Baker's Dozen: Week 7 Preview

The 2025 New Mexico High School football season enters Week 7. The action begins Thursday night and continues through Saturday afternoon. Here are our Top 13 games of Week 7, Best of The Rest and Other Games of what promises to be another exciting week.   GAME OF THE WEEK: St. Michael's at Hope Christian (Sat., 11 a.m., Wilson Stadium)   Just one Week 7 game features two teams with a combined 11 or more wins, and this it. St. Michael's (6-0) carries a 26-game winning streak (sixth longest in state history) into the clash with the talented Huskies. Seeing the Horsemen live, you're left with the impression they have few weaknesses. They can run the ball with RBs [player_tooltip player_id='853063' first='Isaiah' last='Dominguez'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1137830' first='Pete' last='Johnson'], QB [player_tooltip player_id='1600843' first='Kamal' last='Stith'] is an excellent passer, the offensive line is solid and the defense is big, strong and fast on all three levels. That's why they haven't lost a game since the middle of the 2023 season.   Hope Christian (5-1) could be the best team St. Michael's has faced this season. Both teams have beaten Albuquerque Academy. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1137124' first='RJ' last='Montoya'] is a dynamic dual threat QB. He has completed 73.3 percent of his passes (66-for-90) for 13 TD with zero interceptions, so he makes few mistakes. When he gets out into open space, he has plenty of speed to gain big yards. [player_tooltip player_id='1248715' first='Noah' last='Carter'] is a solid RB as well. [player_tooltip player_id='1613629' first='Ethan' last='Carter'] headlines a balanced WR corps. Four receivers have at least 13 receptions, so Montoya loves to spread the ball around.              Rio Rancho at Cibola: Cibola's turnaround from back-to-back poor seasons has been one of the ‘feel good' stories in Class 6A. The Cougars have won four straight games, although I'm sure there are some skeptics still out there considering the wins have come over Sandia, Eldorado, Carlsbad ad Clovis. Now Cibola gets a chance to knock off one of the ‘big boys' of 6A and prove the doubters wrong. UNM commit [player_tooltip player_id='854199' first='Hayes' last='Baum'] has been Mr. Everything for Cibola. Rio Rancho just wants to win a game after three straight losses to high quality competition – Las Cruces, Centennial and El Paso (TX) Eastlake. The Rams had a bye last week. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1604705' first='Micah' last='Takahashi'] has already thrown for over 1,000 yards.           Piedra Vista at Volcano Vista (Thur.): This key District 6A-1 clash provides us an early indicator of who will compete for the district crown, and boost the efforts of the winner in their quest for a high seed in the playoffs. Piedra Vista (3-2) has two losses, but both have come to out-of-state teams. The Panthers are 3-0 against New Mexico schools. Reuban Marquez is a superb dual threat QB. He leads a balanced Piedra Vista rushing attack. [player_tooltip player_id='1606021' first='AJ' last='Cockrell'] is the top receiver. Volcano Vista (4-1) carries a 3-game winning streak into Thursday's game. Aurelius Wiley has taken over the QB duties. He has combined with RB [player_tooltip player_id='1423739' first='D'Angelo' last='Mitchell'] for nearly 800 rushing yards. Both teams put a priority on running the football.      Roswell at Gadsden: Gadsden hosted Artesia two weeks ago but were beaten soundly in one half of football before the game was called due to severe weather. Now the Panthers get another chance at hosting one of Class 5A”s ‘Big Two.' Must win for Gadsden after last week's one-point loss at Goddard? Feels like it. Roswell QB [player_tooltip player_id='1750685' first='Luke' last='Lynn'] has lived up to expectations by completing almost 70 percent of his passes (67-96) with 5 YD and zero INT in his first 5 games. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1826036' first='Luis' last='Rodriguez'] could be the next big thing at running back. Early signs are positive.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Week 7: Roswell Coyotes <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HailGadsden?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HailGadsden</a> <a href="https://t.co/VC2nYfUcg7">pic.twitter.com/VC2nYfUcg7</a>— Gadsden Football (@GadsdenPanthers) <a href="https://twitter.com/GadsdenPanthers/status/1972345847167037639?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2025</a></blockquote>   Eunice at Loving: The last time we saw Eunice, the Cardinals were getting overpowered by St. Michael's in Week 5. After a bye week to sort things out, Eunice begins district play. As always, the main topic of conversation surrounding the Cardinals is QB [player_tooltip player_id='854273' first='Elijah' last='Melancon'], who has thrown for close to 9,200 yards in his career with plenty of time left to reach 10,000 yards. Loving has its own talented QB in dual threat [player_tooltip player_id='1137875' first='Tristen' last='Onsurez'], who's on pace to pass for over 1,500 yards this season. This one has the potential to be a high-scoring affair.        Valencia at Chaparral: Let's face it. Chaparral's rapid rise from a struggling program to one of the top teams in District 4A-2 has been remarkable. As always, it took a combination of great coaching and great players. The Lobos have one of the most underrated offensive backfield combinations in the state with QB Isaiah Nieto and RB [player_tooltip player_id='1155082' first='Raul' last='Lopez']. Together, they've combined for nearly 1,100 rushing yards. Valencia looks to bounce back after last week's surprisingly one-sided home loss to Portales. Prolific RB [player_tooltip player_id='1599923' first='Michael' last='Storms III'] had 146 rushing yards in that game but it wasn't enough.           La Cueva at Eldorado: This is one of the most intense rivalries in the Albuquerque Metro Region. Both teams are coming of impressive Week 6 victories. La Cueva walloped West Mesa, while Eldorado snapped its three-game losing streak with a high-scoring win at Santa Fe. La Cueva QB [player_tooltip player_id='1183085' first='Monty' last='Melendez'] is enjoying a solid season. Speedy Eldorado ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1155116' first='Jahari' last='Morehead'] is one of the most exciting players in the state. He's capable of scoring from anywhere on the field.       Los Lunas at Albuquerque High (Sat.): Who's going to challenge powerhouse La Cueva in District 6A-2? This game will tell us a lot. Los Lunas is already 2-0 in district play following wins over Eldorado and West Mesa. A Tigers win here would set up a showdown with La Cueva in Week 8. [player_tooltip player_id='1137088' first='Kaiden' last='Reese'] is a dynamic dual threat QB for Los Lunas. Albuquerque High's #1 goal all season is earning the school's first playoff berth in three decades. A win here would be a major step towards achieving that goal. The Bulldogs lean heavily on RB [player_tooltip player_id='1266534' first='Alberto' last='Landeros'] and a massive offensive line.            Alamogordo at Centennial: The District 6A-3 wars are well underway. Alamogordo (4-2) is coming off a road loss to Hobbs. [player_tooltip player_id='1600835' first='Nathanael' last='Best'] is a dynamic dual threat QB for the Tigers, and has 846 rushing yards in 6 games. Bryson Bloom is a nice option at RB with 500+ rushing yards. Centennial also has a solid running back in [player_tooltip player_id='1605033' first='Dailen' last='Ramirez'], who would surpass 1,000 rushing yards in this game if he reaches his average. Another battle between teams that like to run the football.        Highland at Miyamura: An important District 5A-1 battle. The winner gains the inside track to challenge Los Alamos for the district title, although Highland has already lost to the Hilltoppers. Hornets RB [player_tooltip player_id='1137423' first='Jose' last='Tapia'] had a game for the ages last week as he rushed for 351 yards and 4 TD against Valley. Highland has thrown the ball just 33 times in 6 games. Miyamura pulled out a wild one-point win over Valley in Week 6. [player_tooltip player_id='1600795' first='Salid' last='Rashid'] continues to be one of the most underrated signal callers in the state.        Lovington at Mayfield: Two proud programs chasing the ‘Big 2' in Class 5A. Mayfield (2-4) is surging with consecutive district wins over Santa Teresa and Deming. But the Trojans still must face Roswell and Artesia. Senior QB [player_tooltip player_id='1599566' first='Xavier' last='Ochoa'] is a dynamic runner for Mayfield. Did we see a changing of the guard at quarterback for Lovington (2-4) last week? Sophomore Kylan Spencer threw for 167 yards against Artesia last week. [player_tooltip player_id='1137475' first='Jayden' last='Gutierrez'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1750336' first='Zachary' last='Diaz'] power the Wildcats running game.         Robertson at Pojoaque Valley: Led by 6-foot-5 QB [player_tooltip player_id='1155256' first='Nathan' last='Gonzales'], Robertson (5-1) has quietly put together an exceptional season. Their only loss came in Week 3 to Santa Rosa. Pojoaque Valley has battled injuries to some of their key players this season. It will be all hands all deck for the Elks over next 2 weeks with the Cardinals and then St. Michael's on the schedule. Between this game and St. Michael's-Hope Christian (see above), it's a huge week in District 3A-2.         Silver at Portales: This game is intriguing for two reasons. First, Portales won their first game of the season last week when they went to Valencia and routed the Jaguars behind freshman QB [player_tooltip player_id='1581314' first='Kingston' last='Lee'] and sophomore RB [player_tooltip player_id='1613398' first='Slade' last='Segovia']. Second, the distance from Silver to Portales is 392 miles. Each way. It's one of the longest road trips any team in the state will take this season. Silver looks to get back on the winning track after last week's home loss to St. Pius X.       St. Pius X at Albuquerque Academy (Sat.): Rivalry renewed. St. Pius X (4-0) played without QB [player_tooltip player_id='1154948' first='Isaiah' last='Carpenter'] last week and came through with an impressive road win at Silver. [player_tooltip player_id='1154954' first='Hershul' last='Olloway'] proved again why he's one of the top running backs in the state and a FBS prospect by rushing for 241 yards. [player_tooltip player_id='1154956' first='Cayl' last='Cox-Liggins'] headlines a dynamic WR corps. [player_tooltip player_id='1613459' first='Ezra' last='Ocampo'] helped fill in for the injured Carpenter. Albuquerque Academy has lost three games in a row and badly need a win following a bye. Nothing better than upsetting the Class 4A favorites at home. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1369761' first='William' last='Braun'] has passed over 1,100 yards.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The time is here once again!!!! Let's go hawks!!!! We're turning the stands PINK in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Let's show our support for the fighters, survivors, and those we've lost. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hawkpride?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#hawkpride</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GATA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GATA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/breastcancerawareness?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#breastcancerawareness</a>🎀 <a href="https://t.co/CfqTv75yB4">pic.twitter.com/CfqTv75yB4</a>— Volcano Vista HS Football (@vvhsfootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/vvhsfootball/status/1973760179327123737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2025</a></blockquote>   BEST OF THE REST   Cleveland at Farmington: The Storm make the trip to Hutchinson Stadium in the Four Corners.   Las Cruces at Clovis: The Bulldawgs look to improve to 7-0. Is there a better QB-RB duo in the state right now than QB [player_tooltip player_id='853029' first='Gunnar' last='Guardiola'] and RB Danny Amaro?   Carlsbad at Organ Mountain: Carlsbad is battling for a playoff berth.   Texico at Jal: One of two key Week 7 games in District 2A-3.   Belen at Los Alamos: The Hilltoppers look to stay unbeaten. Their offensive game plan is simple – hand the ball to [player_tooltip player_id='1604744' first='Jordan' last='Herrera'].   Taos at Espanola Valley: Both teams are badly in need of a win after lopsided district losses last week.   Deming at Goddard: The Rockets have played well this season.   Legacy Academy at Raton: District 2A-2 opener for both teams.   Bernalillo at Kirtland Central: Bernalillo looks to keep rolling with Bloomfield and Grants looming on the schedule.     Hatch Valley at NMMI: The Colts will run the ball all day long.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Week 7 <a href="https://t.co/BHSAEULrHs">pic.twitter.com/BHSAEULrHs</a>— BulldogFootball 🏈🏆x32 (@artesiafootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/artesiafootball/status/1973027033497387461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2025</a></blockquote>   OTHER GAMES   Santa Teresa at Artesia   West Mesa at Atrisco Heritage   Dexter at Cobre   Moriarty at Aztec   Socorro at Hot Springs   Capital at Valley   Wingate at Shiprock   Capitan at Santa Rosa   Tohatchi at Thoreau   Gallup at Zuni   McCurdy at Santa Fe Indian   Tucumcari at Estancia   Del Norte at Rio Grande   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/FB_IMG_1759338342296.jpg?w=494" alt="" class="wp-image-1924378" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Facebook</figcaption></figure>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨Team Power Scores are LIVE🚨 See how you matchup to the top competitors in your state! Find all power scores with the link in bio. <a href="https://t.co/suKoSF0t8M">pic.twitter.com/suKoSF0t8M</a>— Prep Redzone New Mexico (@PrepRedzoneNM) <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1973146109187870752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2025</a></blockquote>

The 2025 New Mexico High School football season enters Week 7. The action begins Thursday night and continues through Saturday afternoon. Here are our Top 13 games of Week 7, Best of The Rest and Other Games of what promises to be another exciting week.