Look Back, Look Ahead: Class 2A

We continue our popular Look Back, Look Ahead series with a review of the 2025 season in Class 2A and a peek ahead to some of the key storylines, topics, players and questions concerning the 2026 campaign, which begins next August with revamped districts.   LOOK BACK   Best Team: Texico. After losing the season opener to Santa Rosa., the Wolverines didn't lose another game to a New Mexico opponent. Three games against West Texas opponents got them ready for district play and Texico took full advantage. They won the final eight games and went undefeated in District 2A-3. They beat Eunice twice, first in a high-scoring duel, 42-34. But when the two squared off again in the 2A state championship, Texico won easily, 42-7.           Most Improved Team: Hozho Academy. The Wolves jumped from four wins in 2024 to nine wins and the District 2A-1 title in 2025. They earned a top four seed and won a quarterfinal game before falling to Texico in the semifinals.   Offensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='854273' first='Elijah' last='Melancon'], Eunice. Was there any question? Melancon concluded his phenomenal career by throwing for 2,786 yards, most in Class 2A by far, and 39 TD. His 10,830 passing yards makes him one of only a few QBs in state history to eclipse 10,000 career yards. He threw 154 career TD passes, second most in state history.   Defensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='854299' first='David' last='Chavez'], Santa Rosa. Chavez anchored a solid Santa Rosa defense with a Class 2A-leading 143 tackles and 15.0 TFL. He also rushed for over 1,200 yards on offense.      Special Teams Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1137096' first='Jay' last='Lee'], Legacy Academy. The dynamic Lee returned four kicks (1 kickoff, 3 punt returns) for touchdowns in 2025. He averaged 35.8 yards per punt return.   Two-Way Player Of The Year: Greyson Meek, Eunice. Meek rushed for close to 900 yards and 11 TD, caught 21 passes for 316 yards and 3 TD and made 112 tackles with a staggering 21.0 TFL. 14.0 sacks and 9 QB hurries on defense.   Junior of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1604784' first='Cael' last='Walton'], Raton. Continuing the Walton legacy in  Raton, Cael rushed for 1,791 yards and 15 TD, caught 17 passes and made 51 tackles on defense. Excellent on both sides of the ball.       Sophomore of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1613755' first='Cross' last='Figg'], Texico. When the Wolverines starting QB suffered a serious injury in the first game of the season, Figg stepped in and did a marvelous job directing the Texico offense. He finished with 1,903 rushing yards, threw for 1,030 yards and accounted for 38 TD. Joined the prestigious 1,000-1,000 club. He'll likely be the full-time starter at QB in 2026.                       Freshman of the Year: Devon Chavez, Estancia. Chavez was one of the top freshmen in the state in 2025, regardless of classification. He had a remarkable 1,674 rushing yards, about double the number of the No. 2 freshman ball carrier. Chavez teamed with fellow freshman Juan Cuevas to form one of the top young QB-RB duos anywhere.                     Breakthrough Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1137855' first='Brandon' last='Bonaguidi'], Hozho Academy. The undisputed leader of the Wolves threw for over 1,000 yards and rushed for a team-high 628 yards. He accounted for 23 TD. Defensively, he had 47 tackles, 6.0 TFL and 4 interceptions. He made plays all over the field, on both sides of the ball.      Game of the Year: Hozho Academy 49, Raton 47. This back-and-forth battle in the 2A quarterfinals boiled down to a late two-point conversion attempt by Raton. The pass fell incomplete and Hozho Academy escaped with the win. Hozho led, 49-28, with about 8 minutes remaining before Raton mounted a furious rally. Two TD runs by freshman RB Harlem Corley helped Raton pull to within 2 points with 1:11 left. But the 2-point conversion pass failed and Hozho celebrated the hard-fought win.              LOOK AHEAD   Top Storyline for 2026: Class 2A expands from 17 to 24 schools in the latest NMAA realignment. Class 2A is by far the biggest classification.         District 1: Cuba, Crownpoint, Hozho Academy, Navajo Prep, Newcomb, Shiprock, Tohatchi, Zuni.      District 2: Estancia, Laguna Acoma, Legacy Academy, McCurdy, Raton, Santa Rosa, Santa Fe Indian, Tucumcari.   District 3: Capitan, Cobre, Dexter, Eunice, Jal, Loving, Texico, Tularosa.         Six teams moved from 3A to 2A: Cobre, Crownpoint, Dexter, Shiprock, Tohatchi and Zuni. In addition, Santa Fe Indian joins 2A following two years as an independent.   10 Offensive Players To Know For 2026   [player_tooltip player_id='1604697' first='Brodie' last='Allen'], Loving   [player_tooltip player_id='1155101' first='Abraham' last='Azua'], Hozho Academy   [player_tooltip player_id='1680201' first='Luciano' last='Castillo'], Raton   [player_tooltip player_id='1606048' first='Xander' last='Chavez'], Legacy Academy   [player_tooltip player_id='1605989' first='Aden' last='Clah'], Navajo Prep   [player_tooltip player_id='1613755' first='Cross' last='Figg'], Texico   [player_tooltip player_id='1827281' first='Rider' last='Gonzalez'], Loving   [player_tooltip player_id='1155032' first='CJ' last='Granados'], Dexter   Lucas Lopez, Eunice   Julian Nino, McCurdy   [player_tooltip player_id='1604784' first='Cael' last='Walton'], Raton   11 Defensive Players To Know For 2026   [player_tooltip player_id='1613495' first='Colt' last='Ayon'], Raton   [player_tooltip player_id='1680161' first='Haziel' last='Goitia'], Eunice   [player_tooltip player_id='1827285' first='Arion' last='Lopez'], Loving   Marlen Martin, Newcomb   Jesse Ornelas, Eunice   Niemiah Pacheco, Tucumcari   [player_tooltip player_id='1155310' first='Fernando' last='Prieto'] Jr., Dexter   [player_tooltip player_id='1155314' first='Rigo' last='Regalado'], Dexter   Jerome Salazar, Legacy Academy   Porter Thompson, Santa Rosa   [player_tooltip player_id='1708067' first='Jay' last='Watts'], Legacy Academy   Team on the Rise: Navajo Prep. The Eagles went 1-8 and 5-6, respectively, in 2022 and 2023. But in the last two seasons, they've been 8-3 and 9-3, increasing their number of wins each season. They have an outstanding QB-RB duo returning in 2026: QB [player_tooltip player_id='1605989' first='Aden' last='Clah'] and RB [player_tooltip player_id='1606093' first='Dallas' last='Wilson'].        Teams Looking To Bounce Back: Capitan, Cuba and Newcomb.               Player Ready To Blow Up: [player_tooltip player_id='1604697' first='Brodie' last='Allen'], Loving. Allen has been a bit overshadowed by other players on the Loving roster in the past couple of years but he's been a valuable contributor. Allen should have a bigger role in 2026.              5 Key Questions:   1. How will the addition of 3A runner-up Dexter to 2A alter the balance of power in Class 2A?   2. Who will be Eunice's new starting quarterback?   3. Will anybody unseat Texico after the Wolverines' back-to-back championships?   4. Will District 2A-2 again come down to Legacy Academy and Santa Rosa?   5. With four new teams joining District 2A-1, who's the favorite?   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/dbuQPAIYJi">https://t.co/dbuQPAIYJi</a> Regular Season! 8-1 (1 game canceled) District Champs! 958 Passing Yards 9 Passing Touchdowns 58-100 - 58% 492 Yards Rushing 14 Touchdowns <a href="https://twitter.com/DDemonFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DDemonFootball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nmpreps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nmpreps</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachKelleyLee?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachKelleyLee</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/coacholney?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coacholney</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachDaPrato?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachDaPrato</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachTwelveGage?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachTwelveGage</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/osoukup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@osoukup</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='1155032' first='CJ' last='Granados'] (@cj_granados10) <a href="https://twitter.com/cj_granados10/status/1987334482853257440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2025</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">2025 Varsity Highlights Sophomore Season‼️ We Finished 10-2 & District Champs🏆 2 Way Starter DL/OL 61 Total Tackles 26 Solo Tackles 8 TFL 3 Sacks 9 QB Hurries 2 Fumble Recovers 1 Blk FG<a href="https://twitter.com/legacyacademyFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@legacyacademyFB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_NMAA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nmpreps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nmpreps</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nmprepcosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nmprepcosports</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzone?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzone</a> <a href="https://t.co/GuXrubuf5K">pic.twitter.com/GuXrubuf5K</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='1708067' first='Jay' last='Watts'] (@JayWatts82) <a href="https://twitter.com/JayWatts82/status/1998218936161276115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2025</a></blockquote>

We continue our popular Look Back, Look Ahead series with a review of the 2025 season in Class 2A and a peek ahead to some of the key storylines, topics, players and questions concerning the 2026 campaign, which begins next August with revamped districts.