2026 Team Preview: Volcano Vista Hawks

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OVERVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eyebrows were certainly raised when the NMAA announced the biannual football realignment for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. The organization governing high school athletics opted to divide Classes 6A-3A each into two districts. Because nine of the 16 teams in the new Class 6A are located in the Albuquerque Metro Region, something had to give.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The NMAA placed Volcano Vista in District 6A-2 along with local rival Eldorado and six teams located in southern New Mexico. Result? The Hawks face three lengthy budget-eating road trips to Carlsbad, Hobbs and Organ Mountain in 2026. The positive, or course, is Volcano Vista won't face former district rivals Cleveland or Rio Rancho for – most likely – the next two seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We're going to be the road warriors,” Volcano Vista head coach Chad Wallin told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “Three of our five road trips are going to be three hours-plus on the bus. It's a mixed bag. The new district presents new challenges. There's a side of me that's excited to go play teams like Hobbs, Carlsbad and Las Cruces. But we have to learn how to get off the bus ready to play.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Volcano Vista finished 8-4 in 2025 and reached the quarterfinals of the 6A playoffs when they encountered the Cleveland buzzsaw. The Hawks went through three different starting quarterbacks over the course of the season, and required the services of backups at several other spots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Last season was a big challenge,” Wallin said. “We really battled the injury bug. By the time we got to our seventh game, we were on our third quarterback. It was a year of pivots. I was proud of the grit our kids showed. It was just one of those years where we just couldn't put it together. But we had some tough kids. I'm excited about the kids we have returning from that team.” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OFFENSE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hawks have some experience returning on offense, particularly in the offensive backfield. When last season's No. 1 QB was injured in the opening game win over La Cueva, rising senior dual threat <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1608127' first='Aurelius' last='Wiley']</strong> took over. He remained the QB until mid-October when he likewise suffered an injury. Wiley completed 62 percent of his passes for 831 yards and 10 TD while rushing for over 450 yards. He finished as Volcano Vista's second leading rusher.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When Wiley went down, rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2109033' first='Jude' last='Herrera']</strong>, then a starting linebacker for the Hawks, took over the QB duties. He ended up completing 59 percent of his passes for nearly 500 yards and 3 TD. During spring workouts, Wiley and Herrera have battled for the starting job and that competition should continue through the summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We're letting them battle it out,” Wallin said. “They both have some strengths. We've decided we're better when they're both playing. Wiley is a little more dynamic in terms of what he can do offensively at multiple positions, so we may have packages where Jude is the quarterback and Aurelius is playing slot and moving around quite a bit. We definitely have to create running opportunities for Wiley. He's super fast, very athletic and great instincts.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rising senior running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1423739' first='D'Angelo' last='Mitchell']</strong>, last season's leading rusher with close to 800 yards and 10 TD, is back to help ignite the ground game. Mitchell, going into his third season with the varsity, will get plenty of opportunities to run the football.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“He'll be the bell cow for us,” Wallin said. “He's had a phenomenal off-season for us. He's probably lost 15 pounds, slimmed down and tightened up. He's becoming a leader in the locker room and weight room for us.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Promising rising sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2114576' first='Jude' last='Gonzales']</strong> (6-foot-0, 175 pounds), who had 37 carries as a freshman in 2025, will be the No. 2 RB. Gonzales proved himself early last season and got more carries as the season went along. He has good instincts and excellent size for a player with three years left.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Volcano Vista lost its top two receivers to graduation. Wiley will play there along with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1679989' first='Isaiah' last='McCary']</strong>, who missed most of last season with an injury. McCary is healthy again and expected to start. <strong>Devon Martinez</strong>, described as a ‘swiss army knife' type of player, should see action at WR and H-Back as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We believe our skill position guys are pretty good,” Wallin said. “We have depth and experience coming back. About three years ago, we started playing some young kids and this is year three for some of those guys. We took some lumps, but it was a road we had to travel. Hopefully, it pays off this year.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Volcano Vista's offensive line could be younger than a season ago. Two graduated seniors signed to play at the next level. Senior center <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2079495' first='Elijah' last='Bickel']</strong> (also the Hawks' deep snapper) will be the anchor along with rising seniors <strong>Jacob Mora</strong> and <strong>Antonio Romero</strong>. Six-foot-1, 260-pound rising junior <strong>Chris Tarter</strong> will be the right tackle. The left tackle will be 6-foot-3, 290-pound rising sophomore <strong>Jeradiah Martinez</strong> or Mora. Martinez gained experience with the varsity as a freshman in 2025. <strong>Anthony Hooee</strong> is another rising sophomore who saw action with the varsity last year.                        </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Players</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1608127' first='Aurelius' last='Wiley'] (QB/WR), [player_tooltip player_id='2109033' first='Jude' last='Herrera'] (QB), [player_tooltip player_id='1423739' first='D'Angelo' last='Mitchell'] (RB), [player_tooltip player_id='2079495' first='Elijah' last='Bickel'] (OL). &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DEFENSE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Volcano Vista's defensive line figures to be a five or six man rotation to keep everybody fresh in the fourth quarter. Two of the Hawks' senior defensive linemen in 2025 signed to play at the next level, so they will tough to replace. The returning group begins with rising senior <strong>Damien Zimmerman</strong> and also includes <strong>Joseph Abe</strong>, rising junior <strong>Alister Orona</strong> and rising junior nose tackle <strong>Donavan Thomas</strong>, a weight room warrior. Rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1690572' first='Tristan' last='Romero']</strong> could be factor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hawks' top four tacklers (three sophomores) from 2025 are back, including rising junior ILB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1825989' first='Max' last='Marcum']</strong> (leading tackler in 2025 with 84, 71 solo) and ILB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2079456' first='Ixavier' last='Hansen']</strong> (64 tackles last season). The other ILB is promising rising junior <strong>Jashad Douglas</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The outside linebacker/nickel will be rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613703' first='Aiden' last='Gonzales']</strong>, a converted defensive back who has been starting on the varsity since he was an eight-grader three years ago. Gonzales will line up anywhere. He was the Hawk's second-leading tackler in 2025. He'll also play some offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the secondary, the free safety will be hoops standout <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613763' first='Houston' last='Brown']</strong>. The cornerbacks are expected to be rising seniors <strong>Aziah Gonzales</strong> and <strong>Micah Padilla</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Our defense has the opportunity to be dynamic,” Wallin said. “They're athletic and our team speed is high. If we get the young linemen to gel and be tough, we should be pretty good.” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Players</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1825989' first='Max' last='Marcum'] (LB), [player_tooltip player_id='2079456' first='Ixavier' last='Hansen'] (LB), [player_tooltip player_id='1613703' first='Aiden' last='Gonzales'] (LB/DB), [player_tooltip player_id='1613763' first='Houston' last='Brown'] (DB). &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 VOLCANO VISTA SCHEDULE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 21 at Atrisco Heritage</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 28 at Cibola &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 4 LA CUEVA</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 11 CLOVIS* &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 18 at Carlsbad* &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 26 CENTENNIAL (Sat., 1 p.m.)* &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 2 Bye &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 9 at Hobbs*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 16 LAS CRUCES*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 22 at Organ Mountain (Thur.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 30 ELDORADO* &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>* District 6A-1 Game &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All kickoffs at 7 p.m. unless indicated otherwise</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">REG SEASON FLM<br>Wk 1-7<br>815 passing yards/11 TDS<br>476 rushing yards/4 TDS <br>72 receiving yards <br>1,363 total yards<a href="https://t.co/3K8z7n5E8z">https://t.co/3K8z7n5E8z</a><a href="https://twitter.com/UNMLoboFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UNMLoboFB</a><a href="https://twitter.com/nmmibroncos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nmmibroncos</a><a href="https://twitter.com/NMStateFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NMStateFootball</a><a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a><a href="https://twitter.com/mister_football?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MISTER_FOOTBALL</a><a href="https://twitter.com/CoachWallin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachWallin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/vvhsfootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@vvhsfootball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Valdez5Island?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Valdez5Island</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/coach_jb71?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coach_jb71</a><a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelWoosley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MichaelWoosley</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1608127' first='Aurelius' last='Wiley'] (@AureliusWiley) <a href="https://twitter.com/AureliusWiley/status/1988818864743104624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Career HS Highlights<br>Freshman-Junior<br>1x 1st Team all District<br>1x 2nd Team all District<br>1x Honorable mention all state<br>APY: 1447<a href="https://t.co/48zmfbsz9y">https://t.co/48zmfbsz9y</a><a href="https://twitter.com/CoachWallin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachWallin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachSitdikov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachSitdikov</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Valdez5Island?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Valdez5Island</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a></p>&mdash; Dangelo Mitchell (@DloMitchell) <a href="https://twitter.com/DloMitchell/status/2042324435747946781?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sophomore season highlights <br>2028 FS/SS<br><br>1st team All District<br>1st team All Metro <br>2nd team All Metro KR<br>2nd team All State <br><br>12 games<br>74 tot tckls<br>62 solo<br>12 asst <br>8 TFL<br>1 int<br>6 PBU<br>284 all purpose yards <br>1 TD<a href="https://twitter.com/CoachWallin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachWallin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/coachList13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coachList13</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachSitdikov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachSitdikov</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Valdez5Island?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Valdez5Island</a>… <a href="https://t.co/HRcwgzYcau">pic.twitter.com/HRcwgzYcau</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1613703' first='Aiden' last='Gonzales'] (@aidengonzales0) <a href="https://twitter.com/aidengonzales0/status/1998944928995619052?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Check out my Junior Highlights‼️‼️‼️<br><br>64 Tot Tckls<br><br>43 solo<br><br>21 assists <br><br>5.3 T/G<br><br>2.0 TFL<a href="https://twitter.com/coachList13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coachList13</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachWallin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachWallin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachSitdikov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachSitdikov</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/vvhsfootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@vvhsfootball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SprayberryJay?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SprayberryJay</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nmpreps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nmpreps</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Hudl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Hudl</a> <a href="https://t.co/ANPZShNQrT">https://t.co/ANPZShNQrT</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hudl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#hudl</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='2079456' first='Ixavier' last='Hansen'] (@Ixavierhansen11) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ixavierhansen11/status/2012389609691389956?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Check out my 2025 junior year regular season highlights!<br><br>35-Short Snaps<br>15-Long Snaps<br>2-Fake Punts<br>0-over/under snaps<a href="https://twitter.com/CoachWallin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachWallin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Valdez5Island?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Valdez5Island</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachSitdikov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachSitdikov</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/vvhsfootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@vvhsfootball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ronaz87?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ronaz87</a> <a href="https://t.co/ACqoJ4iRan">pic.twitter.com/ACqoJ4iRan</a></p>&mdash; Eli Bickel (@ElijahBickel) <a href="https://twitter.com/ElijahBickel/status/1989728318636298256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->