Elite Eighty Plus: Top Performers of Week 3 (Part 1)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 3 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 the Saturday afternoon games. Here is Part 1 of the Elite 80 Plus for Week 3:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jaidyn Allen, Aztec</strong>: Led the Tigers young defense with 7 tackles, 3.0 TFL and 2 forced fumbles in their loss to Pojoaque Valley.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Adan Baeza, Eunice</strong>: Rushd for 157 yards and 2 TD on 20 carries to help lift Eunice to a convincing road win at Tucumcari.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tristen Begay, Tohatchi</strong>: Threw for over 200 yards and 2 TD and ran for 1 TD in Tohatchi's road win at Santa Fe Indian.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2251245' first='Caleb' last='Blackmon'], Hobbs</strong>: The junior LB led the Eagles with 13 tackles in their road win at El Paso (TX) Parkland.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1369761' first='William' last='Braun'], Albuquerque Academy</strong>: Threw for 264 yards and 2 D in Academy's loss to Moriarty.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154948' first='Isaiah' last='Carpenter'], St. Pius X</strong>: Threw for 325 yards and 4 TD on 10-of-16 passing to lead the Sartans to a convincing road win over Pagos0a Springs. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605989' first='Aden' last='Clah'], Navajo Prep</strong>: Threw for 230 yards and 5 TD to lead Navajo Prep to a convincing &nbsp;win over Zuni. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2181232' first='Michael' last='Denison'], Cleveland</strong>: Threw for 283 yards and 3 TD + 1 rushing TD in Cleveland's road win at Amarillo (TX).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jaxson Duarte, Carlsbad</strong>: 9 receptions for 107 yards and 3 TD in Carlsbad's win over Lovington.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Questin Ellis, Bloomfield</strong>: The sophomore RB rushed for 144 yards and 2 TD as the Bobcats mercy-ruled Taos.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/MichaelD_2028_/status/2096755414373470428","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/MichaelD_2028_/status/2096755414373470428 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613409' first='Mason' last='Fikany'], Ruidoso</strong>: The Warriors' senior QB rushed for 146 yards and 1 TD in Ruidoso's loss to Dexter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155012' first='Curtis' last='Flakes III'], St. Pius X</strong>: Four receptions for 178 yards and 2 TD in St. Pius X's road win&nbsp; at Pagosa Springs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1679956' first='Isaiah' last='Gaitan'], Carlsbad</strong>: Made 11 tackles, 3.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks in Carlsbad's win over Lovington. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2256683' first='Jeremiah' last='Garcia'], Valley</strong>: Threw for 275 yards on just 7 completions (39.3 yards per completion) in the Vikings' lopsided win over Rio Grande.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2075776' first='Tayson' last='Gaxiola'], Los Lunas</strong>: 11 receptions for 147 yards and 1 TD in the Tigers' close loss to Goddard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1532837' first='Gabe' last='Gonzales'], Valley</strong>: Caught 3 passes for 160 yards, an average of 50+ yards per reception, to fuel Valley's big win over Rio Grande.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Keven Hernandez, Centennial</strong>: The sophomore rushed for 95 yards on 18 carries in Centennial's win over Artesia.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605074' first='Logan' last='Hague'], Albuquerque Academy</strong>: Caught 9 passes for 212 yards and 2 TD in Academy's loss to Moriarty.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2109033' first='Jude' last='Herrera'], Volcano Vista</strong>: Threw for 146 yards and 1 TD + Rushed for 83 yards and 3 TD to key Volcano Vista's huge win over La Cueva.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1826155' first='Kane' last='Huffmyer'], St. Pius X</strong>: Led the Sartans' defense with 10 tackles in their road win at Pagosa Springs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/judeherrera9/status/2096781755793465531","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/judeherrera9/status/2096781755793465531 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155059' first='Dominick' last='Lewallen'], Sandia</strong>: Keyed the Matadors offensive line in their OT win over Eldorado with 4 pancake blocks and zero sacks allowed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2114585' first='Lucas' last='Lopez'], Eunice</strong>: Six receptions for 106 yards and 2 TD in Eunice's road win at Tucumcari.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1825989' first='Max' last='Marcum'], Volcano Vista</strong>: Led the Hawks' defense with 11 tackles, 1.0 TFL and 1 INT in their win over La Cueva.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1679989' first='Isaiah' last='McCary'], Volcano Vista</strong>: Returned a kickoff 94 yards for a TD in Volcano Vista's win over La Cueva.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248663' first='Colton' last='McKibben'], Carlsbad</strong>: Made a team-high 16 tackles in Carl;sbad's win over Lovington.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1679730' first='Gavin' last='McPherson'], Hobbs</strong>: Made 12 tackles in Hobbs' win at El Paso (TX) Parkland.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604768' first='Santino' last='Mares'], Valencia</strong>: Rushed for 150 yards and 1 TD in Valencia's win over Miyamura.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605057' first='Junior' last='Medrano'], Hobbs</strong>: Threw for 115 yards on 13-of-19 passing + rushed for 140 yards on a workhorse 24 carries to lift Hobbs to a thrilling one-point win at El Paso (TX) Parkland.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2256783' first='Isaac' last='Melancon'], Eunice</strong>: The sophomore signal caller had another big game for the Cardinals, throwing for 248 yards and 3 TD on 17-of-29 passing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/DominickL58/status/2096687768600539238","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/DominickL58/status/2096687768600539238 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1183085' first='Monty' last='Melendez'], La Cueva</strong>: Threw for 318 yards and 4 TD in La Cueva's loss to Volcano Vista. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Max Milliken, Thoreau</strong>: Led a balanced Thoreau rushing attack with 82 yards on 9 carries in the Hawks' win over Cuba.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nick Miller, Hope Christian</strong>: The freshman completed 25-of-32 passes for 318 yards and 5 TD in Hope's mercy-rule win over Atrisco Heritage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605069' first='Preston' last='Muniz'], Santa Rosa</strong>: Caught two long TD passes in Santa Rosa's mercy-rule win over Laguna Acoma.  Two receptions for 156 yards and 2 TD. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2101127' first='Marley' last='Munoz'], Carlsbad</strong>: Threw for 142 yards, rushed for 117 yards and accounted for 5 TD in the Cavemen's win over Lovington.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613490' first='Evan' last='Nanez'], Cleveland</strong>: Amassed 309 all-purpose yards, including 152 receiving, and scored 1 TD in Cleveland's win at Amarillo (TX). Visited Texas Tech on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2114600' first='Ben' last='Olivarez'], Eunice</strong>: Led the Cardinals with 11 tackles and 3 passes defended in their road win at Tucumcari.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Manuel Pena, Santa Fe</strong>: Passed for 149 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two TD to boost Santa Fe to its first win over Clovis since 1988.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605046' first='Zachary' last='Perez-Verdeja'], Valley</strong>: Rushed for 92 yards and 2 TD on 8 carries in Valley's big win over Rio Grande.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jose Cruz Porras, Goddard</strong>: Caught two TD passes for the Rockets in their impressive road win at Los Lunas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/EvanNanez5245/status/2096655519931076878","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/EvanNanez5245/status/2096655519931076878 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Muziq Portis, Pojoaque Valley</strong>: The sophomore RB rushed for 138 yards and 1 TD on 12 carries in the Elks' win over Aztec.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ray Rackley, Albuquerque High</strong>: Four receptions for 85 yards in the Bulldogs' win over Cibola.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Todd Roanhorse, Crownpoint</strong>: Returned a punt 81 yards for a TD in Crownpoint's win over Shiprock.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2256712' first='Logan' last='Rodriguez'], Artesia</strong>: Made 10 tackles to lead the Artesia defense in their loss to Centennial at Field of Dreams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606046' first='Mario' last='Romero'], Moriarty</strong>: The Pintos' powerful run game was operating at full capacity in a win over Albuquerque Academy. Romero led the way with 179 yards and 3 TD, including a 60-yarder.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2104364' first='Lachlan' last='Ross'], Santa Rosa</strong>: Threw for 217 yards and 2 TD in Santa Rosa's mercy-rule win over Laguna Acoma.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2255883' first='Zaylyn' last='Sanders'], Hobbs</strong>: Caught 9 passes for 78 yards and 1 TD for Hobbs in their road win at El Paso (TX) Parkland.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2109721' first='Jonathan' last='Silva'], Valley</strong>: Made 8 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1 sack and 2 passes defended in Valley's win over Rio Grande.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Talon Stowell, Farmington</strong>: Rushed for 90 yards on 16 carries in Farmington's loss to regional rival Durango (CO).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/zaylynsanders_/status/2096379453509091600","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/zaylynsanders_/status/2096379453509091600 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606533' first='Benny' last='Trujillo'], Espanola Valley</strong>: Caught 3 passes for 70 yards and 2 TD in Espanola Valley's comeback win over Bernalillo.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2103708' first='Johnathon' last='Valenzuela-Chaires'], Centennial</strong>: Led the Hawks with 11 tackles and 1.5 sacks in their win over Artesia.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1129687' first='Jonah' last='Villegas'], Pojoaque Valley</strong>: In one of the best games of his career, Villegas rushed for 151 yards and 3 TD on 15 carries to spark the Elks' ground game in their win over Aztec.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605990' first='Darrien' last='Williams'], Hope Christian</strong>: Caught 17 passes for 222 yards and 3 TD in Hope's mercy-rule win over Atrisco Heritage. He tied for second place on the state's all-time single game receptions list. The record is 18, set in 2014.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bart Wright, Carlsbad</strong>: Rushed for 100 yards and 1 TD on 15 carries in Carlsbad's win over Lovington. Carlsbad rushed for 223 yards in the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/benny_trujillo1/status/2096306323906515252","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/benny_trujillo1/status/2096306323906515252 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/CurtisFlakes1/status/2096324608370868467","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/CurtisFlakes1/status/2096324608370868467 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->