Top Storylines for 2025: Class 4A

It's been four months since the 2024 state championship games were played Thanksgiving weekend. Some teams have already started off-season workouts. Here are the top storylines in Class 4A for the 2025 season:   Is St. Pius X The Next Great Team In Class 4A?: The last three seasons (2022-24) have, for the most part, belonged to Bloomfield. The Bobcats went 35-2 during that stretch and won two Class 4A state championships. Last November, Bloomfield beat St. Pius X in the state championship game. The Bobcats won convincingly, but the Sartans' corps of talented sophomores gained valuable experience in a high pressure situation. Most of St. Pius X's top players are back in 2025, and 2026 as well, starting with 6-foot-5 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1154948' first='Isaiah' last='Carpenter'] (3,114 passing yards + 34 TD passes in 2024), RB [player_tooltip player_id='1250361' first='Hershul' last='Olloway Jr']. (1,704 rushing yards in 2024), WRs [player_tooltip player_id='1154956' first='Cayl' last='Cox-Liggins'] (64 receptions for 1,112 yards) and Curtis Flakes (36 receptions), OL/DL [player_tooltip player_id='1248719' first='Chase' last='Nelson'] and LB [player_tooltip player_id='1267030' first='Kolbe' last='Padilla'] (115 tackles, 16.0 TFL in 2024). And that's just a start.         Who's The Best Quarterback? [player_tooltip player_id='1154948' first='Isaiah' last='Carpenter'] was one of only three QBs in the state last season to throw for 3,000+ yards (per MaxPreps), and he'll enter the 2025 season as the top signal caller in Class 4A. Behind him is another rising junior – Albuquerque Academy QB [player_tooltip player_id='1369761' first='William' last='Braun']. He threw for 2,374 yards and 19 TD. Yet, because the Chargers didn't make the 4A playoffs, he flew under the radar. Other quarterbacks to watch include rising seniors [player_tooltip player_id='854297' first='Tristin' last='Fernandez'] (Grants), [player_tooltip player_id='851884' first='Israel' last='Nieto'] (Chaparral) and [player_tooltip player_id='853710' first='Evan' last='Salazar'] (Taos) – all dual threat QBs - plus rising junior [player_tooltip player_id='1272789' first='Chance' last='Aspass'] (Kirtland Central).   Who's the Best Running Back? Heading in to the summer months, the battle for the title of ‘Best RB in Class 4A' is mainly a two-man race between the lightning fast [player_tooltip player_id='1154954' first='Hershul' last='Olloway'] (1,704 rushing yards, 21 TD) of St. Pius X and [player_tooltip player_id='1599923' first='Michael' last='Storms III'] of Valencia (1,723 yards, 21 TD). Storms III was the Breakout Player of the Year in Clas 4A in 2024 as he was barely a blip on the radar when the season started yet ended up as the state's No. 3 rusher overall. Bloomfield RB [player_tooltip player_id='853022' first='Peyton' last='Duncan'], one of the few holdovers from the Bobcats offense, will compete as well after rushing for nearly 1,400 yards and 10 TD and catching 29 passes for 740 yards in 2024. [player_tooltip player_id='1599942' first='Leonard' last='Martinez'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1752753' first='Michael' last='Maestas'] combined for 1,253 rushing yards for Espanola Valley last season, but the Sundevils will have a new head coach, so it will be interesting to see if they retain the run-dominated mindset of former HC Tylon Wilder. [player_tooltip player_id='1155082' first='Raul' last='Lopez'] of Chaparral had nearly 500 rushing yards and 6 TD for the Lobos. The Moriarty duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1605026' first='Mateo' last='Griego-Manley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1606079' first='Royce' last='Dennisson'] should be intriguing to watch next season. Portales RB [player_tooltip player_id='1613398' first='Slade' last='Segovia'] impressed as a freshman last season on both sides of the ball.                 Who's The Best Wide Receiver? Six-foot-3 [player_tooltip player_id='1154956' first='Cayl' last='Cox-Liggins'] of St. Pius X led all receivers in Class 4A last season in receptions (64) and receiving yards (1,112) and he has two more years with the Sartans, as does [player_tooltip player_id='1155012' first='Curtis' last='Flakes III']. St.. Pius X also has a promising rising sophomore in [player_tooltip player_id='1613476' first='Christian' last='Morales']. But there plenty other talented WRs in 4A, including teammates [player_tooltip player_id='853757' first='Ulisses' last='Castro'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1599893' first='Joseph' last='Duran'] (Bernalillo), [player_tooltip player_id='1137881' first='Aiden' last='Erickson'] (Manzano), 6-foot-5 [player_tooltip player_id='851898' first='Gage' last='Conway'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1605074' first='Logan' last='Hague'] (Albuquerque Academy), [player_tooltip player_id='1137877' first='Kaleb' last='Hutchens'] (Bloomfield), [player_tooltip player_id='1155065' first='Tyvin' last='Howard'] (Chaparral) and rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1613352' first='Broden' last='Price'] (Manzano).                     Top Breakout Player of the Year Contenders: [player_tooltip player_id='854297' first='Tristin' last='Fernandez'] of Grants enjoyed a superb 2024 season on both sides of the ball, but got little notice. He quarterbacked the Pirates and made over 100 tackles on defense. Great player that deserves more attention. Portales RB/DB [player_tooltip player_id='1613398' first='Slade' last='Segovia'] looks ready to take the state by storm following an impressive freshman campaign in 2024. Bernalillo WR [player_tooltip player_id='1599893' first='Joseph' last='Duran'] is an electrifying talent and should get more notice in 2025 after a solid junior campaign on both sides. He made 77 tackles on defense last season in addition to his 37 receptions and 25.4 yards per catch average on offense.              Who Are The Top Returning Defensive Players? Five rising seniors had 100+ tackles in 2024 (Per MaxPreps): [player_tooltip player_id='853756' first='Mario' last='Molinar'] (Bernalillo), [player_tooltip player_id='1267030' first='Kolbe' last='Padilla'] (St. Pius X), Zachary Waghorn (Albuquerque Academy), [player_tooltip player_id='854297' first='Tristin' last='Fernandez'] (Grants) and [player_tooltip player_id='1267002' first='Jesse' last='Ibarra'] (Chaparral).  Grants LB [player_tooltip player_id='1137886' first='Brandon' last='Wheeler'] came close with 94 tackles, while teammate [player_tooltip player_id='851894' first='Gary' last='Chavez'] had 87. Chavez proved in January at the Prep Redzone Showcase that he could be preparing for a monster season. Chaparral LB [player_tooltip player_id='1155082' first='Raul' last='Lopez'] had 106 tackles as a sophomore for the Lobos. [player_tooltip player_id='1604768' first='Santino' last='Mares'] (86 tackles for Valencia) and [player_tooltip player_id='1606046' first='Mario' last='Romero'] (85 for Moriarty) also had huge sophomore seasons. Portales LB [player_tooltip player_id='1606083' first='Tommy' last='Salgado'] had 63 tackles and 5 interceptions as a sophomore for the Rams.                 Teams on the Rise: Albuquerque Academy failed to make the playoffs last season. Don't count on that happening again in 2025. The Chargers have too much talent on both sides of the ball. Chaparral won four games and a playoff road game in 2024. Will the Lobos continue their upward trajectory in 2025? The guess here is YES. Chaparral has more talent than you think (See Above). Manzano raised a few eyebrows with their decision to move to Class 4A for the 2024-25 cycle. But the Monarchs made the playoffs last fall with a 5-5 record and now look to take the next step, which is a playoff victory. Moriarty is 9-12 the past two years after winning 15 games in 2022-23, and hopes to energize its power rushing attack. Aztec suffered through a miserable season in 2024 and has no place to go but up.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sophomore season highlights🚨 First team all state RB Second team all state DB First team district RB/DB Offensive district MVP First team metro offense/defense <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NMrecruits?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NMrecruits</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nmpreps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nmpreps</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/thecoachflakes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thecoachflakes</a> <a href="https://t.co/vGeMeLF2x2">https://t.co/vGeMeLF2x2</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='1250361' first='Hershul' last='Olloway Jr'] (@Hersh_Olloway2) <a href="https://twitter.com/Hersh_Olloway2/status/1868453838564606419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2024</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Had a great <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> camp in grants. I got voted best LB. Thank you coaches for all the hard work and assistance. <a href="https://t.co/eC4dNXoCfl">pic.twitter.com/eC4dNXoCfl</a>— Zachary Waghorn (@wagz2026) <a href="https://twitter.com/wagz2026/status/1883346457602011239?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2025</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Check out my Sophomore season highlights! 1 team all state DL 2 team all state Center 1 team all district DL/C 1 sack given up 3 forced fumbles 62 Tot Tackles 3 sacks 13 TFL 13 GP<a href="https://twitter.com/thecoachflakes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thecoachflakes</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nmpreps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nmpreps</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NMrecruits?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NMrecruits</a> <a href="https://t.co/rikGRdGFcC">https://t.co/rikGRdGFcC</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='1248719' first='Chase' last='Nelson'] (@ChaseNelson58) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChaseNelson58/status/1881075814953091332?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2025</a></blockquote>

It's been four months since the 2024 state championship games were played Thanksgiving weekend. Some teams have already started off-season workouts. Here are the top storylines in Class 4A for the 2025 season: