2026 Team Preview: Clovis Wildcats

OVERVIEW   Stan Hodges enters his third season as head coach of Clovis, one of the bluest of the blue blood programs in the state. His first season in 2024 was a rough one  as the Wildcats were winless. They improved to three wins in 2025, and Hodges hopes Clovis continues the upward trend in 2026. Clovis hasn't enjoyed a winning season since 2019, which is also the last season they won a playoff game.   “You build a house brick by brick,” Hodges told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “And you have to put it on solid ground. You can't build it on sand. We're still in the building process. It doesn't happen overnight. I'm not a band-aid. I'm a program builder. We'll find out if we're able to reap what we sow from the offseason. I think we will. We're a lot stronger and faster than we've been over the last two years. I'm excited. Some young guys will have to step up and play.”          OFFENSE   Six-foot-2 rising junior dual threat Beau Clements is preparing to take over the quarterback job for the Wildcats after playing primarily on the defensive side of the ball in 2025. Rising senior ATH Ethan Gutierrez is competing for the backup job.   “Beau has his own set of talents,” Hodges said. “He has good height and leverage. He's a heck of a linebacker too. Now we're making him a quarterback. But he's tough-nosed and he can throw the ball pretty well. And he's a tough runner. He's a three-sport athlete. He's going to have to run it too. He's not flashy. But he'll run you over.”    Clovis likely won't have an ironclad No. 1 running back. Instead, it will be ‘running back by committee,' Hodges said. Rising seniors Kyden Everett and Deon Chavez will share the bulk of the ball carrying load. Rising junior Estaban Wheeler has impressed during off-season workouts and he could get some carries as well. Everett and Wheeler both run the 40 in about 4.5 seconds, so they'll bring nice speed to the position.   “Kyden and Deon will take turns carrying the rock,” Hodges said. “Estaban has blossomed this spring for us. Hopefully, he's a guy we can count on. He looks good in helmet and shorts. Deon is shifty and has great vision.”   Six-foot-3 Ethan Gutierrez (see above) leads the wide receiver corps. He'll line up the majority of the time as a slot receiver, but he'll split out wide from time to time depending on Clovis' personnel package on the field at the time. Rising junior Andrew Fenstermaker is another solid option at WR.   “Ethan has some thick legs. He's strong,” Hodges said. “He has strong hands. He'll go up and fight for the ball. If the ball is within his range, he'll get it. He seems to always come down with it. Andrew has good hands and he had a great spring. He didn't have the stats because Ethan was our featured guy last year. I anticipate Andrew is a guy we can really count on.”   In the trenches, rising senior guards Daziah Steward and Aiden Bates return to anchor the Wildcats' offensive line.   “Those guys are solid,” Hodges said. “We run a lot of gap scheme, so we ask our guards to pull and kick and seal. Those guys do a good job with that.”   Both offensive tackle spots will feature newcomers. Right now, a pair of sophomores are expected to start at both positions, Hodges said. One them will likely be [player_tooltip player_id='2174065' first='Jacen' last='Maes']. Rising junior Jaxson Forrest will be the center.                   Key Players: Beau Clements (QB), Ethan Gutierrez (WR), Andrew Fenstermaker (RB), Daziah Steward (OL).      DEFENSE   Rising senior Jordan Parrish and rising junior Liam Tranchant bring good size to the two defensive end spots. Six-foot-2 rising junior Noah Baker will contribute as well.   “We'll rotate those three guys, but Jordan will be the main guy,” Hodges said. “He's very explosive.”   Deon Chavez (see above) returns at linebacker in the Wildcats' 4-2-5 scheme and he'll be a two-way player. Rising junior Payton Kerby will be one of the inside linebackers.      Kyden Everett (see above) will play one of the safety spots. Arcadius Pineda will be another safety. The free safety will be rising senior Sandro Cordova. The two cornerback spots will likely be filled by Ethan Gutierrez (see above) and  Estaban Wheeler (see above).   The new defensive coordinator for Clovis is Todd Horton, who coached at Mayfield last season.           Key Players: Jordan Parrish (DE), Liam Tranchant (DE), Deon Chavez (LB), Kyden Everett (DB).   2026 CLOVIS SCHEDULE   Aug. 21 vs. Bloomfield (at Santa Fe HS)                    Aug. 28 ALAMOGORDO                     Sept. 4 at Santa Fe (6 p.m.)                   Sept. 11 at Volcano Vista*             Sept. 18 CENTENNIAL*              Sept. 25 at Carlsbad*              Oct. 2 Bye                  Oct. 8 at Las Cruces (Thur.)*               Oct. 16 ELDORADO*           Oct. 23 at Hobbs*             Oct. 31 ORGAN MOUNTAIN*           * District 6A-2 Game   All kickoffs at 7 p.m. unless indicated otherwise.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Junior season stats: 632 receiving yards 7 touchdowns 43 receptions<a href="https://x.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://x.com/williamsbuddy82?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@williamsbuddy82</a> <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/footballrecruitment?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#footballrecruitment</a> <a href="https://t.co/1e9o57EvG4">pic.twitter.com/1e9o57EvG4</a>— Ethan Gutierrez (@gutierrez_24374) <a href="https://x.com/gutierrez_24374/status/2005457713455939781?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2025</a></blockquote>

OVERVIEW