Week 2 Whiparound: Best Games, Top Performances and Fun Stuff

Week 1 of the 2026 New Mexico High School football season is complete. Here is our first edition of the Weekly Whiparound, our comprehensive deep dive into everything that happened on the field. Enjoy!   Teams of the Week: Clovis (6A), Highland (5A), Bernalillo (4A), Moriarty (3A), McCurdy (2A).   Clovis (1-1)  continues to make progress under third-year head coach Stan Hodges. Friday, the Wildcats held off Alamogordo, 28-20, at Leon Williams Stadium. KD Everett rushed for a 2-yard TD to cap an 11-play, 47-yard drive for the Wildcats that gave them a 28-12 lead early in the fourth quarter. Alamogordo scored on a 10-yard TD pass to climb back to within one score with 3:24 left, but the Tigers got no closer. Clovis led, 22-6, at halftime. Clovis standout WR [player_tooltip player_id='2246466' first='Ethan' last='Gutierrez'] had 3 catches for 44 yards and completed 6-of-9 passes as the backup QB.   Highland rushed for 315 yards on 36 carries with four players rushing for 50+ yards in a 41-14 victory over Del Norte. The Hornets attempted 4 passes and 3 resulted in touchdowns. That's peak efficiency. In fact, Highland QBs were 4-of-4 passing and finished with a QB rating of 177.1. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1787474' first='Curtis' last='Ryan'] caught 3 TD passes.   Moriarty (2-0) continued their strong start to the season with a convincing 34-8 win over Pojoaque Valley. [player_tooltip player_id='1606079' first='Royce' last='Dennisson'] excelled on both sides of the ball for the Pintos, rushing for three TD on offense and intercepting two passes on defense. In the first quarter alone, Dennisson ran for 25 and 28-yard touchdowns and intercepted a pass as Moriarty led, 13-0, after the opening 12 minutes. They expanded the lead to 27-0 in the third quarter on [player_tooltip player_id='1606046' first='Mario' last='Romero']'s 20-yard TD run.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/NMGameDay/status/2093731985042870562 </div></figure>   Players of the Week: [player_tooltip player_id='2251173' first='Adam' last='Aguirre'], Albuquerque High (6A), [player_tooltip player_id='2109801' first='Jeremiah' last='Lord'], Belen (5A), [player_tooltip player_id='1613398' first='Slade' last='Segovia'], Portales (4A), [player_tooltip player_id='1605990' first='Darrien' last='Williams'], Hope Christian (3A), [player_tooltip player_id='1605069' first='Preston' last='Muniz'], Santa Rosa (2A).   Albuquerque High QB [player_tooltip player_id='2251173' first='Adam' last='Aguirre'] completed 24-of-31 passes for 369 yards and 3 TD in the Bulldogs' 43-43 tie with Eldorado. When a lightning delay interrupted the second OT, the two schools agreed to the deadlock. Eighteen of Aguirre's 24 completions went to junior wide receivers [player_tooltip player_id='2108944' first='Liam' last='Smartt-Saunders'] (7 receptions for 187 yards) and Ray Rackley (11 for 106, 2 TD).       Hope Christian WR [player_tooltip player_id='1605990' first='Darrien' last='Williams'] caught 8 passes for 246 yards and 2 TD + kickoff return for a TD in the Huskies' win over Legacy Academy. Williams had THREE touchdowns of 82+ yards in the Huskies' victory. He caught TD passes of 96 and 82 yards and returned the opening kickoff 82 yards for a TD.   Santa Rosa RB [player_tooltip player_id='1605069' first='Preston' last='Muniz'] rushed for 280 yards and 4 TD on a workhorse 27 carries as the Lions edged Robertson, 28-26. Santa Rosa's Wing-T offense was operating at peak efficiency as they rushed for 399 yards on 42 carries, an average of 9.5 yards per attempt.     Best Team Offensive Performance: Belen. The Eaglesimproved to 2-0 with a 54-7 victory over Miyamura. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1604925' first='Gonzalo' last='Cano'] threw for 191 yards on just 7 completions (27.3 yards per completion) and junior RB [player_tooltip player_id='2109801' first='Jeremiah' last='Lord'] rushed for 159 yards and 3 TD in the win. Belen totaled 565 yards of total offense on just 38 plays, an average of 14.9 yards per play. In other words, Belen averaged more than a first down every time they snapped the ball. They finished with 374 rushing yards.                Best Team Defensive Performance: Bernalillo. A week after Albuquerque Academy scored over 40 points in the season opener, the Chargers were held to just 7 points by Bernalillo's ‘Goon Squad' defense in a 12-7 victory by the Spartans. Bernalillo stonewalled Albuquerque Academy's ground game, limiting the Chargers to just 52 rushing yards on 22 carries. Trailing 7-6, the Spartans stunned the Chargers as LB Teo Martinez y Marr scooped up a fumble off a botched center-QB exchange late in the game and raced 45 yards for the winning TD for the thrilling win. Albuquerque Academy drove to the Bernalillo 33 in the final moments before a fumble ended their hopes.               Best Games: Hobbs 28, Artesia 27; Albuquerque High 43, Eldorado 43 (Tie).   In one of the wildest endings we've seen in a while, Hobbs scored with 39 seconds left on a 35-yard TD pass to [player_tooltip player_id='2255883' first='Zaylyn' last='Sanders'] to take a 28-21 lead over Artesia at Watson Stadium. However, the Bulldogs quickly drove down the field and had second-and-goal from the 6-yard line with 6 seconds left. Bulldogs QB [player_tooltip player_id='2246666' first='Lucas' last='Atkins'] threw a TD pass to [player_tooltip player_id='2246191' first='Layton' last='Whitmire'] as time expired to move Artesia within a point. Artesia elected to try a do-or-die 2-point conversion. The Hobbs defense stretched the play out and tackled the ball carrier near the sidelines well short of the goal line. Hobbs led for just 39 seconds, but it was enough. Here is the video of the final play:   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/NMGameDay/status/2093856433716818388 </div></figure>   Sophomore of the Week: [player_tooltip player_id='2114509' first='Devon' last='Chavez'], Estancia. Chavez rushed for 201 yards and 4 TD on a 25 carries + 5 tackles on defense as the Bears defeated Hozho Academy, 33-14. Estancia finished with 359 rushing yards on 52 carries, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. The Bears threw the ball just five times. Junior RB [player_tooltip player_id='1613261' first='Quintin' last='Barela'] supported Chavez by rushing for 103 yards.   Freshmen of the Week: Crew Victor,Rio Ranchoand Nick Miller, Hope Christian. Victor was instrumental to Rio Rancho's victory over Los Lunas. His 50+ yd run keyed a TD drive for the Rams. Miller completed 22-of-30 passes for 403 yards  and 5 TD in Hope Christian's exciting 40-27 win over Legacy Academy. Milelr has clearly joined the crop of promising young quarterbacks in the Albuquerque Metro region.            Best Rivalry Win: Farmington 48, Bloomfield 28. Ok, this might not be a true ‘rivalry' in the sense these two teams play every year. But to the folks in the Four Corners, this game felt like a rivalry. A week after losing badly to Piedra Vista, Farmington bounced back with a solid win over the two-time defending Class 4A champions. Yes, it's a 6A team beating a 4A team, but a solid win for the Scorpions nonetheless.             Best Road Warriors: Carlsbad. The Cavemen traveled to the Wool Bowl for a tough test against Goddard. Carlsbad QB [player_tooltip player_id='2101127' first='Marley' last='Munoz'] (131 rushing yards, 4 TD) and RB [player_tooltip player_id='1605005' first='Brock' last='Wright'] (118) combined for 249 yards on the ground in the Cavemen's 35-19 victory over the Rockets. Carlsbad averaged over 7 yards per rush.        The Streak Survives: Somehow, St. Michael's lengthy winning streak lives on.The Horsemen and crosstown rival Santa Fe battled to a scoreless draw in 48 minutes of football at Ivan Head Stadium. St. Michael's drove inside the red zone six times – four times inside the 10 – but came up empty in regulation. In overtime, Santa Fe fumbled on its first possession, handing St. Michael's an opportunity to win it. [player_tooltip player_id='2104258' first='Noah' last='Redus'] booted the game-winning 23-yard field goal, extending St. Michael's winning streak to 35 games with the 3-0 win. Here is the video of the game-winning FG:   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/sfnmsports/status/2093549732165722388 </div></figure>   Class 6A Roundup: Volcano Vista QB [player_tooltip player_id='2109033' first='Jude' last='Herrera'] completed 21-of-33 passes for 288 yards and 3 TD in the Hawks' 33-0 win over Cibola. Five Volcano Vista receivers had multiple receptions in the game. [player_tooltip player_id='1608127' first='Aurelius' last='Wiley'] caught 7 passes for 85 yards. . .Cleveland's defense forced five turnovers (3 INT, 2 fumbles) in the Storm's 40-20 home victory over Chatfield (CO). [player_tooltip player_id='1473331' first='Kaeleb' last='Escudero'] had a 104-yard Pick-6 and DE [player_tooltip player_id='1604734' first='Jacari' last='Smith'] added another Pick-6 in the end zone. Meanwhile DE [player_tooltip player_id='1679768' first='Joaquin' last='Manning'] had a rushing TD. Cleveland scored 20 points off turnovers. Dynamic WR [player_tooltip player_id='1613490' first='Evan' last='Nanez'] had 9 receptions for 240+ yards and 2 TD. . .Rio Rancho pulled away in the second half for a 48-20 victory over Los Lunas at Rams Stadium. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1604705' first='Micah' last='Takahashi'] accounted for 5 TD in the win, while freshman QB Crew Victor had multiple big plays, including a 50+ yard run to set up Takahashi's 11-yard TD run. WR [player_tooltip player_id='2246575' first='Gilly' last='Terrazas'] caught 3 TD passes as the Tigers struggled to cover him all night long. . .Eldorado RB Nolan Romero-Williams rushed for 144 yards and 4 TDS on a workhorse 25 carries in the dramatic tie with Albuquerque High. . .Centennial led El Paso (TX) Andress, 34-30, in the fourth quarter before the home team scored the final 14 points for a 44-34 victory over the Hawks. RB [player_tooltip player_id='1605033' first='Dailen' last='Ramirez'] had several big runs for Centennial, which hosts Artesia Thursday night at Field of Dreams. . .La Cueva QB [player_tooltip player_id='1183085' first='Monty' last='Melendez'] threw for 292 yards and ran for 55 in the Bears' 29-10 loss at Monument (CO) Palmer Ridge. . .In a game marred by an on-field incident that resulted in the ejection of dozens of players, Organ Mountain improved to 2-0 with a 54-15 win over Mayfield. Junior RB [player_tooltip player_id='1613370' first='Romeo' last='Jones'] rushed for 244 yards and WR [player_tooltip player_id='1680055' first='Zeke' last='Weir'] had 6 receptions for 164 yards for the Knights. The duo combined for seven touchdowns. . .Las Cruces walloped Dumas (TX), 42-14, in a neutral site game at ENMU's Greyhound Stadium in Portales. . .RB Leroy Chavez rushed for 181 yards on 15 carries as Atrisco Heritage downed Rio Grande, 28-18. [player_tooltip player_id='1272734' first='Josiah' last='Chavez'] had a Pick-6 for the Ravens. . .Sandia mercy-ruled Manzano, 50-0, as the Matadors rushed for 222 yards and averaged over 10 yards per carry against the Monarchs' defense. . .West Mesa RB [player_tooltip player_id='2256634' first='Noah' last='Jackson'] rushed for 139 yards on 20 carries to lead the Mustangs to a 41-39 victory over Valley Saturday at Milne Stadium. Valley QB [player_tooltip player_id='2256683' first='Jeremiah' last='Garcia'] threw for 269 yards and 5 TD in the loss, while RB [player_tooltip player_id='1605046' first='Zachary' last='Perez-Verdeja'] rushed for 133 yards on 13 carries in the wide-open game.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/sportsprimo2/status/2093758217927205014 </div></figure>   Class 5A Roundup: After a slow start, Gadsden scored a pair of TD in the second quarter and three more in the third quarter in a 62-8 mercy-rule win over Capital in Santa FE. [player_tooltip player_id='2108931' first='Deion' last='Torres'] had a big day for the Panthers. . .Roswell lost to Amarillo (TX) Randall, 50-37. The Coyotes defense allowed 559 yards to the Raiders. . .Chaparral edged El Paso (TX) Mountain View, 23-21. . .[player_tooltip player_id='1826111' first='Sebastian' last='Primero'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1604744' first='Jordan' last='Herrera'] both had big games as Los Alamos mercy-ruled Taos, 59-6. . . Piedra Vista knocked off visiting Durango (CO), 43-27, as the Panthers defense recorded 5 sacks   Class 4A Roundup: Kelley Lee's tenure as Silver head coach is off to a promising 2-0 start following the Colts' 51-14 win over Battle of 180 rival Deming. QB [player_tooltip player_id='2114491' first='Kingston' last='Lee'] rushed for 120 yards and 4 TD for Silver. The Colts pounded the Deming defense for 349 yards and 6 TD on the ground. The Silver defense had 8.0 TFL, 5 sacks and 8.0 QB hurries. . .Portales returned TWO interceptions for touchdowns and QB [player_tooltip player_id='1826226' first='Jacoby' last='Bamforth'] threw for 145 yards and 3 TD as the Rams mercy-ruled Espanola Valley, 58-6, for an impressive road win. Junior RB [player_tooltip player_id='1613398' first='Slade' last='Segovia'] rushed for 129 yards and 2 TD for Portales. . .Cason Terrell made 12 tackles in Lovington's 17-15 loss to Lubbock Christian. Special teams was the difference in the game. Lubbock Christian returned a blocked field goal for a TD to take a 14-8 lead in the fourth quarter. Lovington RB [player_tooltip player_id='2114597' first='Jude' last='Madrid'] scored on a 1-yard run to give Lovington a 15-14 lead with 5:50 left. However, Lubbock Christian drove down the field and booted the game-winning FG. Madrid also had a 22-yard TD run in the 1Q. . .Santa Teresa lost to El Paso (TX) Irvin, 35-6. . .Senior WR Nicholas Herrera caught 9 passes for 105 yards as Valencia edged Grants, 6-2, in a defensive battle. [player_tooltip player_id='1826244' first='Malachi' last='McCoy'] led the Jaguars defense with 15 tackles. . . St. Pius X traveled to Holtville, CA and lost, 66-31. Sartans WR [player_tooltip player_id='1155012' first='Curtis' last='Flakes III'] made a spectacular catch that made ESPN's Top 10 Plays of the Day. Here is the video of the catch:   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/thecoachflakes/status/2093800215002407190 </div></figure>   Class 3A Roundup: Johnathon Vigil caught two touchdown passes and intercepted a pass in West Las Vegas' 12-7 home victory over Dexter. . . Isaac Hanson rushed for 87 yards on just 5 carries and finished with 201 total yards in NMMI's 26-12 loss to El Paso (TX) Cathedral. . .Freshman QB Logan DiGiacomo threw for 129 yards and 4 TD to support a balanced rushing attack as Aztec mercy-ruled Cuba, 51-0, for Colton Weaver's first win as Tigers head coach. . .Hatch Valley trounced Cobre, 44-6. . .Thoreau mercy-ruled Socorro, 60-6. . .Kirtland Central improved to 2-0 with a 33-6 win over Bayfield (CO). The Broncos jumped out to a 26-0 lead in the first half.   Class 2A Roundup: Three-time defending 2A champion Texico traveled into West Texas to face Sudan (TX) and showcased a perfectly balanced offense in a 27-0 road victory. The Wolverines threw for 185 yards and rushed for 195 yards in the shutout win. Senior RB [player_tooltip player_id='1791448' first='Jaheim' last='Moses'] led Texico with 102 rushing yards. . .[player_tooltip player_id='1155336' first='Kade' last='Lockner'] rushed for 137 yards on 18 carries, completed 9-of-13 passes, accounted for four TD and made 6 tackles on defense in Tularosa's 29-28 win over Ruidoso. . .Santa Fe Indian rallied from a two-score deficit with 10 minutes remaining to nip Capitan, 21-20. Malachi Martinez jumpstarted the comeback with an 80-yard kickoff return for a TD. A few minutes later, Martinez ran about 40 yards for the go-ahead TD. The Braves are 2-0 for the first time in a decade. . .Eunice sophomore QB [player_tooltip player_id='2256783' first='Isaac' last='Melancon'] threw for 264 yards and 2 TD in the Cardinals' 48-27 loss at Wink (TX). Sophomore WR [player_tooltip player_id='2114585' first='Lucas' last='Lopez'] had 5 receptions for 124 yards. . . Navajo Prep cruised past 3A Gallup, 45-14. . .Tucumcari (2-0) stayed unbeaten with a convincing 43-0 victory over Tohatchi. [player_tooltip player_id='1684748' first='Jermy' last='Jones'] rushed for 218 yards and 4 TD and added a Pick-6 on defense. . .Laguna Acoma edged Newcomb, 24-18, for the Skyhawk's first win of the season. . .Raton QB [player_tooltip player_id='2114495' first='Braylon' last='Walton'] threw for 214 yards and [player_tooltip player_id='1604784' first='Cael' last='Walton'] rushed for 137 yards on 24 carries but it wasn't enough in the Tigers' 42-20 loss to Lamar (CO).   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/CoachCarlos62/status/2093886456188281241 </div></figure>   Week 3 Top Games (Sept. 3-5): Here are the best games of Week 3   Silver at Gadsden   Rio Rancho at Roswell   La Cueva at Volcano Vista   Lovington at Carlsbad   Clovis at Santa Fe   Hope Christian at Atrisco Heritage   Artesia at Centennial (Thur.)   Sandia at Eldorado   Albuquerque Academy at Moriarty   Goddard at Los Lunas   Los Alamos at Belen   Espanola Valley at Bernalillo   Eunice at Tucumcari   Aztec at Pojoaque Valley   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/smallsadventure/status/2093748304765169826 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/2093828723783119088 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/2093548043719303532 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/2093439585388728524 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/NMGameDay/status/2093732485154943031 </div></figure>

Week 1 of the 2026 New Mexico High School football season is complete. Here is our first edition of the Weekly Whiparound, our comprehensive deep dive into everything that happened on the field. Enjoy!

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Week 2 Whiparound: Best Games, Top Performances and Fun Stuff

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