Baker's Dozen: Week 8 Preview

The 2025 New Mexico High School football season enters Week 8. The action begins Thursday night and continues through Saturday afternoon. Here are our Top 13 games of Week 8, Best of The Rest and Other Games of what promises to be another exciting week.   GAME OF THE WEEK: Centennial at Hobbs (Fri., 7 p.m. Watson Stadium)   If you accept the premise unbeaten Las Cruces is the best team in District 6A-3, who's No. 2? This game will help answer that question. It will also go a long ways toward determining Class 6A playoff seeding. Centennial (5-1 overall, 2-0 district) isn't conceding anything to the rival Bulldawgs, of course. Since Las Cruces has a bye, Centennial can earn a tie atop the district standings heading into the homestretch with a win over the Eagles. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1604943' first='Ruiz' last='Laborin'] is big and strong, but RB [player_tooltip player_id='1605033' first='Dailen' last='Ramirez'] has been the centerpiece of the Hawks' offense this season. He already has over 1,000 rushing yards. Hobba also likes to run the football with dual threat QB [player_tooltip player_id='1605057' first='Junior' last='Medrano'] and Demarcus Hill, both juniors, combining for 1,270 rushing yards. It's simple, the team that runs the ball the best will likely win.           La Cueva at Los Lunas: These are the two best teams in District 6A-2. Both are 3-0 in district play. Every other team in the district except for one (Sandia) has two district losses. So, for all intents and purposes, this is the district championship game. La Cueva has won four games in a row following an 0-2 start. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1183085' first='Monty' last='Melendez'] has played well, throwing for 259 yards and 3 TD two weeks ago. His Los Lunas counterpart, [player_tooltip player_id='1137088' first='Kaiden' last='Reese'], is a dynamic duel threat QB. LB [player_tooltip player_id='1606069' first='Brad' last='Mallory'] leads the stout Los Lunas defense.          Rio Rancho at Piedra Vista (Thur.): Another Thur. night matchup for Rio Rancho. The Rams are coming off a nice Week 7 road win over Cibola that snapped a three-game losing streak. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1604705' first='Micah' last='Takahashi'] and WR Parker Miler are an exciting duo. They connected twice for touchdowns last week. Piedra Vista has lost three of its last four games following an 0-2 start. Reuban Marquez is a dynamic duel threat QB for the Panthers.   Cibola at Cleveland: Few teams have a more challenging start to their district schedule than Cibola, which lost to Rio Rancho in Week 7. Now the Cougars have to go to nearby Cleveland and face the Storm, who rarely lose at home. A victory would put an exclamation point on Cibola's turnaround season. Moving UNM commit [player_tooltip player_id='854199' first='Hayes' last='Baum'] to quarterback was a stroke of genius by the Cibola coaching staff. Cleveland, as always, is extremely talented on both sides of the ball. They opened district play last week with a lopsided road win at Farmington. Senior QB [player_tooltip player_id='851873' first='Jordan' last='Kekoa Hatch'] has completed 75 percent of his passes (91-122) and looks sharp. The run game is balanced. [player_tooltip player_id='1613490' first='Evan' last='Nanez'] and UNM commit [player_tooltip player_id='851903' first='Jacob' last='Maldonado'] are elite receivers. The defense has 10 players with double-digit tackles.            Portales at St. Pius X: Once 0-5 with a pair of close losses, Portales has emerged as a District 4A-2 contender with consecutive impressive district victories over Valencia and Silver. Rams freshman QB [player_tooltip player_id='1581314' first='Kingston' last='Lee'] is one of the top 2029 prospects in the state. He's big (6-2), exceptionally athletic and possesses a strong throwing arm. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1613398' first='Slade' last='Segovia'] has over 700 rushing yards and is Portales' leading receiver. St. Pius X tumbled from the ranks of the unbeaten with Week 7's loss to Albuquerque Academy. But the Sartans are still a very dangerous team with an array of offensive weapons both on the ground and through the air. You know the names: QB [player_tooltip player_id='1154948' first='Isaiah' last='Carpenter'], RB [player_tooltip player_id='1154954' first='Hershul' last='Olloway'] and WR [player_tooltip player_id='1154956' first='Cayl' last='Cox-Liggins'], among others.          Carlsbad at Alamogordo: With a 1-2 district mark and Las Cruces looming on the schedule in Week 9, Alamogordo (4-3) faces a must-win situation at home against the Cavemen. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1600835' first='Nathanael' last='Best'] and RB [player_tooltip player_id='1605059' first='Bryson' last='Bloom'] are the main weapons in the Tigers' run-dominated attack. Carlsbad's situation isn't as tenuous since the Cavemen are 2-1 with sole possession of third place in the district. Hosting a Class 6A first-round playoff game is within reach. But you can't take anything for granted. RB [player_tooltip player_id='1605005' first='Brock' last='Wright'] and WR [player_tooltip player_id='1137066' first='Robert' last='Castaneda'] are elite players at their positions. Castaneda recently set new school records for receiving yards and TD receptions. Eastern New Mexico has offered.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">So thankful for my coaches and teammates <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/brotherhood?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#brotherhood</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/OnwardCavemen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OnwardCavemen</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachSanders88?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachSanders88</a> Extremely grateful <a href="https://t.co/k67vCrWDCn">pic.twitter.com/k67vCrWDCn</a>— robertcastaneda (@Castaneda11111) <a href="https://twitter.com/Castaneda11111/status/1975743380991725953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></blockquote>   Moriarty at Bloomfield: Intriguing contrast in offensive philosophies. Moriarty loves to run the football out of the Wing-T/Triple Option. The Pintos have attempted just 15 passes in 5 games. RB [player_tooltip player_id='1606046' first='Mario' last='Romero'] is a hidden gem in the East Mountain region. He's rushed for nearly 700 yards in 5 games. No secret what Moriarty will try to do offensively. Bloomfield QB Manual Chavarria a/k/a Peanut has passed for over 1,350 yards and 21 TD in just 5 games. If the Moriarty offense can control the clock and maintain possession with the ground game, they'll have a chance to win.   Dexter at Ruidoso: These are probably the two best teams in District 3A-3, so the winner here takes a giant step towards securing the district crown. Dexter has a three-headed monster at running back in QB [player_tooltip player_id='1155032' first='CJ' last='Granados'], RB [player_tooltip player_id='854287' first='Garet' last='Gonzalez'] and RB [player_tooltip player_id='1155314' first='Rigo' last='Regalado']. They spark a powerful offense that has scored 49+ points in four of five games this season. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1613409' first='Mason' last='Fikany'] headlines Ruidoso's run-dominated offensive attack with senior [player_tooltip player_id='1267035' first='Tru' last='Camejo'] providing support. This game boils down to which team best runs the ball.          Albuquerque Academy at Manzano (Sat.): Both teams are 1-1 in District 4A-2 play, making this an incredibly important game as the winner would find themselves still involved in the race for the title. You could make the argument Albuquerque Academy (3-3) saved its season with last week's come-from-behind win over St. Pius X. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1369761' first='William' last='Braun'] had one of his best games of the season with 268 passing yards while [player_tooltip player_id='1137080' first='Ryan' last='Williams'] rushed for 149 yards. Manzano had its 4-game winning streak snapped at Chaparral last week. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1137898' first='Bodi' last='True'], RB [player_tooltip player_id='854302' first='Justin' last='Duran'] and WR [player_tooltip player_id='1613352' first='Broden' last='Price'] are an outstanding trio.      West Las Vegas at Robertson: Renewal of one of the most fierce rivalries in the entire state. Las Vegas is a high school football town through and through, and this is always one of the town's top events every year. It pits neighbor against neighbor. West Las Vegas has played a bunch of close games this season. Three of the Dons' last four games have been decided by seven points or less. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1791395' first='Caydin' last='Encinias'] has completed over 60 percent of his passes and leads WLV in rushing. Robertson's No. 1 priority this week has been to get healthy after a heartbreaking OT loss to Pojoaque Valley. Six-foot-5 QB [player_tooltip player_id='1155256' first='Nathan' last='Gonzales'] drives the offense with his arm and legs.         Chaparral at Silver: How great a story is Chaparral? After years of futility, the Lobos are 6-1 overall, 3-0 in District 4A-2, and control their own destiny in the race for the district title. Make no mistake, though, Chaparral has ballers. The offensive backfield combination of QB [player_tooltip player_id='851884' first='Israel' last='Nieto'] and RB [player_tooltip player_id='1155082' first='Raul' last='Lopez'] is dynamic, [player_tooltip player_id='1155065' first='Tyvin' last='Howard'] is an elite receiver, the O-Line is solid and the get-after-you defense has allowed just 16.7 points allowed during the Lobos' current 6-game winning streak. Silver started the season well with a 4-0 mark but has lost its first three district games, two in which the defense allowed 19 points or fewer. If the Colts offense can get going, they'll have a shot to upset the Lobos at home.      Pojoaque Valley at Hope Christian (Sat.): Pojoaque Valley benefitted from a burst of publicity this week following arguably the biggest win in program history, a 32-31 OT victory over District 3A-2 rival Robertson. The Elks are finally healthy with the talented trio of QB [player_tooltip player_id='1248677' first='Joshua' last='Gonzales'], RB [player_tooltip player_id='1416992' first='D'Marcus' last='Rodriguez'] and RB [player_tooltip player_id='1129687' first='Jonah' last='Villegas'] playing together for the first time last weekend. Hope Christian looks to bounce back from a lopsided home loss to St. Michael's last Saturday. But the Huskies are still a dangerous offensive team with QB [player_tooltip player_id='1137124' first='RJ' last='Montoya'] leading the way.          Loving at Texico: One of the key games that will decide the District 2A-3 title. Loving is coming off a loss to Eunice, but the Falcons have a potentially high-scoring offense led by QB [player_tooltip player_id='1137875' first='Tristen' last='Onsurez'] and a productive ground game. Two words describe the Texico offense right now: [player_tooltip player_id='1613755' first='Cross' last='Figg']. Just a sophomore, Figg has rushed for 220+ yards in three of the last four games. He has 874 rushing yards on the season. He also threw for 153 yards in last week's win over Jal.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Friday night lights Pintos head up north to take on the Bobcats. <a href="https://t.co/o2V2X0T2WD">pic.twitter.com/o2V2X0T2WD</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='1599883' first='Lance' last='Volk'] (@LanceVolk_65) <a href="https://twitter.com/LanceVolk_65/status/1976111478576119903?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2025</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">2029 6'2" 180 QB Game 7 Frosh Season 19-8 VARSITY win over Silver City 7-10-2 TDs 178 Yards Passing<a href="https://t.co/XVP9QvuGOW">https://t.co/XVP9QvuGOW</a><a href="https://twitter.com/nmprepcosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nmprepcosports</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nmpreps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nmpreps</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_Nesbitt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Coach_Nesbitt</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachWaltonTSU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachWaltonTSU</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_Norvell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Coach_Norvell</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Coachrhud?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Coachrhud</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/coachmaxsilver?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coachmaxsilver</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RagleCharlie?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RagleCharlie</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/QBimpact?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@QBimpact</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/QBUniverseQBU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@QBUniverseQBU</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='1581314' first='Kingston' last='Lee'] (@kingston_lee10) <a href="https://twitter.com/kingston_lee10/status/1975212334940594506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2025</a></blockquote>   BEST OF THE REST   Grants at Taos   Eldorado at Sandia   Volcano Vista at Farmington   Laguna Acoma at McCurdy   Wingate at Gallup   Estancia at Santa Rosa   Albuquerque High at West Mesa   OTHER GAMES   Clovis at Organ Mountain   Santa Fe at Atrisco Heritage   Miyamura at Belen   Aztec at Bernalillo   Kirtland Central at Espanola Valley   Navajo Prep at Cuba   Cobre at NMMI   Capitan at Legacy Academy (Thur.)   Tohatchi at Shiprock   Crownpoint at Zuni   Jal at Tularosa   Socorro at Hatch Valley   Thoreau at Santa Fe Indian   Raton at Tucumcari   Newcomb at Hozho Academy

The 2025 New Mexico High School football season enters Week 8. The action begins Thursday night and continues through Saturday afternoon. Here are our Top 13 games of Week 8, Best of The Rest and Other Games of what promises to be another exciting week.