Semifinals Preview: Class 6A

<!-- 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 6A:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 6A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Las Cruces at La Cueva (Fri., 7 p.m., Wilson Stadium)</strong>: These teams square off for the third straight season in the semifinals. La Cueva, aiming for a fourth straight appearance in the state championship game, has won the first two. Will they deny the Bulldawgs again? This time, unbeaten Las Cruces (11-0) is the team expected to win and advance to Thanksgiving weekend. But La Cueva (10-2) is better than most analysts expected. The Bears come into the game riding a 10-game winning streak after opening the season with losses to Volcano Vista and a team from Arizona.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Las Cruces brings one of the most prolific offenses in the state to Albuquerque. Quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853029' first='Gunnar' last='Guardiola']</strong> (2,464 passing yards, 23 TD), running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137388' first='Daniel' last='Amaro']</strong> (1,609 rushing yards) and wide receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142363' first='Francisco' last='Winnikoff']</strong> (58 receptions for 1,147 yards) are the top Dawgs in an offense that has scored 38 or more points 10 times, 47+ points eight times and amassed nearly 4,900 yards in total offense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672408' first='Jacob' last='Misquez']</strong> is a solid No. 2 WR. The La Cueva defense, led by outstanding linebackers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1266328' first='Brody' last='Clark']</strong> and <strong>Manase Soakai</strong> (offered Wednesday by Willamette University), will certainly have their hands full.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The La Cueva offense doesn't have the star power of past seasons but they've scored plenty of points. Quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1183085' first='Monty' last='Melendez']</strong> lacks the acclaim of his two predecessors, both of whom are playing QB at FBS programs, but he's enjoyed a solid season nonetheless.&nbsp; He threw for 278 yards and a TD in last week's quarterfinal win at Centennial. RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1629861' first='Vaughn' last='Saunders']</strong> is reliable and WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853566' first='Isaiah' last='Goree']</strong> is a next level talent. Goree took over at WR when [player_tooltip player_id='853013' first='Tanner' last='Montano'] announced he wouldn't play football this season to focus on track. The Las Cruces defense flies to the football. Linebackers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606042' first='Denton' last='Walter']</strong> (174 tackles, 19.0 TFL) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606076' first='Hunter' last='Parmeter']</strong> (152 tackles) are elite.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Quarterfinals WIN 49-29✅ <br>vs Los Lunas #8<br>17 carries 97 rushing yds<br>3 receptions 48 receiving yds <br>198 All purpose yards<br>3 touchdowns<br>1 passing touchdown <a href="https://t.co/kFS95rlyCr">pic.twitter.com/kFS95rlyCr</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1137388' first='Daniel' last='Amaro'] (@AmaroDaniel22) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmaroDaniel22/status/1990260457186471973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Quarterfinals highlights another great team win !<br>278 passing yards<br>1 TD<br>10 - 2 record <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/LaCuevaFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaCuevaFootball</a> <a href="https://t.co/yHGjR61zni">pic.twitter.com/yHGjR61zni</a></p>&mdash; MontyMelendez (@MontyMelen) <a href="https://twitter.com/MontyMelen/status/1990099159031116139?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hobbs at Cleveland (Sat., 1 p.m., Lightning Bolt Stadium)</strong>: When it comes to the playoffs, the recent history of these two programs is very different. Cleveland is striving to reach the Class 6A state championship game for the seventh straight year. Hobbs, meanwhile, has advanced to the semifinals for the first time since Class 6A was added in 2016 and the first time overall since the early 1980's. These two teams met in the quarterfinals two years ago with Cleveland posting a convincing shutout victory at home.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This time around, keeping this Hobbs offense off the scoreboard seems far-fetched. The Eagles have a dynamic dual threat QB in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605057' first='Junior' last='Medrano']</strong>, who has joined the prestigious 1,000-1,000 club with 1,679 yards passing and 1,439 yards rushing. He's accounted for 36 TDs. Little wonder he's a Top 10 contender for the 2025 New Mexico Heisman award. Beat Cleveland and Medrano catapults to the top of the list, certainly close to it. Few defense have been able to contain Medrano this season. Clearly, keeping him boxed in and not allowing him to escape the pocket is the top task for the Cleveland defense. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604984' first='Shamus' last='Wright']</strong> and junior <strong>Demarcus Hill</strong> are a formidable RB duo. They've combined for nearly 1,400 rushing yards. Elite receivers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1599800' first='Justice' last='French']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600876' first='Braddock' last='Beaty']</strong> have combined for 78 receptions. The Cleveland defense, filled with next level talent, historically likes to spread the wealth and this season is no different. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1599859' first='Troy' last='Logan']</strong> (51 tackles) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1599835' first='Riley' last='Haussler']</strong> (46 tackles ) lead the Storm defense. Together, they've combined for 21.0 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. Six-foot-5 DE<strong> Elijah</strong> <strong>Richards</strong> has verbally committed to the New Mexico Lobos. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Six-foot-4 Cleveland QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='851873' first='Jordan' last='Kekoa Hatch']</strong> is one of the top pocket passers in the state. He's extremely accurate and rarely makes mistakes. He's completing 74.6 percent of his passes for 2,486 yards and 33 TD with just 4 interceptions. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600936' first='Samuel' last='Bustillos']</strong> leads a balanced rushing attack with 616 yards and 8 TD. Few teams have a better 1-2 combination at WR than the Storm duo of UNM commitment <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='851903' first='Jacob' last='Maldonado']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613490' first='Evan' last='Nanez']</strong>, who's also a D1 hoops target with an offer from New Mexico State. The Storm's offensive line features Utah commitment <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='851862' first='Moses' last='Sparks']</strong> and several other next level talents.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hobbs' defense features players with 100+ tackles at all three levels: DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672376' first='Jeremiah' last='Mackey']</strong>, LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1679730' first='Gavin' last='McPherson']</strong> and DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1601125' first='Adrian' last='Mora']</strong>. Mackey has been credited with an incredible 27.0 TFL, 10.0 sacks and 11.0 QB hurries. He knows how to wreak havoc in opposing backfields. Senior LB <strong>Joseph Reza</strong> has 11.0 TFL, while DE <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606138' first='Amryn' last='Wheeler']</strong> has 10.0 TFL. The battle between Cleveland's experienced offensive line and Hobbs' defensive front seven should be fun to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Highlights from quarterfinal game vs Volcano Vista<br>42-0 Win <br>15/22 <br>200 yards passing<br>3 TD<br>0 INT<br>20 yards rushing <a href="https://t.co/lb5muPR6s6">pic.twitter.com/lb5muPR6s6</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='851873' first='Jordan' last='Kekoa Hatch'] (@Kekoa1_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kekoa1_/status/1990091079832744003?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Highlights from Quarterfinals: 104 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD, 150 all-purpose yards - in a playoff win. <a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_RGarza?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Coach_RGarza</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_Ridenour?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Coach_Ridenour</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/coach_crow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coach_crow</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_Eck?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Coach_Eck</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ColinLockett15?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ColinLockett15</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/_CoachElliott?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_CoachElliott</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_TSanchez?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Coach_TSanchez</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/coachC_Cormier?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coachC_Cormier</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachSWUTEP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachSWUTEP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachCala?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachCala</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nmpreps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nmpreps</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://t.co/FGDGvb4eNr">pic.twitter.com/FGDGvb4eNr</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1613490' first='Evan' last='Nanez'] (@EvanNanez5245) <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanNanez5245/status/1990843973435617405?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>            </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->