Look Back, Look Ahead: Class 5A
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<p>We continue our popular Look Back, Look Ahead series with a review of the 2025 season in Class 5A 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.</p>
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<p><strong>LOOK BACK</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Best Team</strong>: <strong>Artesia</strong>. Not only did the Bulldogs capture another Class 5A state championship in near-miraculous fashion, they beat rival Roswell twice this past season. Artesia possessed a high-powered offensive attack led by quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672571' first='Derrick' last='Warren']</strong>, RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1139144' first='Bryce' last='Parra']</strong> and a fleet of receivers that ran five or six deep. Defensively, the Bulldogs made the plays when they had to, particularly in the final two playoff games against Lovington and Roswell. </p>
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<p><strong>Most Improved Team</strong>: <strong>Belen</strong>. The Eagles won as many games in 2025 (7) as they had in the previous three seasons combined. They won a playoff game for the first time since 2018, beating Valley handily. Junior dual threat QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604925' first='Gonzalo' last='Cano']</strong> emerged as one of the top signal callers in the Albuquerque Metro Region. He joined the prestigious 1,000-1,000 club by throwing for 1,242 yards and 16 TD while rushing for 1,383 yards and 15 TD. He'll be back next season when Belen moves to Class 4A. District 4A-2 will be a powerhouse. </p>
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<p><strong>Offensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1604744' first='Jordan' last='Herrera'], Los Alamos. </strong>Herrera led theHilltoppers to one of their greatest seasons in school history as they finished 10-1, won a district title and didn't lose until the semifinals of the 5A playoffs. Herrera was the state's leading rusher by a considerable margin. His final tally of 2,224 yards in 11 games made him the state's top rusher for 2025 by about 300 yards. <strong> </strong> <strong> </strong></p>
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<p><strong>Defensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1751399' first='Rocky' last='Rodriguez'], Gadsden. </strong>Rodriguez gets the nod in a close battle with several other contenders: <strong>Jonathan Silva</strong> (Valley), <strong>Marco Soto</strong> (Artesia), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1599565' first='Frank' last='Sheppard']</strong> (Los Alamos) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1750954' first='Joaquin' last='Bolanos']</strong> (Roswell). Rodriguez finished with 111 tackles and 4.0 TFL to lead the Panthers defense. </p>
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<p><strong>Special Teams Player of the Year:</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1266897' first='Caleb' last='Aranda'], Lovington</strong>. Arguably the state's top placekicker, Aranda connected on 9-of-11 field goals, including a 52-yarder, had 34 touchbacks on 75 kickoffs and averaged about 35 yards per punt. Earned First-Team All-State honors. Eastern New Mexico, McPherson College and Sterling College have offered. <strong> </strong></p>
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<p><strong>Two-Way Player Of The Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1137890' first='Benjamin' last='Vidales'], Miyamura. </strong>Vidales did it all for the Patriots in 2025. He made 95 tackles on defense, carried 27 times for 188 yards (7.0 yards per carry), caught 35 passes for 544 yards and 5 TD and returned kickoffs and punts. </p>
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<p><strong>Junior of the Year (Not Named [player_tooltip player_id='1604744' first='Jordan' last='Herrera']): [player_tooltip player_id='1604925' first='Gonzalo' last='Cano']. </strong>See above. Cano edged out Roswell LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1788700' first='Jonathan' last='Ellis']</strong> (75 tackles) and Valley WR <strong>Gabriel Gonzales</strong> (66 receptions for 1,058 yards) for the honor. <strong> </strong></p>
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<p><strong>Sophomore of the Year</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1826036' first='Luis' last='Rodriguez'], Roswell</strong>. Rodrigues wasn't promoted to the Coyotes until mid-September, but his impact was swift. Utilizing his fantastic speed, Rodriguez rushed for over 1,000 yards on 112 carries, averaging 108.6 yards per game. Once Rodriguez got to the perimeter and turned the corner, he was tough to catch. He got to full speed quickly. He'll be fun to watch for the next two seasons. Rodriguez edged out Goddard QB Nate Vasquez for the award. Those two cross-town rivals will engage in fierce battles in 2026 and 2027. </p>
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<p><strong>Freshman of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1988592' first='Jathen' last='Priddy'], Valley. </strong>Priddy was one of Valley's top defensive players, finishing with 35 tackles and 3.0 TFL. Priddy and DB Jude Olguin should be major contributors to the Vikings defense over the next three seasons. Valley moves to Class 4A for the 2026-27 cycle. </p>
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<p><strong>Breakthrough Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1137423' first='Jose' last='Tapia'], Highland. </strong>Tapia had just 117 yards rushing in 2024 as a junior before becoming one of the top rushers in 5A as a senior. He totaled over 1,600 rushing yards and 13 TD on a workhorse 207 carries. His efforts helped propel Highland to the 5A quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. <strong> </strong> </p>
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<p><strong>Game of the Year:</strong> <strong>Artesia 25, Roswell 24</strong>. They saved the best for last. Artesia mounted an impressive comeback in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, scoring a pair of touchdowns and recovering an onsides kick to stun rival Roswell in the 5A state championship game.</p>
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<p><strong>LOOK AHEAD</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Top Storyline for 2026</strong>: Like Class 6A, the main storyline for the 2026 season will be the new 16-team classification divided into two equal 8-team districts. Here is how the districts break down for 2026 and 2027: </p>
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<p><strong>District 1</strong>: Capital, Cibola, Highland, Los Alamos, Los Lunas, Miyamura, Piedra Vista, Santa Fe;</p>
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<p><strong>District 2</strong>: Alamogordo, Artesia, Chaparral, Deming, Gadsden, Goddard, Mayfield, Roswell.</p>
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<p>Five teams have moved from Class 6A – Cibola, Los Lunas, Piedra Vista, Santa Fe and Alamogordo. Chaparral joins 5A from 4A. </p>
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<p><strong>10 Offensive Players To Know For 2026: </strong>Here are 10 Offensive Players in Class 5A to know heading into the 2026 season:</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1688720' first='William' last='Anchondo'], Highland (RB)</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1680194' first='Josh' last='Baker'], Capital (RB)</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1604925' first='Gonzalo' last='Cano'], Belen (QB)</p>
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<p>Gabriel Gonzales, Valley (WR)</p>
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<p>Izaic Gonzales, Roswell (WR)</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1604744' first='Jordan' last='Herrera'], Los Alamos (RB)</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1155087' first='Anthony' last='Palomares'], Gadsden (WR)</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1605046' first='Zachary' last='Perez']-Verdeja, Valley (RB)</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1826036' first='Luis' last='Rodriguez'], Roswell (RB)</p>
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<p>Nate Vasquez, Goddard (QB)</p>
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<p><strong>10 Defensive Players To Know For 2026</strong></p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1613656' first='Andres' last='Acosta'], Highland</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1605059' first='Bryson' last='Bloom'], Alamogordo</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1606124' first='Nathanael' last='Cereceres'], Alamogordo</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1790813' first='Evan' last='Beveridge'], Los Alamos</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1788700' first='Jonathan' last='Ellis'], Roswell</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1788731' first='David' last='Fresquez'], Roswell</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1272783' first='Jasper' last='Groves'], Highland</p>
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<p>Daniel Pearlman, Capital</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1790762' first='Alex' last='Sandoval'], Capital</p>
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<p>Jonathan Silva, Valley</p>
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<p><strong>Team on the Rise: Goddard. </strong>Arturo Bolanos, previously the defensive coordinator at crosstown rival Roswell, has done a remarkable job reviving the Goddard program in his first two years at the helm. The Rockets finished 7-5 in 2025 and won a first-round playoff game. They were competitive against both Artesia and Roswell. Promising QB [player_tooltip player_id='1667558' first='Nate' last='Vazquez'] </p>
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<p><strong>Teams Looking To Bounce Back: Mayfield, Alamogordo & Deming. </strong>Mayfield fell to 2-9 this past season and will have a new football coach in 2026. Alamogordo started last season on a positive note by winning their first three games. But the Tigers went 1-5 in district play and failed to make the 6A playoffs. They'll compete in 5A in 2026-27. Deming finished 1-10 in 2025. </p>
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<p><strong>Player Ready To Blow Up: [player_tooltip player_id='1155082' first='Raul' last='Lopez'], Chaparral. </strong>Lopez has been at the forefront of Chaparral's revival the past couple of seasons. In 2025, he rushed for close to 1,100 yards and 11 TD. With the Lobos moving to Class 5A, Lopez will now compete on a bigger stage. </p>
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<p><strong>5 Key Questions</strong>:</p>
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<p>1. Can anybody prevent Artesia and Roswell from meeting for the fourth consecutive year in the Class 5A state championship game?</p>
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<p>2. How will the new additions to Class 5A (Cibola, Los Lunas, Piedra Vista, Santa Fe, Alamogordo) fare in their first seasons?</p>
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<p>3. How will Mayfield do in its first season under a new head coach?</p>
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<p>4. How will all the new quarterbacks affect District 5A-2?</p>
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<p>5. Will Los Alamos RB [player_tooltip player_id='1604744' first='Jordan' last='Herrera'] rush for 2,000+ yards again?</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sophomore Full Season <br>- 112 Carries <br>- 1,086 Rush Yards <br>- 108.6 YPG <br>- 9.7 YPC <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoyotesRising?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoyotesRising</a> <a href="https://t.co/oyl2MSkE0R">pic.twitter.com/oyl2MSkE0R</a></p>— [player_tooltip player_id='1826036' first='Luis' last='Rodriguez'] (@luis__3521) <a href="https://twitter.com/luis__3521/status/1995076164713697282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sophomore season Varsity QB stats<br>100-164 61%<br>1402 Passings Yds<br>16 TDs<br>6 INT<br>41 Carries, 206 YDs<br>4 Rushing TDs<a href="https://twitter.com/CoachBolanos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachBolanos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_Hendrix1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Coach_Hendrix1</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachManzanares?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachManzanares</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/GoddardRocketFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GoddardRocketFB</a> <a href="https://t.co/5zGJQnZog4">https://t.co/5zGJQnZog4</a></p>— [player_tooltip player_id='1667558' first='Nate' last='Vazquez'] (@NateVazquez08) <a href="https://twitter.com/NateVazquez08/status/1987358920718098729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Junior Season Highlights!<a href="https://t.co/rBrv1iU5ey">https://t.co/rBrv1iU5ey</a><br>134 Carries/1009 Rush Yards/7 TDs<br>6 Rec/57 Receiving Yards<br>62 Tackles/45 Solo/4 TFLs/2 PBUs<br>10 games played <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronCisco4?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AaronCisco4</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachCiscoAHS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachCiscoAHS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachKyleShoot?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachKyleShoot</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Perroni247?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Perroni247</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/adamgorney?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@adamgorney</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ShannonTerry?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShannonTerry</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/cjrecruiting2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cjrecruiting2</a></p>— [player_tooltip player_id='1605059' first='Bryson' last='Bloom'] (@BrysonBloom) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrysonBloom/status/1986834754180948085?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sophomore Year✅<br><br>7-5 made it to the Quarterfinals,<br>I had a great season and going to continue getting better.<br><br>104 Carries<br>866 Rushing Yards<br>9 Rushing TD's<br>1 receiving TD<br>8.3 a carry<a href="https://t.co/QQ9G96znLI">https://t.co/QQ9G96znLI</a><a href="https://twitter.com/SprayberryJay?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SprayberryJay</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HHS_HornetsFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HHS_HornetsFB</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/NMrecruits?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NMrecruits</a></p>— [player_tooltip player_id='1688720' first='William' last='Anchondo'] (@will_anchondo10) <a href="https://twitter.com/will_anchondo10/status/1994881286914396412?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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We continue our popular Look Back, Look Ahead series with a review of the 2025 season in Class 5A 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.
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