Top Storylines for 2025: Class 5A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's been nearly four months since the 2024 state championship games were played Thanksgiving weekend. Some teams have already started offseason workouts. Here are the top storylines in Class 5A for the 2025 season:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Will 5A Remain The Big 2 And Everybody Else?</strong> This is really the dominant question heading into the 2025 season. Who will rise up and compete with Artesia and Roswell, who have met in the championship game the past two years and routinely beaten 5A opponents by lopsided margins? Lovington looks best positioned to compete as they have the resources, players, coaching and community support to compete with the Big 2. In  fact, the Wildcats convincingly beat Roswell at home last September. Deming, Gadsden and Mayfield? Possible.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Who's The Best Quarterback? </strong>A year ago, we were  wondering who Artesia's starting QB would be. Then [player_tooltip player_id='1119239' first='Izac' last='Cazares'] became one of the top players and most dynamic dual threat signal callers in the state. So, don't overlook [player_tooltip player_id='1672571' first='Derrick' last='Warren'], the Bulldogs' probable new starting QB. Same for Roswell. The Coyotes reload, they don't rebuild, so their new QB should be more than capable. Among returning starters, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600795' first='Salid' last='Rashid']</strong> (1,890 passing yards) should have another big season for Miyamura. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600815' first='Jose' last='Jaramillo']</strong> of Valley is underrated after throwing for nearly 1,800 yards in 2024. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137846' first='Nicholas' last='Vierra']</strong> is a dynamic duel threat QB for Santa Teresa. Belen QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604925' first='Gonzalo' last='Cano']</strong> showed promise in 2024. Besides Artesia and Roswell, which teams will have new QBs? The list is long: Capital, Deming, Gadsden, Highland, Los Alamos, Lovington and Mayfield.          </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Who's the Best Running Back?</strong> Rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604744' first='Jordan' last='Herrera']</strong> of Los Alamos had a sensational sophomore season in 2024 with 1,388 rushing yards for the Hilltoppers and he goes into the 2025 season as 5A's most productive RB. Watch for <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1139144' first='Bryce' last='Parra']</strong> at Artesia. The Bulldogs' top two rushers graduate, so the speedy Parra should get plenty of opportunities in 2025. Miyamura's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600859' first='Sean' last='Torres']</strong>, another RB with good speed, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594206' first='Isaac' last='Martinez']</strong> of Deming both enjoyed solid seasons in 2024 and will look to rise to the occasion as their respective teams' No. 1 RB in 2025. <strong>Juan Rios</strong> had over 600 rushing yards and 6 TD for Gadsden in 2025 and he should get more carries next season. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Who's The Best Wide Receiver? </strong>According to MaxPreps, Lovington had the top two junior wide receivers in 5A last season – <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137475' first='Jayden' last='Gutierrez']</strong> (55 receptions) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137867' first='Elijah' last='Rivero']</strong> (42). Wildcats junior TE <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594216' first='Kyler' last='Reaves']</strong> had 22 catches, so Lovington's new QB will have some nice targets in the passing game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600893' first='Trent' last='Egeland']</strong>, a major contributor to Artesia's Class 4A state basketball championship, had 26 receptions for the Bulldogs in 2024 and that number should increase in 2025. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1751672' first='Dylan' last='Baca']</strong> had 25 receptions as Los Alamos' No. 3 WR in 2024. Two sophomore receivers stood out in 2024: <strong>Gabe Gonzales</strong> (Valley) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155087' first='Anthony' last='Palomares']</strong> (Gadsden), who had 50 and 46 receptions, respectively. Jaramillo-to-Gonzales could be a dynamite combination for Valley in 2025. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Breakout Player of the Year Contenders</strong>: Actually, nearly all of the aforementioned players fall into this category. Our top three: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1139144' first='Bryce' last='Parra']</strong> (Artesia), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137475' first='Jayden' last='Gutierrez']</strong> (Lovington) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600795' first='Salid' last='Rashid']</strong> (Miyamura). Gutierrez is one of the top two-way players in 5A. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Who Are The Top Returning Defensive Players?</strong> The top returning tackler in 5A is Los Alamos LB <strong>Frank T. Sheppard</strong>, who had 152 tackles in 2024. Thus, Los Alamos has one of the top retuning offensive players (RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604744' first='Jordan' last='Herrera']</strong>) and defensive players (Sheppard) in 5A. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594216' first='Kyler' last='Reaves']</strong> had 113 tackles and 8.5 TFL for Lovington in 2024. Gadsden DE <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854198' first='Alexander' last='Lopez']</strong> has been a standout player for two years (90+ tackles in both 2023 and 2024) and his senior season could be the best of his career. Goddard LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137457' first='Taylen' last='Payne']</strong> had 116 tackles, 18.0 TFL and 7 sacks for the Rockets as a junior in 2024 and he's one of the top players at his position in the state. He'll play at the next level. Miyamura DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137890' first='Benjamin' last='Vidales']</strong> had 96 tackles for the Patriots in 2024. Los Alamos safety <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606095' first='Ben' last='Brousseau']</strong> had 6 interceptions in 2024. The Hilltoppers D could be stout in 2025. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1272783' first='Jasper' last='Groves']</strong> of Highland is an intriguing rising junior after collecting 45 tackles and 6 QB hurries last season. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Teams on the Rise</strong>: Decimated by the pandemic, Highland has been steadily improving under head coach Philip Lovato, who led the Hornets to the 5A quarterfinals for the first time in decades in 2024. The Hornets have a lot of talented players returning this fall, especially on the defensive side of the ball.  They will likely battle Los Alamos, Miyamura and Valley for the District 5A-1 title in 2025. In District 5A-2, Gadsden looks to continue their climb up the 5A ladder. They reached the 5A semifinals in 2024 and battled Roswell for 3+ quarters before falling at the Wool Bowl. The Panthers now have a roster full of confident players who have experienced success over the past three years. Goddard should be improved in head coach Arturo Bolanos' second season at the helm. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137457' first='Taylen' last='Payne']</strong> will lead the Rockets defense. Mayfield, one of the proudest programs in the state, looks to be closing the gap on Artesia and Roswell (Lost to the Coyotes by 1 point in the regular season), although they were beaten soundly by the Bulldogs in the 5A semifinals last November. The Trojans must replace their QB ([player_tooltip player_id='1257289' first='Luke' last='Linnan'] signed with New Mexico Highlands) and top RB. As always, they'll be a physical team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">JUICE!!!!<br>😜<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TEAM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TEAM</a> <a href="https://t.co/fxeVUOxvyG">pic.twitter.com/fxeVUOxvyG</a></p>&mdash; Coyote Football (@CoyotesRising) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoyotesRising/status/1897444811080393109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bulldogs 16-0 in Home Semi-final playoff games. A remarkable stat. <a href="https://t.co/fvcjkseW7G">pic.twitter.com/fvcjkseW7G</a></p>&mdash; BulldogFootball 🏈🏆x32 (@artesiafootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/artesiafootball/status/1860453585429102747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">[player_tooltip player_id='1600893' first='Trent' last='Egeland'] receives an [player_tooltip player_id='1119239' first='Izac' last='Cazares'] touchdown pass.<br><br>📸 TJ Palma - Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints <a href="https://t.co/6H8pN2gzOE">pic.twitter.com/6H8pN2gzOE</a></p>&mdash; 🏀 Brienne Green 🐾 (@ArtesiaSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArtesiaSports/status/1837313631496851831?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">[player_tooltip player_id='1137457' first='Taylen' last='Payne'], c/o 2026, ILB Junior Season Highlights<br>TOT - 116<br>SOLO - 27<br>AST - 89<br>SACK - 7<br>TFL - 18<br>FF - 1<br>PD - 2<a href="https://t.co/NQkvLPTQST">https://t.co/NQkvLPTQST</a><a href="https://twitter.com/GoddardRocketFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GoddardRocketFB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachBolanos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachBolanos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachKelleyLee?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachKelleyLee</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachPomfret?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachPomfret</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_SBrown?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Coach_SBrown</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/coach_bhickman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coach_bhickman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachRegionOLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachRegionOLB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachTaufaasau?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachTaufaasau</a>…</p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1137457' first='Taylen' last='Payne'] (@PayneTaylen) <a href="https://twitter.com/PayneTaylen/status/1859761969978335521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>         </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>        </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->