Baker’s Dozen: Week 2 Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025 New Mexico High School football season enters Week 2. The week begins Thursday night with a handful of attractive games around the state and runs through Saturday afternoon. Here are our Top 13 games of Week 2, Best of The Rest and Other Games of what promises to be another exciting season ahead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>GAME OF THE WEEK</strong>: <strong>Volcano Vista at La Cruces (Thur., Field of Dreams)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The best game of Week 2 will be played Thursday night at Field of Dreams. These teams are ranked No. 2 and No. 3 behind Cleveland in the latest MaxPreps rankings. Both teams won in impressive fashion in Week 1, but in entirely different ways. Volcano Vista edged La Cueva, 21-20, in a back-and-forth contest that wasn't decided until the final possession of the game. Las Cruces, meanwhile, mauled rival Mayfield, 61-6, behind strong offenses on both sides of the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Volcano Vista unleased a powerful running game against La Cueva with junior running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1423739' first='D'Angelo' last='Mitchell']</strong> (112 yards on 21 carries) and dual threat QB <strong>Spirit Penn-Cook</strong> (110) inflicting most of the damage on the Bears defense. Penn-Cook exited the game in the second half with an injury, so we'll see if he plays against the Bulldawgs. The Hawks also had plenty of standouts on defense led by leading tacklers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613703' first='Aiden' last='Gonzales']</strong> (11 tackles) and <strong>Ixavier Hansen</strong> (10). They also have one of the top linebackers/edge rushers in the state with 6-foot-5 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1224569' first='Kaleb' last='Vander Wilt']</strong>. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Will the Volcano Vista defense have any success stopping the prolific Las Cruces offense? Clearly, Mayfield couldn't. Here's a scary stat for Las Cruces opponents: QB <strong>Gunnar Guardola</strong> attempted just 9 passes and still threw for over 200 yards, averaging 40.2 yards per completion. The Bulldawgs did most of their damage on the ground with 330 yards. As expected, senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137388' first='Daniel' last='Amaro']</strong> led the way with 126 yards on 11 carries. The Volcano Vista defense should offer more resistance than Mayfield, but the Las Cruce offense is too good not to score points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bulldawg Football Game Fit Week Two! Cruces vs Volcano Vista! <a href="https://twitter.com/LCHSFOOTBALL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LCHSFOOTBALL</a> <a href="https://t.co/Az7y5nPeOY">pic.twitter.com/Az7y5nPeOY</a></p>&mdash; GSC Productions (@gsc_productions) <a href="https://twitter.com/gsc_productions/status/1961054608966791546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Roswell at Alamogordo</strong>: The top cross-classification game of Week 2. Roswell was ruthlessly efficient on both sides of the ball in the Week 1 win over Los Lunas. QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1750685' first='Luke' last='Lynn']</strong> failed to complete just one pass in his starting debut&nbsp; for the Coyotes. The physical Roswell defense held Los Lunas to a pair of field goals. Alamogordo showed signs in Week 1 of being one of the most improved teams in Class 6A as they went to Deming and pulled out a 29-16 win over the Wildcats. The Tigers focused on running the football with dual threat QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600835' first='Nathanael' last='Best']</strong> (106 yards) and speedy <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605059' first='Bryson' last='Bloom']</strong> (70 yards) doing most of the damage. Bloom also had a team-high 9 tackles, so he was outstanding on both sides of the ball. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hobbs at Artesia</strong>: Two of the top Week 1 performances by running backs were by players involved in this game. Hobbs RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604984' first='Shamus' last='Wright']</strong> gained 238 yards on just 14 carries in the Eagles' win over Lea County rival Lovington, while Artesia RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1139144' first='Bryce' last='Parra']</strong> had 195 yards on 9 carries in the Bulldogs' Eddy County War victory over Carlsbad. Because both running games were very productive, neither QB was asked to do much through the air. Will these two teams open things up in the passing game or will they stick to the ground game? If it ain't broke, do you fix it?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Week 2 <a href="https://t.co/GPBR248OAP">pic.twitter.com/GPBR248OAP</a></p>&mdash; BulldogFootball 🏈🏆x32 (@artesiafootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/artesiafootball/status/1959987883760287798?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bernalillo at Highland (Thur.)</strong>: An attractive Thursday night matchup at Milne Stadium. Bernalillo's ‘Goon Squad' defense led by do-everything LB/RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853756' first='Mario' last='Molinar']</strong> came to play in the opener, holding Valley to 14 points. Molinar also directed the offense from the Wildcat formation after QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1752436' first='Anthony' last='Willie']</strong> was injured. Highland began the post-Amiri Mumba Era by showing they should still be able to run the football behind sophomores <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1688720' first='William' last='Anchondo']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613656' first='Andres' last='Acosta']</strong>. Together, they combined for 212 rushing yards in the Week 1 win over Manzano. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cleveland at Los Lunas</strong>: Cleveland and its lethal offense hist the road for the second straight week to start the season. Storm QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='851873' first='Jordan' last='Kekoa Hatch']</strong> completed 18-of-24 passes for 292 yards and 3 TD with 0 interceptions against Centennial in Week 1, proving why he's a leading 2025 New Mexico Heisman Award contender. His trio of wide receivers – <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='851903' first='Jacob' last='Maldonado']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613490' first='Evan' last='Nanez']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1651252' first='Ajay' last='Vigil']</strong> is as good as any in the state. Los Lunas put up a fight against Roswell at the Wool Bowl in Week 1. Tigers QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137088' first='Kaiden' last='Reese']</strong> could give the Storm defense problems with his dual threat skills. This one could be closer than people think. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Clovis at Rio Rancho</strong>: If any game went from afterthought (based on last year's result) to must-watch following Week 1, this is the one. Clovis put last season's frustrations behind them with a thrilling last-minute win over Farmington, earning their first victory since 2023 and scoring more points by far in a single game than any last year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154930' first='Javier' last='Jimenez']</strong> is an elite athlete at QB. Rio Rancho started the season with a lopsided win over Atrisco Heritage. Rams RB <strong>Ethan Rolon</strong> is healthy and he looked good against the Jaguars. DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137902' first='Quintenn' last='McKinley']</strong> leads the Rams defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Piedra Vista at Bloomfield</strong>: The best Week 2 game in the Four Corners. Piedra Vista has been a consistently solid program for years, and they showed that trait again in Week 1 by beating Sandia in OT. <strong>Nick Halvorson</strong> is an underrated RB and dual threat QB <strong>Reuban Marquez</strong> does plenty of good things. Bloomfield showed in Week 1 that they haven't lost a step since last season by routing Belen. QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1751724' first='Manuel' last='Chavarria']</strong> (15-of-25 for 200 yards, 4 TD in opener) looks to be the latest in a long line of outstanding Bloomfield quarterbacks. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853022' first='Peyton' last='Duncan']</strong> is an elite RB.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Valencia at Gadsden</strong>: The No. 1 storyline here will be the combat between Valencia RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1599923' first='Michael' last='Storms III']</strong> and the rugged Gadsden defensive front seven. Storms has amassed nearly 2,000 rushing yards and 25 TD in his last 12 games. He's averaging 6.8 yards per carry. Storms will be tested by a Gadsden defense led by next level DE <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854198' first='Alexander' last='Lopez']</strong>, DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1751396' first='Santiago' last='Segura']</strong> and LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1751399' first='Rocky' last='Rodriguez']</strong> (team-high 10 tackles vs. Chaparral in opener). It should be quite the battle. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Pius X at Grants</strong>: The battle between the St. Pius X offense, which looks like a video game at times, and the Grants defense will be worth the price of admission. You need a calculator to count up the Sartans' vast array of offensive weapons, starting with QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154948' first='Isaiah' last='Carpenter']</strong> (399 passing yards vs. West Mesa) and RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154954' first='Hershul' last='Olloway']</strong> (176 rushing yards). But they'll be challenged this week by a stout Grants defense led by incredibly strong DE <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='851894' first='Gary' last='Chavez']</strong>, who had 10 tackles, 4.0 TFL and 2 sacks in the Pirates' Week 1 win at 5A Miyamura. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Las Vegas at Dexter</strong>: The post-CJ Perea Era at West Las Vegas began on a positive note as the Dons beat Hatch Valley, 34-18, at home. West Las Vegas displayed a balanced rushing attack led by senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853064' first='Devaughn' last='Kensey']</strong>, who is now WLV's No. 1 RB. Dexter looked the part of a Class 3A championship contender by going to Jal and mercy-ruling the Panthers. Dexter QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155032' first='CJ' last='Granados']</strong> is arguably the best signal caller in 3A. He was an efficient 10-of-13 passing in the opener while Dexter rushed for 300 yards on 43 carries. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cobre at Robertson</strong>: Few teams have to travel farther than Cobre this week as the Indians make the long, long trip to Las Vegas. Cobre beat McCurdy, 40-20 in Week 1. Robertson went to Socorro in Week 1 and blanked the Warriors, 34-0, in Lucas Sanchez's impressive debut as Cardinals head coach.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hot Springs at Pojoaque Valley</strong>: Hot Springs makes the long trip to Pojoaque, which is located about 20 miles north of Santa Fe. Two up-and-coming programs in Class 3A looking to take the next step. Hot Springs QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613430' first='Zaiden' last='Baker']</strong> showed excellent accuracy (16-of-25 passing, 64 percent) and limited mistakes (0 INT) in the Tigers Week 1 win. Pojoaque Valley's No. 1 goal on offense is to run the football. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1416992' first='D'Marcus' last='Rodriguez']</strong> keyed the Week 1 win at Crownpoint with 129 yards rushing. His backfield partner, <strong>Jonah Villeges</strong>, didn't play. Elks QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248677' first='Joshua' last='Gonzales']</strong> is a dangerous dual threat. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hope Christian at Legacy Academy (Sat.)</strong>: Both teams posted lopsided victories in Week 1. Outstanding QB battle between <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137124' first='RJ' last='Montoya']</strong> of Hope Christian and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600087' first='Lorenzo' last='Sedillo-Urban']</strong> of Legacy Academy. Socorro transfer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137096' first='Jay' last='Lee']</strong> immediately earned BMOC status on campus by returning 3 punts for touchdowns in his Silverbacks debut. This is a budding rivalry in Albuquerque.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1855855,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-27-at-13-32-26-Facebook.png?w=454" alt="" class="wp-image-1855855" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Facebook</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BEST OF THE REST</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Goddard at Carlsbad</strong>: Goddard registered an impressive road win at Portales in Week 1. Carlsbad looking to bounce back after the Eddy County War loss to Artesia.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cibola at Sandia</strong>: Both teams are coming off frustrating Week 1 setbacks. One team will feel a lot better about things after this game. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NMMI at Loving</strong>: Watch out for Loving in Class 2A. The Falcons are talented.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Atrisco Heritage at Centennial</strong>: Atrisco Heritage continues their challenging start to the season. Centennial ready to show they're better than their showing in the Cleveland game. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Portales at Lovington</strong>: Two teams looking to bounce back after Week 1 losses. Portales freshman QB [player_tooltip player_id='1581314' first='Kingston' last='Lee'] is a top 2029 prospect. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mayfield at West Mesa</strong>: Both teams must shore things up defensively if they want to enjoy successful seasons. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Organ Mountain at Deming</strong>: Two more teams coming off Week 1 losses. Both teams must do more offensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Albuquerque High at Valley</strong> (Sat., 3 p.m.): Albuquerque High's quest to make the playoffs for the 1^st time in three decades got off to a nice start with a close win over Cibola. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1855856,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-27-at-13-33-03-Facebook.png?w=441" alt="" class="wp-image-1855856" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Facebook</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NEW MEXICO VS. TEXAS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Santa Teresa at El Paso (TX) Mountain View</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bovina (TX) at Texico</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NEW MEXICO VS. COLORADO</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Durango (CO) at Farmington</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kirtland Central at Pagosa Springs (CO)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crownpoint at Montezuma-Cortez (CO)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Raton at Lamar (CO)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NEW MEXICO VS. ARIZONA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Phoenix (AZ) Pinnacle at La Cueva</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OTHER GAMES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taos at Los Alamos</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Albuquerque Academy at Del Norte</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Manzano at Rio Grande</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Miyamura at Aztec</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Capital at St. Michael's (Sat.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cuba at Espanola Valley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shiprock at Moriarty</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ruidoso at Tularosa</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Silver at Gallup</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Santa Fe Indian at Newcomb</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Santa Fe at Belen</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Santa Rosa at Jal</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eunice at Estancia</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thoreau at Socorro</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tohatchi at Tucumcari</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chaparral at Hatch Valley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hozho Academy at Atherton (CA) Menlo School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Zuni at Laguna-Acoma</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Friday is our home opener. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsGo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetsGo</a> <a href="https://t.co/9omNtfZohq">pic.twitter.com/9omNtfZohq</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1599883' first='Lance' last='Volk'] (@LanceVolk_65) <a href="https://twitter.com/LanceVolk_65/status/1960546014034805176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">2nd week game!!!! Let's go hawks 🔥🔥!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GATA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GATA</a><br><br>Family and friends let's pack that stadium like we did last week!!!! These boys need all of our support!!!! Here is the link to get your tickets <a href="https://t.co/ZTbNzB77xf">https://t.co/ZTbNzB77xf</a> <a href="https://t.co/qlzyP4sQJs">pic.twitter.com/qlzyP4sQJs</a></p>&mdash; Volcano Vista HS Football (@vvhsfootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/vvhsfootball/status/1961025831452717107?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->