Missing You: Elite Players We Won't See In The Playoffs

Sixty teams from the five classifications (6A-2A) made the playoffs. However, about 30 teams didn't make it. As a result, there are many talented players we won't see in the playoffs. Here are some of the best:   Victor Aguilar Jr., West Mesa: Aguilar Jr. is the fourth leading rusher in the Albuquerque Metro Region with 1,250 yards and 11 TD on 172 carries. However, West Mesa's defense struggled to stop most teams this season, leading to the Mustangs' 3-7 record.     Santiago Arellano, Santa Teresa: Arellano had 34 receptions as an intermediate range receiver for the Desert Warriors. But, like West Mesa, Santa Teresa struggled to stop people on defense, surrendering 42+ points eight times.     [player_tooltip player_id='1604910' first='Tristan' last='Begay'], Tohatchi: The top passer in 3A. Begay threw for 1,733 yards and 20 TD during the regular season. In two seasons as Tohatchi's starting QB, he passed for 3,509 yards and 44 TD. Tohatchi won three of its final four games but District 3A-1 only got two teams (Thoreau, Wingate) into the playoff field.         [player_tooltip player_id='1600835' first='Nathanael' last='Best'], Alamogordo: One of the top dual threat quarterbacks in the state. Very athletic. Rushed for a career-high 1,291 yards and 11 TD in Alamogordo's run dominated attack. Alamogordo started 3-0 but lost its final five games and failed to make the playoffs.       [player_tooltip player_id='1751422' first='Dillon' last='Bishop'], Del Norte: Few defenders in the state posted more impressive numbers than Bishop this season. He finished with 70 tackles, 19.0 TFL and 11.5 sacks with 2 forced fumbles. He was active all season long. Bishop was one of the few bright spots on a Knights team that went 1-9.   [player_tooltip player_id='1605059' first='Bryson' last='Bloom'], Alamogordo: The speedy Bloom rushed for over 1,000 yards and 7 TD on 134 carries and made 62 tackles (45 solo) on defense for the Tigers. FBS Coastal Carolina has offered.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Junior Season Highlights!<a href="https://t.co/rBrv1iU5ey">https://t.co/rBrv1iU5ey</a> 134 Carries/1009 Rush Yards/7 TDs 6 Rec/57 Receiving Yards 62 Tackles/45 Solo/4 TFLs/2 PBUs 10 games played <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronCisco4?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AaronCisco4</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachCiscoAHS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachCiscoAHS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachKyleShoot?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachKyleShoot</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Perroni247?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Perroni247</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/adamgorney?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@adamgorney</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ShannonTerry?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShannonTerry</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/cjrecruiting2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cjrecruiting2</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='1605059' first='Bryson' last='Bloom'] (@BrysonBloom) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrysonBloom/status/1986834754180948085?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2025</a></blockquote>   Jayson Bruner, Gallup: Bruner helped lead vastly improved Gallup to a 5-5 record after the Bengals won a combined three games in the previous four seasons. Bruner caught 51 passes for 733 yards and 10 TD. As a senior, he helped lay the foundation for future success at Gallup.        [player_tooltip player_id='1752746' first='Cody' last='Coffeen'], Espanola Valley: The Sundevils completely revamped their offense after Tylon Wilder left for Sandia. New head coach Caleb Holbrook brought a new passing scheme with him from Los Alamos and Coffeen benefited with close to 40 receptions and nearly 1,000 yards. He averaged about 24 yards per reception.       [player_tooltip player_id='1266534' first='Alberto' last='Landeros'], Albuquerque High: One of the top running backs in the Albuquerque Metro Region this season. He powered the Bulldogs ground game with 1,240 yards and 9 TD on 176 carries. AHS started 2-0 but ultimately fell short of their goal to end the Bulldogs' 30+ year playoff drought.   [player_tooltip player_id='1594010' first='Jahleel' last='Lewis'], Sandia: One of the top five passing quarterbacks in the Albuquerque Metro Region. The 6-foot-3 Lewis threw for about 2,000 yards and over 20 TD during the regular season. Sandia, though, struggled out of the gate with an 0-4 start before winning four of five. But it wasn't enough. A mercy rule loss to Los Lunas in Week 11 eliminated the Matadors from the playoffs.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Mid-Season 72/134 985 Passing Yards 106 Rushing Yards 11 Passing Touchdowns 3 Rushing Touchdowns 3 interceptions <a href="https://twitter.com/coachwilder0917?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coachwilder0917</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/tony_mccoy3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tony_mccoy3</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachBehrends?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachBehrends</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/LukeSchleusner?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LukeSchleusner</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_Avina?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Coach_Avina</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachJT16?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachJT16</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_JTGreeno?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Coach_JTGreeno</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/_CoachPowell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_CoachPowell</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ErikHamburg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ErikHamburg</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nmpreps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nmpreps</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SebastianNoel47?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SebastianNoel47</a>…— [player_tooltip player_id='1594010' first='Jahleel' last='Lewis'] (@JahleelLewis1) <a href="https://twitter.com/JahleelLewis1/status/1974583044054143404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2025</a></blockquote>   Jasper Nelson, Santa Fe: The state's second leading rusher in the regular season with 1,560 yards and 16 TD on a workhorse 237 carries, second highest in the state.   [player_tooltip player_id='1600856' first='Landon' last='Noble'], Newcomb: The only running back in the state with 240+ carries. He had a staggering 305 carries (including an impressive 52 carries for 211 yards in the final game against Navajo Prep) for 1,463 yards this season.       [player_tooltip player_id='1600795' first='Salid' last='Rashid'], Miyamura: Rashid has been one of the most underrated QBs in the state over the past two seasons. This season, he threw for 1,433 yards and 13 TDs in 10 games in Miyamura's balanced offense. The Patriots forfeited to Capital for a game played Oct. 17 due to using an ineligible player. That forfeit cost Miyamura a playoff berth.                                                    [player_tooltip player_id='1600987' first='Ekahi' last='Tiller'], Laguna Acoma: Tiller finished his prep career with a solid senior season. He led Laguna Acoma in rushing and was one of the top tacklers. The Hawks went 4-5 but were left out of the 2A playoffs as just two teams from District 2A-1 made it.   JJ Vigil, McCurdy: Speaking of District 2A-1, Vigil was the district's second leading rusher this season with 894 yards and 16 TD on 147 carries. McCurdy won four games but went just 1-4 in district play and fell short of the 2A playoffs.     [player_tooltip player_id='1680055' first='Zeke' last='Weir'], Organ Mountain: A freakish athlete, Weir's signature moment this season was a Hail Mary reception on a last second TD pass to win a game for the Knights. He finished with 38 receptions for 678 yards and 10 TD as a junior. Defensive struggles led to Organ Mountain's winless district record.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Congrats to [player_tooltip player_id='1680055' first='Zeke' last='Weir'], our LCPS Student Athlete of the Week from Organ Mountain! A top scorer for the Knights, Zeke is known for his explosive play & positive attitude. His advice, “Don't give up. Life gets hard, so you have to adapt with it and keep going to get around that.” <a href="https://t.co/e6POshkAKA">pic.twitter.com/e6POshkAKA</a>— Las Cruces Public Schools (@LCPSnet) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCPSnet/status/1968739018952061196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 18, 2025</a></blockquote>

Sixty teams from the five classifications (6A-2A) made the playoffs. However, about 30 teams didn't make it. As a result, there are many talented players we won't see in the playoffs. Here are some of the best: