Baker’s Dozen: Week 9 Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025 New Mexico High School football season enters Week 9. The action begins Thursday night and continues through Saturday afternoon. Here are our Top 13 games of Week 9, Best of The Rest and Other Games of what promises to be another exciting week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>GAME OF THE WEEK: Artesia at Roswell (Fri., 7 p.m., Wool Bowl)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The state's oldest rivalry is renewed. And just like most years in the previous decade, the No. 1 seed in the Class 5A playoffs is the prize. This season's results have again confirmed the significant gap between these two teams and the rest of Class 5A. The loser will likely be the No. 2 seed for the 5A playoffs. And don't be surprised if these two fierce rivals meet again Thanksgiving weekend in the Class 5A state championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both offenses are led by first-year starting quarterbacks. Artesia's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672571' first='Derrick' last='Warren']</strong> has thrown for over 1,300 yards and completed over 60 percent of his passes for the Bulldogs. He has an array of receivers at his disposal led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600893' first='Trent' last='Egeland']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1750200' first='Jack' last='Byers']</strong> and others. Speedy <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1139144' first='Bryce' last='Parra']</strong> headlines the rushing attack with nearly 800 yards on the ground. Roswell's linebacker corps is outstanding with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1266509' first='Kannon' last='Ramage']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1788700' first='Jonathan' last='Ellis']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1750954' first='Joaquin' last='Bolanos']</strong> leading the Coyotes in tackles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Roswell senior QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1750685' first='Luke' last='Lynn']</strong> has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes this season. He is also the Coyotes' leading rusher and joins senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1750722' first='Nathaniel' last='Lujan']</strong> and promising sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1826036' first='Luis' last='Rodriguez']</strong> as sparks for the ground game. When Lynn throws the ball, his favorite target has been junior <strong>Izaic Gonzales</strong>. Artesia's defense is full of ballhawks led by LB <strong>Marco Soro Jr.</strong> and DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1266497' first='Tootie' last='McNeil']</strong>, who has a couple of Pick-6s this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Artesia vs Roswell, the oldest football rivalry in the State. <a href="https://t.co/jx7wf6MuEz">pic.twitter.com/jx7wf6MuEz</a></p>&mdash; BulldogFootball 🏈🏆x32 (@artesiafootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/artesiafootball/status/1977715485341876549?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rio Rancho at Volcano Vista</strong>: The annual end-of-the season round robin between rivals Cleveland, Rio Rancho and Volcano Vista begins in Week 9. Right now, all three teams are tied for first with 2-0 district marks. What's at stake? The District 6A-1 championship and possibly the No. 1 seed in the Class 6A playoffs. The winner advances to play Cleveland in Week 10 (Volcano Vista) or Week 11 (Rio Rancho). Rio Rancho features the dynamic QB-WR duo of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604705' first='Micah' last='Takahashi']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1266408' first='Parker' last='Miller']</strong>. RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1423739' first='D'Angelo' last='Mitchell']</strong> and QB <strong>Aurelius Wiley</strong> lead the Hawks offense. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chaparral at St. Pius X</strong>: The District 4A-2 race has boiled down to three teams: Albuquerque Academy, Chaparral and St. Pius X. Chaparral has become one of the best stories of the 2025 season. Just over a year ago, the Lobos snapped a 40+ game losing streak. Now they're competing for district titles. Much of the credit goes to the QB-RB duo of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='851884' first='Israel' last='Nieto']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155082' first='Raul' last='Lopez']</strong>. St. Pius X showed off their explosive offense in last week's convincing win over Portales. The Sartans can attack you on the ground (RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154954' first='Hershul' last='Olloway']</strong> + physical O-Line) or through the air (QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154948' first='Isaiah' last='Carpenter']</strong>, WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154956' first='Cayl' last='Cox-Liggins']</strong>). Can the Chaparral defense slow them down? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bloomfield at Bernalillo</strong>: The first of three crucial District 4A-1 matchups that will decide the district championship. Bloomfield makes a rare trip to Spartan Stadium and will bring a high-powered offense led by QB <strong>Manual Chavarria</strong>, the state leader in passing yardage with 1,851, RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853022' first='Peyton' last='Duncan']</strong> and WR <strong>Kaleb Huchens</strong>. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Texico at Eunice</strong>: The winner gets the inside track to the District 2A-3 championship. This matchup features two of the top QBs in Class 2A. By now, the feats of Eunice QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854273' first='Elijah' last='Melancon']</strong> have been well documented. He's closing in on 10,000 career passing yards. Four Cardinals receivers have 13+ receptions, so Melancon sprays the ball around. Texico sophomore QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613755' first='Cross' last='Figg']</strong> has already rushed for over 1,000 yards. He has three games of 200+ rushing yards. His speed, strength and elusiveness has challenged defenses. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Michael's at West Las Vegas</strong>: After finally snapping its near two decades losing streak to cross-town rival Robertson, will West Las Vegas end St. Michael's 27-game winning streak? The Dons are at home, where they usually play well. St. Michael's (7-0), though, is unbeaten for a reason. They have great athletes on both sides of the ball, starting with QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600843' first='Kamal' last='Stith']</strong>. West Las Vegas counters with a balanced ground game led by QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1791395' first='Caydin' last='Encinias']</strong>. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Albuquerque High at Eldorado (Thur.)</strong>: A huge matchup with significant 6A playoff implications. Both teams are part of a four-way tie for 3^rd place in District 6A-2. The loser faces a steep uphill climb to get into the playoffs. Thus, this game could fairly be described as must-win for both teams. RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1266534' first='Alberto' last='Landeros']</strong> (947 rushing yards) powers Albuquerque High's ground game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155116' first='Jahari' last='Morehead']</strong> is dynamic for Eldorado as a receiver and kick returner.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Las Cruces at Alamogordo</strong> <strong>(Thur.)</strong>: The Bulldawgs' quest for an undefeated season continues in earnest. They'll bring a powerful offense to Alamogordo led by QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853029' first='Gunnar' last='Guardiola']</strong> and RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137388' first='Daniel' last='Amaro']</strong>. Alamogordo (4-4) would certainly enhance its playoff resume with a victory here. If they don't, the Oct. 31 contest against Clovis would be must-win. QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600835' first='Nathanael' last='Best']</strong> must have one of his best games of the season to give the Tigers a chance to win. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gadsden at Lovington: </strong>Both teams are jockeying for playoff seeding. Gadsden (4-3) has lost three consecutive games but two were to Artesia and Roswell. Gadsden would set themselves up for a successful conclusion to the season with a win here as their final two games are against Deming and Santa Teresa. Panthers RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1357130' first='Juan' last='Rios']</strong> has over 700 rushing yards. Lovington (3-4, 2-2) is tied for fourth with Mayfield in the District 5A-2 standings. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137475' first='Jayden' last='Gutierrez']</strong> is doing it all for the Wildcats.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Week 9: Lovington Wildcats <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HailGadsden?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HailGadsden</a> <a href="https://t.co/PJ5cS594zD">pic.twitter.com/PJ5cS594zD</a></p>&mdash; Gadsden Football (@GadsdenPanthers) <a href="https://twitter.com/GadsdenPanthers/status/1977029390535213341?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Grants at Moriarty: </strong>Grants (5-2, 3-1) makes the long trip to Moriarty with an eye on staying in contention for the district title. Win this one, and the Pirates close out the regular season with games against Bernalillo and Bloomfield, so they control their own destiny. Brothers [player_tooltip player_id='854297' first='Tristin' last='Fernandez'] (senior) and [player_tooltip player_id='1720592' first='Julian' last='Fernandez'] (freshman) – spark the offense. Moriarty wants to run the ball all game long. RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606046' first='Mario' last='Romero']</strong> (755 yards) and next level OL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1599883' first='Lance' last='Volk']</strong> power the rushing attack. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Santa Fe at Los Lunas</strong>: It's been a long time since Santa Fe made the playoffs and rarely have the Demons finished above .500. Both things are still in play for the Demons as they head to Los Lunas. RB <strong>Jasper Nelson</strong> has emerged this season as one of the top ball carriers in the state. Putting the Santa Fe offense on his back, the senior has already rushed for over 1,000 yards. Los Lunas looks to bounce back after last week's loss to La Cueva in what many folks asserted was the de facto district championship game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137088' first='Kaiden' last='Reese']</strong> is a dynamic dual threat QB for the Tigers.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Highland at Belen: </strong>Besides unbeaten Los Alamos, the only other team with fewer than two district losses in 5A-1 is Highland. In short, the Hornets are the only team with any hope of catching the Hilltoppers in the standings. This week, the Hornets take their high-powered rushing attack to surging Belen. RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137423' first='Jose' last='Tapia']</strong> is one of the breakout players of the year. Belen dismantled Miyamura in Week 8. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604925' first='Gonzalo' last='Cano']</strong>, nicknamed ‘Chalito,' is a dynamic dual threat QB. He's close to joining the prestigious 1,000-1,000 yard club. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NMMI at Dexter</strong>: The winner takes over first place in District 3A-3. Right now, Dexter leads with an unbeaten district record (3-0) with NMMI a half-game behind at 3-1. Dexter relies on the elite athleticism of QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155032' first='CJ' last='Granados']</strong> and solid RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854287' first='Garet' last='Gonzalez']</strong>. Together, they've combined for 26 rushing TDs. When NMMI runs their triple option attack to perfection, it's tough to stop. <strong>Aquaylis Jordan</strong> and <strong>Konstantino Scopelitis</strong> handle the bulk of the ground game duties.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1956106,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/FB_IMG_1760407883335.jpg?w=494" alt="" class="wp-image-1956106" /><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>Piedra Vista at Cleveland</strong>: Storm look to take another step towards the District 6A-1 title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Valencia at Manzano</strong>: Key game in District 4A-2.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Silver at Albuquerque Academy (Fri., 3 p.m.)</strong>: Both teams are coming off nice victories in Week 8. Kickoff is Friday afternoon due to a major XC meet at the Academy on Saturday. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hozho Academy at Navajo Prep</strong>: These teams have won a combined 11 games</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Goddard at Mayfield</strong>: Can Goddard keep its solid season going?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Organ Mountain at Centennial</strong>: Centennial still hopes to win the District 6A-3 title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Legacy Academy at Estancia</strong>: Legacy Academy is battling Santa Rosa for the District 2A-2 title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hatch Valley at Hot Spring</strong>s: Battle between mid-tier teams in District 3A-3.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hobbs at Clovis</strong>: Still one of the best rivalries in New Mexico.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tucumcari at Santa Rosa</strong>: Santa Rosa looks to stay unbeaten in their quest for the No. 1 seed in the 2A playoffs. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OTHER GAMES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hope Christian at Robertson</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Atrisco Heritage at La Cueva</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Farmington at Cibola</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sandia at West Mesa</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Deming at Santa Teresa</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Valley at Del Norte</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taos at Kirtland Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Newcomb at Laguna Acoma</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cobre at Ruidoso</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Santa Fe Indian at Pojoaque Valley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rio Grande at Los Alamos</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thoreau at Zuni</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shiprock at Crownpoint</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tularosa at Loving</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Raton at Capitan</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Capital at Miyamura</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wingate at Tohatchi</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cuba at McCurdy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Week 8 is upon us let's roll!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GATA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GATA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIGHT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIGHT</a> <a href="https://t.co/hJRVYTR0RP">pic.twitter.com/hJRVYTR0RP</a></p>&mdash; Deming Wildcat Football (@DemingWildcat) <a href="https://twitter.com/DemingWildcat/status/1978081791085830153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Week 1-7 Highlights (6-1 Record), on <a href="https://twitter.com/Hudl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Hudl</a> at - <a href="https://t.co/gyFuaWGx87">https://t.co/gyFuaWGx87</a> <br><br>99-157, 1500 Yds, .657, Avg 15.7, 21 TDs, 3 Ints<br>19 Rushes - 130+ Yds, 7.1 Avg, <a href="https://twitter.com/ArtesiaSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArtesiaSports</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ArtesiaF32?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArtesiaF32</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/artesiafootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@artesiafootball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_NMAA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ExpoRecruits?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ExpoRecruits</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NCSA_Football?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NCSA_Football</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jeremy_maupin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jeremy_maupin</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1672571' first='Derrick' last='Warren'] (@warren12212) <a href="https://twitter.com/warren12212/status/1978295361211883972?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->