Baker’s Dozen: Week 7 Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 7 of New Mexico High School football season is here! Here are the top 13 games of Week 7, which we call the ‘Baker's Dozen.' District play is now in full swing throughout the state. Bye weeks are also starting to pop up on schedules. Here we go!&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>GAME OF THE WEEK</strong>: <strong>Cleveland at Sandia (Sat., 11 a.m., Wilson Stadium).</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two unbeaten teams collide in a District 6A-1monster mash. Who at APS scheduled this game for Saturday morning opposite a UNM Lobos home game? Puzzling, to say the least. Plenty of stars will be on display in this game, starting at quarterback with Cleveland (6-0) QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2181232' first='Michael' last='Denison']</strong> and Sandia (5-0) QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594010' first='Jahleel' last='Lewis']</strong>. Denison has completed 71.4 percent of his passes for 1,616 yards and 24 TD in his first season as the Storm's starting signal caller. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613490' first='Evan' last='Nanez']</strong> (visiting Arkansas later this month) ranks among the nation's receivers in receptions and yards. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lewis has completed 75 of his passes in Sandia's run-dominated attack. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613382' first='Gad' last='Harris'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1272752' first='J'ven' last='Smith']</strong> lead the rushing attack. Linebackers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1853328' first='Mateo' last='Hogan']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155132' first='Aiden' last='Maldonado']</strong> spark the Matadors defense. Both are next level talents. Hogan was offered by Bethel College earlier this week, while Maldonado is holding has multiple offers and visited UTEP last weekend. As always, Cleveland's defense is balanced with five players between 20 and 27 tackles. LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2246562' first='Lincoln' last='Jones']</strong> tops the list with 27 tackles. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Texico at Dexter</strong>: Potentially, the Class 2A Game of the Year. Both of these teams still must play Eunice, though. This is the District 2A-4 opener. <strong>Austin Haakma </strong>(64 percent completion rate) has been solid in his first season as Texico's starting QB. The star of the offense is do-it-all ATH <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613755' first='Cross' last='Figg']</strong> with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1791448' first='Jaheim' last='Moses']</strong> lending support. Dexter QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155032' first='CJ' last='Granados']</strong> is an elite dual threat with over 1,000 passing yards and almost 400 passing yards. He has 13 TD passes and is yet to throw a pick. &nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155310' first='Fernando' last='Prieto'] Jr.</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155314' first='Rigo' last='Regalado']</strong> excel on both sides of the ball. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Portales at Belen</strong>: Huge game in District 4A-2. After beating rival Valencia last week, Belen (6-0) is one of a handful of unbeaten teams remaining in the state. The Eagles love to run the football behind dual threat QB [player_tooltip player_id='1604925' first='Gonzalo' last='Cano'] and junior RB [player_tooltip player_id='2109801' first='Jeremiah' last='Lord']. And they play good defense. They haven't allowed more than 21 points in a game this season. Portales (4-2) looks to rebound from last week's loss to St. Pius X. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1826226' first='Jacoby' last='Bamforth'] and RB [player_tooltip player_id='1613398' first='Slade' last='Segovia'] are talented juniors. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gadsden at Roswell</strong>: Two weeks ago, Gadsden wanted to prove they could compete with the Class 5A heavyweights when they clashed with Artesia. Didn't happen. Now they get another chance against Roswell at the Wool Bowl. [player_tooltip player_id='2108931' first='Deion' last='Torres'] is an electric playmaker for the Panthers. Roswell's offense continues to score points at a dizzying pace. They've scored 48 or more points in four of their six games. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1853724' first='Andruw' last='Fuentez'] has thrown for close to 1,400 yards and 19 TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/GadsdenPanthers/status/2104240438140125694","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/GadsdenPanthers/status/2104240438140125694 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rio Rancho at La Cueva</strong>: This game , together with the Cleveland-Sandia matchup, will tell us a lot about District 6A-1 moving forward. &nbsp;This game features a duel between two of the top quarterbacks in 6A: [player_tooltip player_id='1183085' first='Monty' last='Melendez'] (La Cueva) and [player_tooltip player_id='1604705' first='Micah' last='Takahashi'] (Rio Rancho). Both are dynamic dual threat quarterbacks, and are surrounded by an array of talent. Both defenses are very good too. Should be a battle. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tularosa at Estancia</strong>: Estancia (5-1) QB/ATH <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2114509' first='Devon' last='Chavez']</strong> is undoubtedly the most underrated player in the state. Chavez is the state's leading rusher with 1,165 yards in six games, putting him on pace to reach 2,000 yards before the playoffs start. [player_tooltip player_id='1155336' first='Kade' last='Lockner'] is the top offensive weapon for Tularosa (4-2). Winner has the inside track to the District 2A-3 title. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hot Springs at Silver (Thur.)</strong>: Kelley Lee has Silver humming in his first season as head coach. The Colts are 4-1 and tied with Hatch Valley for first place in District 3A-2. His son, QB [player_tooltip player_id='2114491' first='Kingston' last='Lee'], as dynamic an athlete in the state as anybody, is on pace for a 1,000-1,000 yard season. Hot Springs is led by [player_tooltip player_id='1613430' first='Zaiden' last='Baker'], another quality dual threat QB.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/SHSColtFootball/status/2105646742725366016","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/SHSColtFootball/status/2105646742725366016 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Taos at Valley (Thur.)</strong>: Both team are on multiple-game winning streaks. Taos has won two straight games since a 0-4 start. Valley was won three straight games since a 0-2 start. QB [player_tooltip player_id='2256683' first='Jeremiah' last='Garcia'] and RB [player_tooltip player_id='1605046' first='Zachary' last='Perez-Verdeja'] are a very productive backfield duo for the Vikings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eunice at Jal</strong>: The District 2A-4 wars begin this week. Texico-Dexter (see above) is on the docket as well. Eunice QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2256783' first='Isaac' last='Melancon']</strong> taking over for his record-setting brother Elijah and already throwing for over 1,600 yards in 6 games is one of the bests stories in NM High school football. <strong>Adan Baeza</strong> has rushed for 700 yards while WRs <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680161' first='Haziel' last='Goitia']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2114585' first='Lucas' last='Lopez']</strong> have combined for 57 receptions. Jal is 3-3 and has played winning football of late with victories over a West Texas school and Cobre.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Robertson at Newcomb (Thur.)</strong>: Robertson has won three games in a row since losing to rival St. Michael's in Week 3, including a dramatic win over Pojoaque Valley last week. [player_tooltip player_id='1155256' first='Nathan' last='Gonzales'] is an outstanding dual threat QB. Newcomb wants to run the football. All day. [player_tooltip player_id='2256797' first='Jared' last='Hawley'] already has close to 750 rushing yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Navajo Prep at Santa Fe Indian</strong>: Very underrated game in District 2A-5. The combined record of these two teams is 9-2. The winner immediately becomes the favorite to capture the district crown. [player_tooltip player_id='1605989' first='Aden' last='Clah'] has passed for 900 yards and 12 TD for Navajo Prep. SFIS (4-1) is winning because they have multiple dynamic playmakers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Santa Rosa at Loving</strong>: A key contest in Class 2A for playoff seeding. Santa Rosa is looking to bounce back from a loss to Estancia last week. [player_tooltip player_id='1605069' first='Preston' last='Muniz'] is an underrated playmaker for the Lions. [player_tooltip player_id='1604697' first='Brodie' last='Allen'] is the offensive catalyst for Loving, which begins play in the rugged District 2A-4 next week. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Thoreau at Kirtland Central</strong>: Kirtland Central (3-2) traveled to Las Vegas last week and knocked the WLV Dons from the unbeaten ranks for an impressive road win. The Broncos are likely battling for second place and with a loss to Robertson already in the books, this is a must-win for them. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1604919' first='Chance' last='Aspaas'] is having a solid season at QB. Thoreau is looking to regain its footing after last week's loss to St. Michael's.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/ValleyFB54/status/2098887341452755181","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/ValleyFB54/status/2098887341452755181 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/SHSColtFootball/status/2105646742725366016","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/SHSColtFootball/status/2105646742725366016 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BEST OF THE REST</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mayfield at Alamogordo</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Valencia at Lovington</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Michael's at Aztec</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tucumcari at Capitan</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Artesia at Chaparral</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Albuquerque High at Farmington</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Legacy Academy at Cobre</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Espanola Valley at Grants</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/artesiafootball/status/2104571672548593861","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/artesiafootball/status/2104571672548593861 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OTHER GAMES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Atrisco Heritage at West Mesa</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Pius X at Santa Teresa</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Goddard at Deming</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bloomfield at Del Norte</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bernalillo at Rio Grande</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gallup at Pojoaque Valley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>NMMI at Hope Christian</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Socorro at Moriarty</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hatch Valley at Ruidoso</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tohatchi at Laguna Acoma</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Zuni at Crownpoint</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2423912,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/10/815653665_122164672562992808_7395190650920738202_n.jpg?w=824" alt="" class="wp-image-2423912" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2424102,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/10/831033407_29126853253579574_141869585413105521_n.jpg?w=683" alt="" class="wp-image-2424102" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->