Semifinals Preview: Class 5A and 4A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're down to the final 20 teams. The semifinals of the 2025 New Mexico high school football playoffs are set for this weekend with one game on Friday night and nine on Saturday afternoon. Here's a look at the semifinal games in Class 5A and 4A:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 5A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Artesia at Lovington (Sat., 1 p.m.)</strong>: Artesia (10-1) is the No. 1 seed in Class 5A but under the NMAA's ‘Who Owes Who' Rule, the Bulldogs will travel to Lovington (7-4). When these two teams met in late September, Artesia won, 56-23. So, what does Lovington have to do differently? Figure out how to slow down Artesia's dynamic offense by making them one-dimensional. The Bulldogs had 483 yards in total offense in the first meeting as quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672571' first='Derrick' last='Warren']</strong> threw for 241 yards and 4 TD and running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1139144' first='Bryce' last='Parra']</strong> rushed for 150 yards. Four receivers had four receptions each. In short, the Bulldogs did what they wanted throwing and running against Lovington's defense. Offensively, Lovington struggled to run the ball (2.8 yards per attempt), completed less than one-half of its passes (18-of-39) and turned the ball over three times. The Wildcats need a big game from offensive leader <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137475' first='Jayden' last='Gutierrez'] </strong>and play mistake-free football on both sides of the ballto have a chance to win. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Roswell at Gadsden (Sat., 2 p.m.)</strong>: These District 5A-2 rivals met in last year's Class 5A semifinals at the Wool Bowl. Hence, No. 2 seed Roswell must travel to Gadsden for this matchup under the aforementioned ‘Who Owes Who' Rule. When they met earlier this season, Roswell won, 33-14, at Gadsden, amassing nearly 400 yards in total offense. Six-foot-3 Coyotes QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1750685' first='Luke' last='Lynn']</strong> (offered by NM Highlands yesterday)  is a next level talent with great size, a high football IQ and a rocket arm. Lynn completed 18-of-24 passes for 216 yards and 1 TD and rushed for 72 yards in the first meeting against Gadsden. Making Lynn uncomfortable in the pocket and keeping him contained is the top priority for the Panthers defense. Speedy sophomore RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1826036' first='Luis' last='Rodriguez']</strong> has quickly emerged as one of the top young running backs in the state. He rushed for 119+ yards in each of Roswell's final three regular season games. Gadsden has an outstanding RB of its own in senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1357130' first='Juan' last='Rios']</strong>, who has over 1,400 yards and 14 TD rushing in 12 games. Gadsden runs the ball over 70 percent of the time yet QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1751388' first='Ethan' last='Morales']</strong> has made the most of his chances to drop back, throwing for close to 1,700 yards and 20 TD. He'll be challenged by Roswell's elite LB corps of <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>(offered by NMHU). Gadsden hosts its first playoff semifinal football game in 59 years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Panther Nation - it&#039;s time to rock the house! For the first time since 1966, Gadsden will host the State Semifinals! Let&#039;s fill <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheSAL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheSAL</a> and cheer on your Panthers as they host Roswell! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HailGadsden?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HailGadsden</a> <a href="https://t.co/1u9MnpBNhL">pic.twitter.com/1u9MnpBNhL</a></p>&mdash; Gadsden Football (@GadsdenPanthers) <a href="https://twitter.com/GadsdenPanthers/status/1990093039843582347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 4A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chaparral at St. Pius X (Sat., 1 p.m.)</strong>: Don't be deceived by the final score from the last time these two teams met earlier this season. Missing several key players, the Lobos were mercy-ruled by the Sartans, 50-0, at Milne Stadium. This time, Chaparral's full roster should be available on its third trip to the Albuquerque Metro Region this season, including dynamic dual threat QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='851884' first='Israel' last='Nieto']</strong> (1,786 passing yards + 634 rushing yards) and workhorse RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155082' first='Raul' last='Lopez']</strong> (1,092 rushing yards), neither of whom played in last month's meeting with St. Pius X. The battle between Lopez and St. Pius X's super sophomore LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1826155' first='Kane' last='Huffmyer']</strong> (team-leading 88 tackles) should be fun to watch. By this point, the explosiveness of the St. Pius X offense is well known. The Sartans have scored 45+ points in every game during its current five-game winning streak. Six-foot-5 junior QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154948' first='Isaiah' last='Carpenter']</strong> (2,000+ passing yards and 25+ TD) directs a unit filled with next level caliber players – RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154954' first='Hershul' last='Olloway']</strong>, WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154956' first='Cayl' last='Cox-Liggins']</strong>, WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155012' first='Curtis' last='Flakes III']</strong> and ATH <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613459' first='Ezra' last='Ocampo']</strong>. The Sartans can score a pile of points in a hurry. Can the Chaparral defensive coaches and players figure out how to stop the St. Pius X offense? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bloomfield at Taos (Sat., 2 p.m.)</strong>: Speaking of prolific offenses, few in the state are better than Bloomfield. Since losing to 6A Piedra Vista in Week 2, the Bobcats have scored 49+ points in every game during their current nine-game winning streak. They haven't just beaten opponents, they've annihilated them. Five of those nine victories have been by the mercy rule. The engineer is QB <strong>Manual Chavarria</strong>, fondly known as ‘Peanut,' the state leader in passing yardage with 2,617 and 42 TD passes. Chavarria has certainly made the most of his one season leading the Bloomfield offense. He's the runaway favorite for Breakout Player of the Year in Class 4A. He has an array of weapons surrounding him, starting with RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853022' first='Peyton' last='Duncan']</strong> (1,100+ all-purpose yards) and WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137877' first='Kaleb' last='Hutchens']</strong>. When these two teams met in late September, Bloomfield mercy-ruled the Tigers (65-13), so the Taos coaches must come up with a different game plan. After an 0-3 start, Taos earned a top four seed and barely squeaked by Albuquerque Academy, 25-24, in the quarterfinals by scoring a late TD. It hasn't always been pretty, but the Tigers have won six games in a row. Senior QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853710' first='Evan' last='Salazar']</strong> is a dynamic dual threat, throwing for close to 2,000 yards and 20 TD. He shares ball carrying duties with senior <strong>Eli Lucero</strong>. The senior WR tandem of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1599919' first='Roman' last='Quintana']</strong> and <strong>Xavier Duran</strong> has combined for about 80 receptions and over 1,100 receiving yards. Taos can score, but will they score enough (and play well enough on defense) to upset the top-seeded Bobcats? </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Next Stop Lovington. Road to #33 🏆 <a href="https://t.co/vYflB7QCMB">pic.twitter.com/vYflB7QCMB</a></p>&mdash; BulldogFootball 🏈🏆x32 (@artesiafootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/artesiafootball/status/1989848319355478477?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Semi Final Week! Have you got your tickets yet? Saturday Community Stadium 1:00pm St. Pius X vs Chaparral <br>“Pack The House 🏠 🍿 <a href="https://t.co/B6xJbXP6Qm">https://t.co/B6xJbXP6Qm</a> <a href="https://t.co/e3uNwABrix">pic.twitter.com/e3uNwABrix</a></p>&mdash; coachflakes (@thecoachflakes) <a href="https://twitter.com/thecoachflakes/status/1990545688154026111?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->