2025 Team Preview: West Mesa Mustangs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 WEST MESA PREVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OVERVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two years removed from current New Mexico LB Elijah Brody quarterbacking West Mesa, the Mustangs are still searching for that elusive first playoff victory. They have qualified for the Class 6A playoffs the past two seasons as the No. 12 seed, but have exited quickly with first-round losses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“That's our goal, winning a playoff game,” West Mesa head coach Landrick Brody told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “We've talked about it for a while. Early on, it was exciting for us just to get in, but now our players who are older that started the program with me four years ago want to win a playoff game. Our culture is intact.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OFFENSE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3 Players To Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='1672385' first='Jaedon' last='Woods']</strong> (QB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672389' first='Logan' last='Jacobson-Waldrep']</strong> (RB), <strong>Marcos Ochoa</strong> (WR).&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Mesa has for past few years had some outstanding talent at the offensive skill positions, and this year should be no different. Rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672385' first='Jaedon' last='Woods']</strong> started the opening game at quarterback last season but suffered an injury and missed multiple games. Eventually, he divided snaps with a senior. Woods is back and he'll compete with sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1684430' first='Jericho' last='Brody']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“It will be a very good spring battle,” Landrick Brody said. “Jericho is young. But he has a good football IQ because he has been around it for a long time. He's only going to be a sophomore this fall, but he's already about 6 feet tall. Jaedon brings a lot of experience to the table.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“He's super athletic and he'll do a lot of things for us. Both of our guys will allow us to some things at quarterback. They both throw the ball decently. They can spin it pretty well. Their athleticism and being able to throw the ball well will create a couple of extra dimensions for us offensively.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672389' first='Logan' last='Jacobson-Waldrep']</strong> was West Mesa's second leading rusher last season with over 500 yards and 6 TD on nearly 100 carries. He'll ascend to the No. 1 RB role in 2025. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680028' first='Max' last='Romero']</strong> should claim the No. 2 RBN job and he's described as a ‘change of pace' back. He's not big but he has impressive speed and isn't afraid of contact. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Logan is probably the most complete running back I've had in my four years here,” Brody said. “He's going to be a good one. Max is a tough dude. He'll be a good complement to Logan, especially in those two-back sets we like to run.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Mesa's wide receiver unit could be elite with rising senior <strong>Marcos Ochoa</strong> and rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680035' first='Isaiah' last='Cazares']</strong> both returning. Both have great speed, and run track for the Mustangs' 4x100 relay team that qualified for the upcoming state track meet. Ochoa has also qualified for the 100-meter dash. Rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680039' first='Giovanni' last='Martinez']</strong> (younger brother of former West Mesa WR Ricky Martinez) will likely be the third receiver.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“If we have a guy that can play Division I football, it's Marcos,” Brody said. “He has good size and weight about 180 pounds. He's blazing fast. Isaiah had a good year as a sophomore, but you could tell it was a big jump from his freshman year. He's hit a growth spurt and he's taking the weight room seriously this offseason. Speed-wise, he might be faster than Marcos.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mustangs return three of five starters from a massive offensive line in 2024: 6-foot-3, 300-pound rising senior OT <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672395' first='Noah' last='Ortega']</strong>, rising senior OT <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1748964' first='Daniel' last='Nunez']</strong> and rising senior center <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1749009' first='Ayden' last='Gonzales']</strong>. Several candidates are competing for the other two spots, including rising junior <strong>Martin Hernandez, </strong>rising sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1272734' first='Josiah' last='Chavez']</strong> and rising junior <strong>Elias Lopez</strong>. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DEFENSE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3 Players To Watch</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672398' first='Saul' last='Peregrina']</strong> (DL), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672402' first='Gabriel' last='Guiterrez']</strong> (DL), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672405' first='Hasaiah' last='Fuller']</strong> (DB). &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Along the defensive line, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672398' first='Saul' last='Peregrina']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672402' first='Gabriel' last='Guiterrez']</strong> (35 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 4 QB hurries) are returning starters. Rising sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1825997' first='Christopher' last='Martinez']</strong> is a promising newcomer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680043' first='Larry' last='Varoz']</strong> headlines the linebacker corps in West Mesa's 4-2-5 scheme. Several candidates are competing for the other LB spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Mesa has a history of producing next level defensive backs (two from the 2025 class signed) and this year should be no different. Rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672405' first='Hasaiah' last='Fuller'] </strong>has good size at 6-fooot-1, 170 pounds. He's rangy and athletic and loves to hit. He'll likely play at safety but his coverage skills could be useful at cornerback as well. Rising senior <strong>Ian Maestas</strong> makes the jump to varsity after seeing limited action in 2024. Rising sophomores <strong>Noah Jackson </strong>and<strong> Max Amaya </strong>will be in the mix as well. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 West Mesa Football Schedule:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 23 at St. Pius X (Sat., 11 a.m.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 29 MAYFIELD &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 4 &nbsp;Bye</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 12 &nbsp;at Volcano Vista</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 19 LOS LUNAS* &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 25 at La Cueva (Thur., 7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 4 at Atrisco Heritage (Sat., 3 p.m.)* &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 10 ALBUQUERQUE HIGH* &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 16 SANDIA (Thur., 7 p.m.) *</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 23 at Eldorado (Thur. 7 p.m.)* &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 30 SANTA FE (Thur., 7 p.m.)* &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>* District 6A-2 Game</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="da" dir="ltr">🚨Junior season highlights🚨<br>-17 receptions<br>-324rec yds <br>-1rec tds<br>-28 rush atts<br>-208 rush yds<br>-1 rush tds<br>-530 Rtrn yds<br>-2 rtrn yds<br>-1,062 comb yds<br>-4 comb tds <br>⁦⁩- <a href="https://t.co/47QcHuPAZH">https://t.co/47QcHuPAZH</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1351247' first='Marcos' last='Perea Ochoa'] (@Marcos_Perea3) <a href="https://twitter.com/Marcos_Perea3/status/1867284448326438961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Juinor Season highlights <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachBrody_34?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachBrody_34</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachMArchibald?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachMArchibald</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/tony_mccoy3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tony_mccoy3</a> <a href="https://t.co/wqsC6yHhKG">pic.twitter.com/wqsC6yHhKG</a></p>&mdash; Ian Maestas (@IanMaestas247) <a href="https://twitter.com/IanMaestas247/status/1911868857138155984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->