November Madness: First Round Playoff Preview (Class 4A-2A)

<!-- 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 Classes 4A-3A-2A:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 4A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Valencia at Albuquerque Academy (Fri., 1:30 p.m.)</strong>: The weekend gets started with this Friday afternoon contest. Albuquerque Academy&nbsp; is hosting the state cross-country meet on Saturday, so school officials need time to prepare the course, which includes the football stadium. These two teams met in Week 11 with Academy winning 34-0. The Chargers did an incredible job stifling Valencia's ground game as the Jaguars managed just 81 rushing yards on 30 carries. Academy QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1369761' first='William' last='Braun']</strong> threw for 209 yards, with five of nine completions going to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605074' first='Logan' last='Hague']</strong>, who averaged 30 yards per reception. Unlike last week, can Valencia RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1599923' first='Michael' last='Storms III']</strong> and his offensive line get the run game going? If they do, the Jaguars have a chance to pull the upset. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Portales at Moriarty (Fri., 7 p.m.</strong>): Portales earned an at-large bid despite being 2-8. However, the Rams have been competitive all season long, losing three games by six points or less, including an OT setback to Bernalillo. Portales' offensive backfield is exceptionally young with freshman QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1581314' first='Kingston' last='Lee']</strong> (1,155 passing yards + 13 TD) and sophomore RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613398' first='Slade' last='Segovia']</strong> (833 rushing yards + 8 TD). Moreover, the Rams' top four tacklers are all freshmen and sophomores. Offensively, Moriarty isn't going to do anything fancy. The Pintos pound the ball between the tackles over and over and try to wear down opposing defenses They have four running backs with 350+ yards, led by 1,000-yard rusher <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606046' first='Mario' last='Romero']</strong>.     </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Manzano at Bernalillo (Fri., 7 p.m.)</strong>: Manzano brings their productive offense to Bernalillo to square off against the Spartans' ‘Goon Squad' defense. Manzano, which earned a second straight playoff appearance since moving to Class 4A, is led by senior QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137898' first='Bodi' last='True']</strong>, who has thrown for over 1,600 yards and 16 TD, sophomore RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613352' first='Broden' last='Price']</strong> (686 rushing yards + 37 receptions) and two-way standout <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137881' first='Aiden' last='Erickson']</strong> (46 receptions + 49 tackles). Defensively, 6-foot-3 junior DL <strong>Vince Varela</strong> has 23.5 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks and 10 QB hurries. Bernalillo QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853757' first='Ulisses' last='Castro']</strong> has done a solid job since taking over the job due to injury. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853756' first='Mario' last='Molinar']</strong> has done it all for the Spartans this season as he leads them in rushing and tackles. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1599893' first='Joseph' last='Duran']</strong> is an elite WR. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Silver at Grants (Sat., 1 p.m.)</strong>: Even though they compete in separate districts, these two teams are very familiar with each other. They met in the first round of last year's playoffs with Grants prevailing, 22-16. They also faced each other in 2022 and 2023 as district rivals. Silver has had a roller coaster season with four straight wins at the start followed by three straight losses and then wins in two of their last three games, including Albuquerque Academy and Chaparral. QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1709925' first='Josiah' last='Madrid']</strong> leads the Colts offense. They have leaned heavily on a fast and aggressive defense all season long. Grants lost quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854297' first='Tristin' last='Fernandez']</strong> to a season-ending injury. Freshman RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1720592' first='Julian' last='Fernandez']</strong> is one of the top 2029 prospects in the state. He had over 750 rushing yards in the regular season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2034560,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-06-at-18-10-48-Photo-Google-Photos.png?w=494" alt="" class="wp-image-2034560" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Facebook</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 3A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ruidoso at West Las Vegas (Fri., 6 p.m.)</strong>: These two teams met in Week 3 with West Las Vegas scoring in the final seconds to pull out a 20-14 win. Ruidoso's main offensive weapon is sophomore dual threat QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613409' first='Mason' last='Fikany']</strong>, who has rushed for over 800 yards and 13 TD this season. WLV looks to snap a three-game losing streak. Junior dual threat QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1791395' first='Caydin' last='Encinias']</strong> has thrown for over 1,000 yards and is the Dons' leading rusher. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hot Springs at Thoreau (Fri., 7 p.m.)</strong>: Hot Springs (5-5) makes the long trip to Thoreau to face the 9-1 Hawks. Sophomore QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613430' first='Zaiden' last='Baker']</strong> is a nice dual threat signal caller with 1,153 passing yards and nearly 500 rushing yards to lead Hot Springs on the ground. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1155284' first='Nehemiah' last='Smith'] averages over 8 yards per carry. The WR duo of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854288' first='Tristan' last='Polanco']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155121' first='Billy' last='Baca']</strong> has combined for 68 receptions and almost 950 receiving yards. Thoreau has quietly enjoyed a highly successful season, winning nine straight games after dropping the opener. They destroyed their district rivals on the way to a perfect 6-0 record in District 3A-1. QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613756' first='Aiden' last='Woody']</strong> has thrown for nearly 1,500 yards and 15 TD. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137880' first='Noah' last='Trickey']</strong> is a talented receiver with 48 receptions for 740 yards. The ground game is balanced with five RBs with 23+ carries. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wingate at NMMI (Sat., Noon)</strong>: Wingate makes the long trip to Roswell (327 miles each way) to face the run-dominant Colts. Wingate finished second in District 3A-1 and earned an at-large bid. Bears DB <strong>Riley Morgan</strong> has been an interception machine this machine. NMMI wants to run the ball all day long with their triple option attack. RB <strong>Aquaylis Jordan</strong> will get the ball&nbsp; a lot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hatch Valley at Robertson (Sat., 1 p.m.)</strong>: Hatch Valley makes the 4-1/2 hour trip to Las Vegas to clash with Robertson. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854279' first='Omar' last='Gonzalez']</strong> is an outstanding dual threat QB for Hatch Valley. Fifteen of his 43 completions this season have been for touchdowns. Hatch Valley, though, wants to run the football and they have three rushers with 450+ yards. Robertson has worked through some adversity this season with numerous players getting suspended for violations of team rules. Six-foot-5 QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155256' first='Nathan' last='Gonzales']</strong> can sling it and also gain chunks of yardage with his legs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here's a look at the Class 3A 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/hpzTM95Dep">pic.twitter.com/hpzTM95Dep</a></p>&mdash; NMAA (@_NMAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1984834389046673853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 2A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jal at Navajo Prep (Fri., 5 p.m.)</strong>: Jal wins the ‘Road Warrior' Award for the First Playoff Round. The Panthers must travel 525 miles and nearly nine hours EACH WAY to get to Farmington. Jal brings a run-dominated offensive attack to the Four Corners. The Panthers have attempted fewer than 8 passes per game this season. The trio of RB <strong>Zadyn Lujan</strong> (812 rushing yards), QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600830' first='Daniel' last='Ornelas']</strong> (593) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600122' first='David' last='Gaytan']</strong> (506) headlines the run game. Navajo Prep QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605989' first='Aden' last='Clah']</strong> has thrown for over 1,000 yards and 12 TD. He's supported by junior RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606093' first='Dallas' last='Wilson']</strong> (489 yards).        </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tucumcari at Santa Rosa (Fri., 7 p.m.)</strong>: Two Eastern New Mexico rivals meet for the second time this season. They met three weeks ago with Santa Rosa prevailing, 49-0. Since then, the Lions have stumbled with losses to Raton and Legacy Academy. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854299' first='David' last='Chavez']</strong> is an elite player on both sides of the ball. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards, scored 13 TD and made 125 tackles on defense. Few players in the state can say they've accomplished that. Tucumcari must bring their A+ game to have a chance to upset Santa Rosa. QB <strong>Nick Geon</strong> has thrown for over 1,600 yards and 20 TD. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Estancia at Loving (Fri., 7 p.m.)</strong>: Two of the most dynamic quarterbacks in Class 2A square off. Estancia freshman QB <strong>Devon Chavez</strong> has rushed for 1,405 yards and 11 TD. Loving QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137875' first='Tristen' last='Onsurez']</strong> has passed for 1,835 yards and 20 TD while rushing for a team-high 632 yards. This could be a high-scoring game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tularosa at Raton (Sat., 2 p.m.)</strong>: Tularosa makes the long trip to the New Mexico-Colorado border to take on Raton. Tularosa was winless in district play but benefitted from a superior strength of schedule to get into the playoffs. QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155336' first='Kade' last='Lockner']</strong> leads the Wildcats offense. The last name ‘Walton' is synonymous with Raton football and this season has been no different. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604784' first='Cael' last='Walton']</strong> had rushed for nearly 1,300 yards and 10 TD while freshman <strong>Braylon Walton</strong> leads the Tigers  in passing yards.    </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here's a look at the Class 2A 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/WWaujzL2S2">pic.twitter.com/WWaujzL2S2</a></p>&mdash; NMAA (@_NMAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1984833887479218320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Class 4A Bracket <a href="https://t.co/fQYBqouBpb">pic.twitter.com/fQYBqouBpb</a></p>&mdash; Prep Redzone New Mexico (@PrepRedzoneNM) <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1984834890907709843?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->