Baker's Dozen: Week 6 Preview

The 2025 New Mexico High School football season enters Week 6. The action begins Thursday night and continues through Saturday afternoon. Here are our Top 13 games of Week 6, Best of The Rest and Other Games of what promises to be another exciting week.   GAME OF THE WEEK: Lovington at Artesia (Fri., 7 p.m., Bulldog Bowl)   The biggest games of Week 6 are in the southern region, and this District 5A-2 matchup is the most intriguing of them all.  Why? Everything boils down to this question – who‘s going to step up and challenge Class 5A's Big Two of Artesia and Roswell? Gadsden had an opportunity last week but lost badly to the Bulldogs in one half of football. Now Lovington gets another shot to prove they belong in the top tier of Class 5A after losing a hard-fought battle to Roswell two weeks ago at the Wool Bowl. [player_tooltip player_id='1137475' first='Jayden' last='Gutierrez'] was effective as the Wildcats' starting QB last week in the win over Goddard. [player_tooltip player_id='1137867' first='Elijah' last='Rivero'] has 26 receptions in 5 games.   Seeing Artesia live last week was eye-opening. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1672571' first='Derrick' last='Warren'] can sling it at quarterback and he's already thrown for over 1,000 yards and 13 TD. Speedy [player_tooltip player_id='1139144' first='Bryce' last='Parra'] is an elite running back as he demonstrated on the first offensive snap last week when he turned the corner and took off like a rocket down the right sideline for an 80+ yard TD run. The Bulldogs also have a trio of talented receivers in [player_tooltip player_id='1600893' first='Trent' last='Egeland'], [player_tooltip player_id='1750200' first='Jack' last='Byers'] and Jett Fuentes. Senior LB [player_tooltip player_id='1672806' first='Marco' last='Soto Jr.'] leads a fast and aggressive defense. The secondary is full of ballhawks. [player_tooltip player_id='1266497' first='Tootie' last='McNeil'] had a Pick-6 in last week's win at Gadsden.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Homecoming week! <a href="https://t.co/snEIMOhMcp">pic.twitter.com/snEIMOhMcp</a>— BulldogFootball 🏈🏆x32 (@artesiafootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/artesiafootball/status/1970106515135865311?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2025</a></blockquote>   Alamogordo at Hobbs: Is Alamogordo's [player_tooltip player_id='1600835' first='Nathanael' last='Best'] the top running quarterback in the state? He certainly opened eyes by rushing for a school record 346 yards on 23 carries in the Week 5 home win over Organ Mountain. Hobbs must bounce back from last week's loss to Las Cruces in the District 6A-3 opener. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1605057' first='Junior' last='Medrano'] has been fantastic all season long with 842 passing yards and 684 rushing yards. Since they still have Centennial upcoming on the schedule, you could make the argument this game is a must-win for Hobbs. Lose and suddenly the Eagles are 0-2 in the district. That's a huge hole.   Manzano at Chaparral: Did you know this game features a pair of 4-win teams? Manzano (4-1) has won four straight games following a Week 1 loss to Highland. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1137898' first='Bodi' last='True'] has passed for nearly 1,000 yards and 12 TD. His favorite target has been sophomore WR [player_tooltip player_id='1613352' first='Broden' last='Price']. Chaparral (4-1) has all but erased the memories of that recent 40+ game losing streak with their impressive play this season. The Lobos are talented offensively with dynamic dual threat QB [player_tooltip player_id='851884' first='Israel' last='Nieto'] and RB [player_tooltip player_id='1155082' first='Raul' last='Lopez']. The defense is balanced.         Gadsden at Goddard: Gadsden (4-1) looks to bounce back after last week's weather-shortened loss to Artesia at home. The Panthers are still a talented team with QB [player_tooltip player_id='1751388' first='Ethan' last='Morales'], RB [player_tooltip player_id='1357130' first='Juan' last='Rios'] and WR [player_tooltip player_id='1155087' first='Anthony' last='Palomares'] sparking the offense. Goddard (3-2) is making progress under second-year head coach Arturo Bolanos with lopsided wins over Portales, Valley and Santa Teresa. [player_tooltip player_id='1248678' first='Josiah' last='Castillo'] is a stud WR and [player_tooltip player_id='1137457' first='Taylen' last='Payne'] is a next level LB.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Week 6: Goddard Rockets <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HailGadsden?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HailGadsden</a> <a href="https://t.co/X0wlI2lGPo">pic.twitter.com/X0wlI2lGPo</a>— Gadsden Football (@GadsdenPanthers) <a href="https://twitter.com/GadsdenPanthers/status/1969870537951494635?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2025</a></blockquote>   St. Pius X at Silver: While this is still an attractive matchup, it had the potential to be the Game of the Week before Silver lost at home to Valencia in Week 5. Now comes word that St. Pius X QB Isiah Carpenter suffered an injury in the Sartans' last game prior to the bye week and his status for the game is unknown. Whoever is the signal caller for St. Pius X must deal with that nasty Silver defense led by linebackers [player_tooltip player_id='1790845' first='Kade' last='Aguirre'] and Christian Maynes. The Colts have allowed just 50 points in 4 games (Cobre forfeited two weeks ago). But St. Pius X has plenty of offensive firepower. Great matchup.   Espanola Valley at Bernalillo: Espanola Valley (3-2) is writing one of the best heartwarming stories in Class 4A this season after losing their head coach following their run to the 4A semifinals last November. The Sundevils are extremely young but they're winning, including an impressive 24-18 win over Moriarty in Week 5. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1137865' first='Irvin' last='Primero'] was 10-of-12 passing for 276 yards and 3 TD against the Pintos. [player_tooltip player_id='1752746' first='Cody' last='Coffeen'] and Mike Maestas are talented receivers. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1715054' first='Cody' last='Trujillo'] had a TFL, forced fumble + scoop and score on the same play. Bernalillo is coming off a bye. The Spartans have shown a knack for winning close games this season. In fact, their first four games have all been decided by 8 points or less. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='853757' first='Ulisses' last='Castro'] is a two-way standout. This one could be a close, low-scoring hard-fought affair.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-24-at-20-57-59-Photo-Google-Photos.png?w=481" alt="" class="wp-image-1907677" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: fACEBOOK</figcaption></figure>   West Las Vegas at Texico: West Las Vegas (3-2) makes the trip to Texico for an intriguing cross-classification battle. Last week the Dons ran into that stout Santa Rosa defense on the road and only scored 7 points. Texico is better than its 1-3 record. The Wolverines are coming off a three-game stretch against West Texas schools. Those games should prepare them well for the upcoming District 2A-3 battles. [player_tooltip player_id='1613755' first='Cross' last='Figg'] has been fantastic at QB.   Organ Mountain at Las Cruces: The undefeated Bulldawgs (5-0) are flying high following last week's trouncing of Hobbs. Nobody has yet stopped that offense. RB [player_tooltip player_id='1137388' first='Daniel' last='Amaro'] is arguably the leading candidate for the 2025 New Mexico Heisman after rushing for over 900 yards and 18 TD in the first five games. QB [player_tooltip player_id='853029' first='Gunnar' last='Guardiola'] is consistently great. LB [player_tooltip player_id='1606042' first='Denton' last='Walter'] already has close to 80 tackles. Organ Mountain must find a way to keep this game close for three quarters with their balanced rushing attack and hope to win it in the fourth. The Knights need RB [player_tooltip player_id='1613370' first='Romeo' last='Jones'] and WR [player_tooltip player_id='1680055' first='Zeke' last='Weir'] to be superhuman.            Eldorado at Santa Fe: Is Santa Fe for real? The Demons are 3-2 and despite last week's loss to Sandia, there's actually optimism surrounding the SFHS program with RB Jasper Nelson and other playmaker. Win this game and Santa Fe has a decent chance to finish with a winning record. Eldorado (1-3) looked good in the season opener against Organ Mountain but have lost three straight games since then. The offense struggled against Volcano Vista. And they still must play La Cueva and Albuquerque High. Is this a playoff elimination game? Perhaps.             Miyamura at Belen: Miyamura (3-2) improved to 2-0 in District 5A-1 with last week's thrilling 36-35 win over Valley. Beat Belen ad suddenly the Patriots are 3-0 in the district and looking like a serious contender for the title. Miyamura QB [player_tooltip player_id='1600795' first='Salid' last='Rashid'] is one of the most underrated QBs in the state. [player_tooltip player_id='1137890' first='Benjamin' last='Vidales'] leads the defense with 37 tackles. The Belen offense put up 56 points against Del Norte in Week 5. [player_tooltip player_id='1604925' first='Gonzalo' last='Cano'] is an outstanding dual threat QB. He's rushed for 200+ yards in each of the last 2 games.      Raton at St. Michael's (Sat.): Former district rivals meet again. Will St. Michael's (5-0) ever lose again? Yes. But when that happens is anybody's guess. The Horsemen carry a 25-game winning streak into this game. They mauled Eunice last week in a game that was expected to be close. The Horseman have impressive talent on both sides of the ball. RB [player_tooltip player_id='853063' first='Isaiah' last='Dominguez'] is fast and quick. The defense is aggressive, strong and brutally efficient. Simply, St. Michael's knows how to win. Raton (2-2) has been up-and-down this season. They were blanked by Robertson in Week 5. [player_tooltip player_id='1604784' first='Cael' last='Walton'] leads the Tigers in rushing as he lives up to the family's legacy at Raton.           Ruidoso at Hot Springs (Thur.): Hot Springs (3-2) second-year head coach Maximus Buckingham has the Tigers playing good football. They're coming off a 21-16 victory over NMMI. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1613430' first='Zaiden' last='Baker'] is developing nicely as a dual threat QB. Ruidoso's offensive game plan isn't a secret – put the ball into the hands of [player_tooltip player_id='1613409' first='Mason' last='Fikany'] as much as possible.      Navajo Prep at Laguna Acoma: Don't look now but Navajo Prep is 4-1 and looking like a contender to make a deep run in the Class 2A playoffs. The Eagles bounced back from a low-scoring loss to Crownpoint with a 50-24 win over Sanat Fe Indian last week. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1613435' first='Gracin' last='Vigil'] (3 TD) and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1876658' first='Gabriel' last='Muhammad'] (2 TD) led the Navajo Prep offense. Laguna Acoma is coming off a bye after losing at Hatch Valley two weeks ago. RB [player_tooltip player_id='1600987' first='Ekahi' last='Tiller'] is very underrated.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-24-at-21-01-34-Photo-Google-Photos.png?w=457" alt="" class="wp-image-1907680" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Facebook</figcaption></figure>   NEW MEXICO VS. TEXAS   Piedra Vista at Canyon (TX)   NEW MEXICO VS. COLORADO   Montezuma-Cortez (CO) at Shiprock   BEST OF THE REST   Los Alamos at Del Norte (Thur.): Los Alamos striving for a 6-0 start. They'll give the ball to RB [player_tooltip player_id='1604744' first='Jordan' last='Herrera'] a lot.   West Mesa at La Cueva (Thur.): La Cueva is getting back to being the Bears we know after opening the season with two losses. West Mesa's defense must improve quickly to give the Mustangs a chance to win. They've allowed 47+ points in three of four games.       Bloomfield at Taos: Since losing to Piedra Vista, Bloomfield has trounced three straight opponents and have looked offensively a lot like the Bobcats from last season. Tao's task is to somehow find a way to keep up.   Roswell at Santa Teresa: Roswell debuted sophomore RB [player_tooltip player_id='1826036' first='Luis' last='Rodriguez'] in last week's win over Deming, and Rodriguez immediately proved quickly he's the real deal by rushing for over 100 yards.   Thoreau at Gallup   Clovis at Carlsbad     Highland at Valley   Sandia at Atrisco Heritage   Robertson at Tularosa (Sat.)   OTHER GAMES   Portales at Valencia   McCurdy at Newcomb   Mayfield at Deming   Tohatchi at Crownpoint   Zuni at Wingate   Rio Grande at Capital   NMMI at Socorro   Hatch Valley at Cobre   Grants at Aztec   Hope Christian at Santa Fe Indian (Sat.)   Cuba at Hozho Academy (Sat.)   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Let's rock! <a href="https://t.co/DqtvvaCPjt">pic.twitter.com/DqtvvaCPjt</a>— J.P. (@Jordan97Perales) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jordan97Perales/status/1970567461885116710?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2025</a></blockquote>

The 2025 New Mexico High School football season enters Week 6. The action begins Thursday night and continues through Saturday afternoon. Here are our Top 13 games of Week 6, Best of The Rest and Other Games of what promises to be another exciting week.