2021 Season Preview: Las Cruces Bulldawgs

<strong>Las Cruces 2021 Preview</strong> <strong>Head Coach</strong>: Mark Lopez <strong>Mascot</strong>: Bulldawgs <strong>Twitter</strong>:  @LCHSFootball; @mjlopezdawgs <strong>Colors</strong>: Red and Blue <strong>Enrollment</strong>: 1,695 <strong>Spring Record</strong>: 3-1 <strong>Star Players</strong>: QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26253" first="Dallas" last="Boyd"]</strong>; RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134990" first="Elijah" last="Ogas"]</strong>; WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134987" first="Richard" last="Madrid"]</strong>; WR <strong>Zakye Hawkins</strong>; OL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26230" first="Royce" last="Paulk"]</strong>; OL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135905" first="Dillon" last="Hein"]</strong>; OL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134992" first="Matt" last="Franco"]</strong>; DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134995" first="Tre" last="Evans"]</strong>; LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134989" first="Isaiah" last="Carreon"]</strong>; DB <strong>Siddeeq Shabaz</strong>z; ATH <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137934" first="Jacob" last="Maes"]</strong>. <strong>Breakout Star</strong>: WR Zakye Hawkins. <strong>Overview</strong>: Who replaces Eastern New Mexico-bound [player_tooltip player_id="26160" first="Marcos" last="Lopez"], arguably the state’s top dual threat QB last season, at quarterback? Senior [player_tooltip player_id="26253" first="Dallas" last="Boyd"] gets first crack, and Mark Lopez is confident he’ll prove to be a worthy successor. Boyd has two things going for him: 1) He’s supported by a solid ground game led by [player_tooltip player_id="134990" first="Elijah" last="Ogas"], who’s also a very good wrestler; and 2) He’ll be protected by possibly the state’s top offensive line, which returns all five starters from the spring. [player_tooltip player_id="26230" first="Royce" last="Paulk"] is listed at a massive 6-foot-7, 365 pounds, making him one of the most intriguing 2022 prospects in the state. He’s also one of Las Cruces’ most improved offensive linemen. [player_tooltip player_id="134992" first="Matt" last="Franco"] is a three-year starter, while <strong>Cristian Saenz</strong> and <strong>Luis Nevarez</strong> return as starters as well. [player_tooltip player_id="135905" first="Dillon" last="Hein"] returns at center. Zakye Hawkins has the potential to be the state ‘s top WR prospect in the 2024 class. He was a star at the freshman and JV levels and now he gets a full-time shot with the varsity. Defensively, the Las Cruces front seven is led by LB [player_tooltip player_id="134989" first="Isaiah" last="Carreon"] and DL [player_tooltip player_id="134995" first="Tre" last="Evans"]. The secondary has lock down potential with Shabazz, Madrid and Ogas. <strong>Schedule</strong>: The Bulldawgs open the 2021 slate with four challenging non-district games against teams from the Albuquerque Metro area. All eyes will be on that Week 4 clash at Cleveland. After that comes the annual grudge match against rival Mayfield (recently moved to Class 5A) and the district schedule. One schedule note: Las Cruces has just nine regular season games because former district rival Gadsden decided to play as an independent in 2021. Aug. 20 VOLCANO VISTA Aug. 27 at Cibola Sept. 4 LA CUEVA Sept. 10 at Cleveland Sept. 17 at Mayfield Sept. 24 Bye Oct. 2 CARLSBAD Oct. 8 at Hobbs Oct. 16 at Centennial Oct. 22 Bye Oct. 29 ORGAN MOUNTAIN <strong>Top Storyline</strong>: Can Las Cruces maintain its dominance of high school football in southern New Mexico, or does a new crop of players open the door to challengers? <strong>Final Thoughts</strong>: Las Cruces has dominated its district for years and has been an annual participant in the state playoffs. Last time the Bulldawgs lost to an intra-city rival? 2018 when Centennial beat LCHS, 20-14. Since that defeat, Las Cruces has won eight straight games over their local brethren. The Bulldawgs should again earn a spot in the Class 6A playoffs, and should be a title contender as long as Boyd is able to get the job done sitting on one of the most scrutinized seats in all of New Mexico high school football. Most of the pieces are in place for a championship run. <strong>Coach’s Comments</strong>: “[player_tooltip player_id="26253" first="Dallas" last="Boyd"] has come up in our program. He’s played everywhere. He’s played receiver, linebacker and safety. But he was originally a quarterback and that’s how he’s come up in our program. In the spring we felt we had to get him on the field. As a quarterback, he has a strong arm and he’s a tough-nosed guy. He runs the ball really hard and very effectively. He’s going to get us those tough yards. He has great heart. He’s a good leader. I’m looking forward to seeing what he does with the offense. . .[player_tooltip player_id="134990" first="Elijah" last="Ogas"] has been unheralded, but he has the heart of a lion. He’s one of the toughest kids we have. He’s a natural runner and gets the tough yards. He’s not a burner necessarily, but he has a good skill set at the running back spot. He’ll catch some people by surprise because a lot of people don’t know about him. . . It’s going to be beneficial to have an experienced offensive line. We go as those guys go up front. . .Zakye Hawkins’ upside is really high. He should be a mainstay at receiver for us. He’s going to be a good one. . .Overall, we have a senior-heavy group, but we also have some talented  younger players. That’s always been a good mix for us. I like the mentality of our team. We have potential. We have athletes in the right spots. We’ll be tested early, but we know that” – Mark Lopez https://twitter.com/LCHSFOOTBALL/status/1404650748701396998 https://twitter.com/mjlopezdawgs/status/1398330273620656133