November Madness: First Round Playoff Preview (6A/5A)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025 New Mexico high school football playoffs begin this weekend with a majority of the First Round games scheduled for Friday Night. Four first-round games are set in each classification (6A-2A). Here is the preview for the first-round games in Class 6A and 5A:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 6A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Piedra Vista at Los Lunas (Fri., 6 p.m.)</strong>: Piedra Vista (5-5) finished in fourth place in the highly competitive District 6A-1 and is the only team to beat 4A power Bloomfield this season. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1556720' first='Amasi' last='Griego']</strong> took over QB duties midway through the season and he's now the Panthers leading rusher. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606021' first='AJ' last='Cockrell']</strong> is the leading receiver and the 2^nd leading tackler. Los Lunas has won seven of its last eight games with the lone setback being to La Cueva. They have two outstanding QBs in next level talent <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137088' first='Kaiden' last='Reese']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1787301' first='Luke' last='Cieremans']. Martin Cordova</strong> (695 rushing yards) sparks the balanced running game. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cibola at Volcano Vista (Fri., 7 p.m.)</strong>: After going 2-18 the past two seasons, Cibola (5-5) returns to the 6A playoffs in David Howes' first season as the Cougars head coach. Moving UNM commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854199' first='Hayes' last='Baum']</strong> to Wildcat QB was a shrewd move. He leads the Cougars in rushing and tackles. Volcano Vista was hard-hit by injuries at the QB position this season. Third-string <strong>Jude Herrera</strong> has directed the offense in the last few games. Junior RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1423739' first='D'Angelo' last='Mitchell']</strong> averages over 6 yards per carry. The Volcano Vista defense allowed more than 28 points only twice this season – Las Cruces and Cleveland. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eldorado at Las Cueva (Fri., 7 p.m.)</strong>: Rivalry games and the playoffs can sometimes make for some interesting football. When these two teams met Oct. 3, La Cueva won 26-7. &nbsp;However, it was only a 13-7 game at halftime. So, Eldorado has proven they can compete with he Bears. But competing and winning are two different things. Eldorado needs a big game <strong>from [player_tooltip player_id='1155116' first='Jahari' last='Morehead']</strong> and some breaks to win this one. They certainly have to figure out how to score more points against the Bears. After starting the season with back-to-back losses, La Cueva has won eight straight games. Bears QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1183085' first='Monty' last='Melendez']</strong> and RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1629861' first='Vaughn' last='Saunders']</strong> have quietly had nice seasons. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Carlsbad at Rio Rancho (Sat., 1 p.m.)</strong>: This is one of the most intriguing games of the First Round. Carlsbad is probably better than their 5-5 record indicates. Four of their five losses to date have been to Artesia, Centennial, Las Cruces and Hobbs. Cavemen QB <strong>Marley Munoz</strong> is a dynamic dual threat signal caller with nearly 1,200 passing yards and over 600 rushing yards. RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605005' first='Brock' last='Wright']</strong> has rushed for 940 yards and WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137066' first='Robert' last='Castaneda']</strong> is an elite receiver with next level ability. Six-foot-3, 225-pound Power 4 target <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248663' first='Colton' last='McKibben']</strong> leads the Carlsbad defense with 93 tackles and 1 INT. The key question surrounding Rio Rancho (6-4) is the availability of QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604705' first='Micah' last='Takahashi']</strong>, who suffered a shoulder injury against Cleveland in Week 11, forcing 8^th-grader <strong>Crew Victor</strong> to take the reins of the offense. Whoever quarterbacks the Rams offense can rely on offensive weapons like RB <strong>Ethan Rolon</strong> and WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1266408' first='Parker' last='Miller']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here's a look at the Class 6A Bracket of the 2025 Nusenda Credit Union State Football Championships. <a href="https://twitter.com/nusendacu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nusendacu</a> <a href="https://t.co/Drm5YfWcQT">pic.twitter.com/Drm5YfWcQT</a></p>&mdash; NMAA (@_NMAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1984836141091340426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 5A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Valley at Belen (Fri., 7 p.m.)</strong>: If this matchup between District 5A-1 rivals plays out the same way as their first meeting, we're in for a treat. In Week 4, Valley scored a late touchdown and then recovered a Belen fumble inside the red zone in the final minute to pull out a 25-22 victory. Vikings QB <strong>Jonah Marez</strong> has thrown for nearly 1,000 yards in 5 games. Valley's RB-WR duo of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605046' first='Zachary' last='Perez']-Verdeja</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1532837' first='Gabe' last='Gonzales']</strong> is underrated. Both are highly productive skill position players. Belen is led by dynamic QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604925' first='Gonzalo' last='Cano']</strong>, who has already joined the prestigious 1,000-1,000 club with 1,088 passing yards and 1,322 rushing yards. He has accounted for 30 touchdowns. Belen runs the ball close to 70 percent of the time. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Capital at Gadsden (Fri., 7 p.m.)</strong>: Capital makes the long journey from Santa Fe to the northwestern suburbs of El Paso to take on the Panthers. Capital started 0-3 but bounced back by going 4-3 in their final 7 games. One of those wins was a forfeit by Miyamura, and that's what got the Jaguars into the playoffs over the Patriots. Capital QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604951' first='Ace' last='Bachicha']</strong> has shown plenty of growth this season. RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680194' first='Josh' last='Baker']</strong> leads the ground game while five Jaguar receivers have 11+ receptions. Gadsden lost four straight District 5A-2 games before winning two straight to close out the regular season. Panthers QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1751388' first='Ethan' last='Morales']</strong> and RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1357130' first='Juan' last='Rios']</strong> (1,163 rushing yards) highlight the offensive attack. Five receivers have between 11 and 16 receptions. LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1751399' first='Rocky' last='Rodriguez']</strong> has 101 tackles (73 solo) to lead the defense. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mayfield at Highland (Fri., 7 p.m.)</strong>: One of the most intriguing First Round matchups in the state this weekend. Mayfield finished 2-8 but strength of schedule convince the selection committee to award the Trojans with the No. 9 seed. Both teams love to play physical, run the football and rely on solid defense. Mayfield senior QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1599566' first='Xavier' last='Ochoa']</strong> has been superb. Highland senior RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137423' first='Jose' last='Tapia']</strong> has emerged as one of the top running backs in the state with 1,280 rushing yards on 146 carries. Since Week 5, Tapia has rushed for 150+ yards five times. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Deming at Goddard (Sat., 1 p.m.)</strong>: Like Mayfield, Deming (1-9) benefited from the selection committee's belief District 5A-2 was far stronger than District 5A-1. As a result, one-win Deming earned an at-large bid over four-win Miyamura. Wildcats WR [player_tooltip player_id='1751254' first='Joan' last='Ramirez'] has 78 receptions for 1,179 yards. Goddard is revitalized under second-year head coach Arturo Bolanos. The Rockets have  an opportunity to win seven games for the first time since 2021. Goddard appears to have closed the gap on Artesia and crosstown rival Roswell. The Rockets battled both teams into the fourth quarter. Sophomore QB <strong>Nate Vasquez</strong> and thrown for 1,400 yards and 16 TD. RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1751689' first='Brady' last='Gibbs']</strong> fuels the running game. Six-foot-3 senior WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248678' first='Josiah' last='Castillo']</strong> is an elite receiver.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gadsden vs. Capital will take place Friday, November 7th at 7 PM at Sal Gonzalez Stadium! Pack the Sal! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HailGadsden?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HailGadsden</a> <a href="https://t.co/DkVzs6L0AE">pic.twitter.com/DkVzs6L0AE</a></p>&mdash; Gadsden Football (@GadsdenPanthers) <a href="https://twitter.com/GadsdenPanthers/status/1985019490397237561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here's a look at the Class 5A Bracket of the 2025 Nusenda Credit Union State Football Championships. <a href="https://twitter.com/nusendacu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nusendacu</a> <a href="https://t.co/4RiNrath5Z">pic.twitter.com/4RiNrath5Z</a></p>&mdash; NMAA (@_NMAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1984835586734326163?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->