Elite Eighty: Top Performers In Week 2 (Part 1)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 2 of the New Mexico High School football season is complete. There were plenty of standout performances throughput the state, from opening kickoff on Thursday night to Saturday afternoon games. Here is Part 1 of the Elite Eighty for Week 2:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2251173' first='Adam' last='Aguirre'], Albuquerque High</strong>: The Bulldogs QB was in excellent form against Eldorado, completing 24-of-31 passes for 369 yards and 3 TD in their tie with Eldorado.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1688720' first='William' last='Anchondo'], Highland</strong>: Led a balanced and very productive Hornets ground game with 82 yards rushing and 2 TD on just 7 carries. Highland led, 35-0, at halftime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613261' first='Quintin' last='Barela'], Estancia</strong>: Rushed for 103 yards and 1 TD on 18 carries to bolster the Bears' running game against Hozho Academy + 1 INT on defense. Estancia finished with 359 rushing yards vs. Hozho.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1826226' first='Jacoby' last='Bamforth'], Portales</strong>: Led a prolific Portales offense by completing 10-of-15 passes for 145 yards + 61 rushing yards&nbsp; on just 2 carries + Fumble recovery on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alex Bobolsky, Santa Fe</strong>: Caught 6 passes for 93 yards in the Demons' hard-fought setback to rival St. Michael's.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Luis Bojorquez, Las Cruces</strong>: Dominated in the trenches for the Bulldawgs with 7 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 2.0 QB hurries and 1 forced fumble.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Felipe Carranza, Hatch Valley</strong>: Rushed for 148 yards and 2 TD on 20 carries in Hatch Valley's lopsided home win over Cobre.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2246605' first='Caius' last='Chavez'], Centennial</strong>: Made a team-high 11 tackles in Centennial's loss at El Paso (TX) Andress.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2114509' first='Devon' last='Chavez'], Estancia</strong>: The sophomore dual threat QB rushed for 201 yards and 4 TD on a workhorse 25 carries + 5 tackles on defense in Estancia's road win at Hozho Academy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605989' first='Aden' last='Clah'], Navajo Prep</strong>: Threw for 151 yards and 2 TD while rushing for another score in Navajo Preps' convincing win over Gallup. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/will_anchondo10/status/2094258098508857382","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"x","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/will_anchondo10/status/2094258098508857382 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606021' first='AJ' last='Cockrell'], Piedra Vista</strong>: Caught a TD pass, scooped up a loose ball when a Panthers' extra-point attempt went awry and ran into the end zone for two points and intercepted a pass in a key situation to help spark Piedra Vista's win over Durango (CO).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613676' first='Saul' last='Contreras'], Chaparral</strong>: Completed 21-of-34 passes for 234 yards and 1 TD in Chaparral's road win at El Paso (TX) Mountain View. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613627' first='Nijrelle' last='Denetso'], Navajo Prep</strong>: Returned the opening kickoff 80 yards for a TD and caught 2 passes for 62 yards and a TD (35 yarder) in Navajo Prep's win over Gallup. The Eagles led, 22-0, after the first quarter and never looked back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613755' first='Cross' last='Figg'], Texico</strong>: Threw for 44 yards on his lone completion, rushed for 83 yards on 9 carries, caught 4 passes for 73 yards and scored 2 TD, amassing 200 total yards in Texico's road win at Sudan (TX). &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2182154' first='Aldo' last='Gallegos'], Las Cruces</strong>: The junior has led the Bulldawgs to victories in his&nbsp; first two games as the starting QB. Against Dumas (TX), Gallegos showed off his running skills by rushing for 142 yards and 2 TD on 18 carries. Finished with 229 total yards. Las Cruces ran the ball 41 times against Dumas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Austin Haakma, Texico</strong>: Threw for 141 yards and 2 TD on 8 completions in Texico's road shutout win at Sudan (TX).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Isaac Hanson, NMMI</strong>: Rushed for 87 yards and 2 TD and amassed 201 total yards in the Colts' loss at El Paso (TX) Cathedral. Also returned kickoffs and punt and made 4 tackles on defense for NMMI.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Vigil John, West Las Vegas</strong>: In a defense battle, John keyed the Dons' defense against Dexter with 10 tackles (tying for team high), 2.0 TFL, 1 INT and 5 passes defended. WLV won, 12-7. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2114585' first='Lucas' last='Lopez'], Eunice</strong>: Five receptions for 124 yards and 1 TD in Eunice's loss to Wink (TX). &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155082' first='Raul' last='Lopez'], Chaparral</strong>: Rushed for 117 yards and 1 TD on 17 carries to spark Chaparral to a nice road win at El Paso (TX) Mountain View.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Aldo_football/status/2094182064744734911","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"x","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Aldo_football/status/2094182064744734911 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2114597' first='Jude' last='Madrid'], Lovington</strong>: Rushed for 2 TD and caught 4 passes for 47 yards + 10 tackles on defense in Lovington's close loss to Lubbock Christian.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2104394' first='Reuban' last='Marquez'], Piedra Vista</strong>: Extremely efficient in the Panthers' 43-27 victory over Durango (CO) as he completed 7-of-8 passes for 110 yards and 2 TD, including a 78-yard strike to senior WR Joshua Zepeda. That score helped Piedra Vista jump out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Malachi Martinez, Santa Fe Indian</strong>: Returned a kickoff 80+ yards for a TD and ran 40 yards for the go-ahead TD in the final 10 minutes to rally SFIS past Capitan, 21-20, on Thursday night. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nick Miller, Hope Christian</strong>: The 6-foot-2, 200-pound freshman continued his strong start to the season by completing 22-of-30 passes for 403 yards and 5 TD in Hope's rivalry win over Legacy Academy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2256783' first='Isaac' last='Melancon'], Eunice</strong>: The sophomore has huge shoes to fill (his older brother's) at QB for the Cardinals, but so far, so good for Melancon. In Eunice's loss to Wink (TX), he threw for 264 yards and 2 TD. But he also had 5 INT, so plenty of room for improvement for the young QB. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jeremiah Morales, Las Cruces</strong>: Led the Bulldawgs' defense with 14 tackles against Dumas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1791448' first='Jaheim' last='Moses'], Texico</strong>: Rushed for 102 yards and 1 TD on 8 carries in Texico's road win at Sudan (TX). &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613448' first='Christian' last='Perez'], Legacy Academy</strong>: 4 receptions for 89 yards and 1 Td in Legacy's loss to Hope Christian.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ray Rackley, Albuquerque High</strong>: Made 11 receptions for 106 yards and 2 TD in Albuquerque's tie with Eldorado.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605033' first='Dailen' last='Ramirez'], Centennial</strong>: Rushed for 128 yards on a workhorse 25 carries in Centennial's loss at El Paso (TX) Andress. The Hawks offense amassed 448 yards in the setback, so they moved the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/CoachKirkMurad/status/2093497494437327247","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"x","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/CoachKirkMurad/status/2093497494437327247 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2104258' first='Noah' last='Redus'], St. Michael's</strong>: Booted the game-winning FG in OT as the Horsemen escaped with a 3-0 win over rival Santa Fe for their 35^th straight victory. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nolan Romero-Williams, Eldorado</strong>: Rushed for 144 yards and 4 TD in Eldorado's Thursday night tie with Albuquerque High.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1787474' first='Curtis' last='Ryan'], Highland</strong>: Highland doesn't throw the ball often but when they did against Del Norte, Ryan was usually the target. 3 receptions for 127 yards and 3 TD + 3 tackles and 1 INT on defense. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2109032' first='George' last='Salzano'], Highland</strong>: Completed all three passes he attempted for 137 yards and 2 TD + 73 yards rushing on 3 carries in Highland's win over Del Norte. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brady Sandoval, Piedra Vista</strong>: Collected 3.0 sacks in Piedra Vista's win over Durango (CO). In fact, all 3 of Sandoval's tackles were sacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Medrano Santiago, West Las Vegas</strong>: Caught 5 passes for 90 yards + 10 tackles on defense in WLV's hard-fought win over Dexter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613398' first='Slade' last='Segovia'], Portales</strong>: Segovia led the way as the Rams traveled to Espanola Valley and returned home with a mercy-rule win. &nbsp;He rushed for 129 yards and 2 TD on 9 carries. Portales amassed 190 rushing yards on just 11 carries, an average of 17.3 yards per attempt. They punished the Sundevils on the ground.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2108944' first='Liam' last='Smartt-Saunders'], Albuquerque High</strong>: Seven receptions for 187 yards&nbsp; (26.7 yards per catch) in the Bulldogs' &nbsp;dramatic tie with Eldorado.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1272752' first='J'ven' last='Smith'], Sandia</strong>: Led the Matadors with 85 yards rushing in their mercy-rule win over Manzano. Numerous players contributed to Sandia's cause with 9 players registering at least 1 rushing attempt and six different players catching a pass. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cason Terrell, Lovington</strong>: Led the Wildcats' defense with 12 tackles in their close loss to Lubbock Christian.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606042' first='Denton' last='Walter'], Las Cruces</strong>: The UNM Lobos commit had 13 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks and 1 forced fumble in the Bulldawgs' win over Dumas (TX). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/liamss1a/status/2093518034925461980","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"x","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/liamss1a/status/2093518034925461980 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605990' first='Darrien' last='Williams'], Hope Christian</strong>: Enjoyed one of the best performances by any player this season. Eight receptions for 247 yards and 2 TD. Returned opening kickoff 80+ yards for a TD. Three scoring plays all surpassed 80 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gavin Woods, Centennial</strong>: The senior WR had 6 receptions for 152 yards and 2 TD in the Hawks' road loss at El Paso (TX) Andress.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/RomeroWNolan/status/2094520151052013982","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"x","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/RomeroWNolan/status/2094520151052013982 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/jorge_salz12/status/2093902212959555804","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"x","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/jorge_salz12/status/2093902212959555804 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->