD in 2024. If he throws for at least 2,956 yards in 2025, he'll become just the 2nd QB in state history to reach 11,000 career passing yards.              Who's The Best Quarterback? We've already talked about [player_tooltip player_id='1343408' first='Bennett' last='Wahlen'] (Texico) and [player_tooltip player_id='854273' first='Elijah' last='Melancon'] (Eunice). They deserve to be ranked as the top two QBs in Class 2A going into the 2025 season. After that, there are several quarterbacks deserving of attention: [player_tooltip player_id='1137875' first='Tristen' last='Onsurez'] (Loving), [player_tooltip player_id='1600830' first='Daniel' last='Ornelas'] (Jal) and [player_tooltip player_id='1600087' first='Lorenzo' last='Sedillo-Urban'] (Legacy Academy) all threw for 1,300+ passing yards in 2025. All three are highly productive dual threat quarterbacks. In fact, Onsurez joined the prestigious 1,000-1,000 club in 2024 when he passed for 1,330 yards and rushed for 1,071 yards in leading the Falcons to the 2A semifinals. Santa Rosa QB [player_tooltip player_id='854312' first='Josh' last='Cordova'] rushed for 1,521 yards and 24 TD on 200 carries in 2024.   Who's the Best Running Back? The top returning running back is Newcomb's [player_tooltip player_id='1600856' first='Landon' last='Noble'], who rushed for 1,411 yards and 11 TD to fuel the Skyhawks' run-dominated attack. However, because Newcomb didn't make the playoffs, he was probably overlooked by many folks. After Noble, [player_tooltip player_id='854281' first='Bobby' last='Parraz'] (833 yards), [player_tooltip player_id='1672586' first='Leon' last='Maxwell-Priesen'] (Estancia), [player_tooltip player_id='1600864' first='Jose' last='Chaparro'] (Estancia), [player_tooltip player_id='854299' first='David' last='Chavez'] (Santa Rosa) and [player_tooltip player_id='1600987' first='Ekahi' last='Tiller'] (Laguna Acoma) all return for their senior seasons. Texico RB [player_tooltip player_id='1604779' first='Jett' last='Curtis'] is the top returning rising junior.                     Who's The Best Wide Receiver? Melancon has a talented target in rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1600116' first='Dyson' last='Lord'], who had 40 receptions for 838 yards and 11 TD in 2024, averaging over 20 yards per catch. [player_tooltip player_id='1600110' first='Bryant' last='Scales'] had 31 receptions for 587 yards for Legacy Academy. LeVaughn Jim (Navajo Prep) and Tularosa teammates [player_tooltip player_id='1600905' first='Ayden' last='Esquero'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1155336' first='Kade' last='Lockner'] all had solid seasons in 2024. The Walton Legacy at Raton lives on with rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1604784' first='Cael' last='Walton'].               Top Breakout Player of the Year Contenders: Is there a more under-the-radar player in the state than Jal DL/TE [player_tooltip player_id='1600122' first='David' last='Gaytan']? Gaytan made 153 tackles, 9 QB hurries and 3 forced fumbles in 2024, yet most high school football followers in the state probably don't know who he is. In addition to joining the 1,000-1,000 club, Loving's Tristan Onsurez also made 38 tackles on defense in 2024. Through his talent and tenacity, [player_tooltip player_id='854312' first='Josh' last='Cordova'] of Santa Rosa willed the Lions to the Class 2A state championship game last November. Watch out for Santa Rosa. Many significant contributors on both sides of the ball from last season return in 2025.              Who Are The Top Returning Defensive Players? Besides [player_tooltip player_id='1600122' first='David' last='Gaytan'] (see above), two other 100+ tacklers return in 2025 – [player_tooltip player_id='1599529' first='Braven' last='Vasquez'] (Loving) and [player_tooltip player_id='854299' first='David' last='Chavez'] (Santa Rosa). [player_tooltip player_id='1600987' first='Ekahi' last='Tiller'] (85 tackles in 2024) of Laguna-Acoma is an outstanding two-way player. Legacy Academy DL [player_tooltip player_id='1595699' first='Zachary' last='Perea'] (51 tackles, 13.0 sacks) has next level aspirations. Rising junior [player_tooltip player_id='1606048' first='Xander' last='Chavez'] had 82 tackles as a sophomore. [player_tooltip player_id='1604784' first='Cael' last='Walton'] had 66 tackles for Raton as a sophomore.   Team on the Rise: Cuba finished 4-7 season last season and reached the 2A playoffs. But the Rams have plenty of talent returning, starting with dual threat QB [player_tooltip player_id='854274' first='Richard' last='Lovato'], WR [player_tooltip player_id='854296' first='Dylan' last='Sandoval'] and four of their top six tacklers (Sandoval is the top returning tackler), all of whom had 40+ tackles in 2024. Cuba could make some noise in 2025.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Week 7 highlights vs Texico 19-39 passing, 317 yards, 4 TD 8 carries, 50 yards <a href="https://t.co/DuP7dfNPiP">pic.twitter.com/DuP7dfNPiP</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='854273' first='Elijah' last='Melancon'] (@Elijah_2412) <a href="https://twitter.com/Elijah_2412/status/1868440516469149765?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2024</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Congrats to our 2024 Football All-State players! 1st Team: <a href="https://twitter.com/LukeSanchezLA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LukeSanchezLA</a> (OL), [player_tooltip player_id='1595633' first='Adam' last='Chavez'] (WR), [player_tooltip player_id='1595652' first='AJ' last='Quesada'] (LB) 2nd Team: [player_tooltip player_id='1600110' first='Bryant' last='Scales'], [player_tooltip player_id='1595652' first='AJ' last='Quesada'] (RB), <a href="https://twitter.com/perea_zach?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@perea_zach</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/LukeSanchezLA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LukeSanchezLA</a> (DL), [player_tooltip player_id='1595633' first='Adam' last='Chavez'] (DB) Hon. Mention: <a href="https://twitter.com/lo_sedillourban?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lo_sedillourban</a>, Rudy Ramirez, Makoa Lapilio <a href="https://t.co/UzxdgCHgeG">pic.twitter.com/UzxdgCHgeG</a>— Legacy Academy Football (Silverbacks) (@legacyacademyFB) <a href="https://twitter.com/legacyacademyFB/status/1866706791972950326?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">FOOTBALL: Texico beat Santa Rosa 50-0 in the Class 2A Final of the 2024 Nusenda Credit Union State Football Championships. It's their 2nd straight state title. The Wolverines finish the season undefeated. Here are the highlights (courtesy NFHS network). <a href="https://twitter.com/nusendacu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nusendacu</a> <a href="https://t.co/9sxA0L70er">pic.twitter.com/9sxA0L70er</a>— NMAA (@_NMAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1863065113235783966?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2024</a></blockquote>

It's been more than four months since the 2024 state championship games were played Thanksgiving weekend. Some teams have already started offseason workouts. Here are the top storylines in Class 2A for the 2025 season: