Look Back, Look Ahead: Class 6A

We begin our popular Look Back, Look Ahead series with a review of the 2025 season in Class 6A and a peek ahead to some of the key storylines, topics, players and questions concerning the 2026 campaign, which begins next August with revamped districts.   LOOK BACK   Best Team: Cleveland. The Storm won nine straight games to close out the season, and very few games were close. They won their quarterfinal and semifinal games by the combined score of 109-16. The Storm had few weaknesses. They has arguably the best quarterback, a solid running game, three elite receivers, a dominant defensive line and a fantastic back seven. The Storm don't rebuild, they reload and they'll be back in 2026 looking for their eight straight appearance in the Class 6A state championship game.   Most Improved Team: Cibola. By any measure, head coach David Howes' first season at Cibola was a success. The Cougars went 2-18 in 2023-24 due largely to a struggling offense. Howes, a former Rio Rancho head coach and UNM Lobos assistant, bright new energy to the program. The offense was rejuvenated and the defense proved legit. The Cougars were competitive in most games and made the playoffs, dropping a 14-10 heartbreaker to Volcano Vista in the first round.   Offensive Players of the Year: Jordan Hatch, Cleveland and [player_tooltip player_id='1137388' first='Daniel' last='Amaro'], Las Cruces. When it comes to offensive production and proficiency, Hatch and Amaro were clearly the top two 6A players in the state. And the difference between them is so small, it's impossible to pick between the two. Hatch led all 6A quarterbacks (and was 2nd in the state) with 2,896 yards and 40 TD passes. His accuracy, though, allows him to stand out. His completion percentage of 75.2 is impressive. He threw only 60 incompletions all season along. Amaro, who committed to New Mexico Highlands on Monday, was 6A's leading rusher with 1,927 yards and a state-leading 42 touchdowns.              Defensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1606042' first='Denton' last='Walter'], Las Cruces. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Walter enjoyed another sensational season for the Bulldawgs after racking up 163 tackles as a sophomore in 2024. Walter is tall, rangy and extremely athletic. In 2025, he was credited with 197 tackles and 20 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks and 18 QB hurries.       Special Teams Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1155139' first='Nathan' last='Martinez'], Los Lunas. In a close battle with Carlsbad's [player_tooltip player_id='1155255' first='Lennon' last='Ananins'], Martinez gets the nod because he had 25 touchbacks on 60 kickoffs this season, connected on 8-of-9 field goal attempts with a long of 43 and averaged 45.4 yards on his punts. Impressive.      Two-Way Player Of The Year: [player_tooltip player_id='854199' first='Hayes' last='Baum'], Cibola. Baum did it all for the Cougars this past season and was a major reason for their improvement, particularly on the offensive side. The Cibola coaching staff made a genius move in putting Baum at Wildcat quarterback in order to utilize his impressive strength and speed. Baum carried 100 times for 653 yards and 17 TD. He was Cibola's go-to guy in the red zone. Defensively, Baum made 116 tackles, 12.0 TFL, 7.0 sacks and 7 QVB hurries. He signed with the UNM Lobos in early December and will join the program in January.          Junior of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1605057' first='Junior' last='Medrano'], Hobbs. The Eagles reached the semifinals of the state playoffs for the first time since the early 1980's and much of the credit goes to Medrano, who emerged as one of the top dual threat quarterbacks in the state in his first year as the Hobbs starter. He joined the prestigious 1,000-1,000 club with plenty to spare as he threw for 1,811 yards and 22 TD while rushing for 1,475 yards and 16 TD. He accounted for 38 TD. His return in 2026 makes Hobbs a dangerous team.       Sophomore of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1613490' first='Evan' last='Nanez'], Cleveland. Is Nanez the top two-sport athlete in the state? Probably. In football, he made 51 receptions for 996 yards and 16 TD to help spark the Storm's passing attack. He also returned two kickoffs and one punt for a TD as well. Overall, he scored 21 TD. And he might be even better in basketball with an offer from New Mexico State. He has enrolled in ABC Prep to advance his hoops career, but he plans to play football for Cleveland in 2026.   Freshman of the Year: Mack Madrid, Eldorado. As a defensive end for the Eagles, Madrid made an enormous impact with 34 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 3.5 TFL and 16.0 QB hurries. He proved he already possesses the instincts to find ways to penetrate opposing backfields and harass opposing quarterbacks. Good size at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds. Honorable mention goes to 8th-grade QB Crew Victor, who was thrown into the fire in the playoffs when he started against Carlsbad. Victor had a respectable showing and proved his future is bright. He was Rio Rancho's No. 2 QB for most of the season and finished 34-of-46 passing (73.9 completion percentage) for 310 yards and 2 TD. Impressive stats for an 8th-grader at the 6A level.          Breakthrough Player of the Year: Jasper Nelson, Santa Fe. Doubtful anybody was paying much attention to Nelson  or the Santa Fe Demons when the 2025 season started. But then Nelson  went out and had a remarkable season by rushing for 1,560 yards, second most in Class 6A. Nelson did yeoman's work in keeping SFHS in the playoff chase until the fin al week of the regular season.             Game of the Year: Las Cruces 38, Cleveland 34. In the first meeting of the year between these two powerhouses, Las Cruces rallied from a two-touchdown deficit in the first half by scoring a touchdown with about 90 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Cleveland then drove to the cusp of the red zone the Las Cruces defense held firm and stopped the Storm to secure the enormous road win.      LOOK AHEAD   Top Storyline for 2025: The new look 8-team districts promise to be the top Class 6A storyline heading into the 2026 season. La Cueva is now in the same district as Cleveland and Rio Rancho. Volcano Vista and Eldorado join the southern based 6A school in District 6A-2, guaranteeing their travel expenses are about to increase significantly.   District 1: Albuquerque High, Atrisco Heritage, Cleveland, Farmington, La Cueva, Rio Rancho, Sandia, West Mesa;     District 2: Carlsbad, Centennial, Clovis, Eldorado, Hobbs, Las Cruces, Organ Mountain, Volcano Vista.     11 Offensive Players To Know For 2026: Here are 10 Offensive Players to know heading into the 2026 season:   [player_tooltip player_id='1604943' first='Ruiz' last='Laborin'], Centennial (QB)   [player_tooltip player_id='1594010' first='Jahleel' last='Lewis'], Sandia (QB)   [player_tooltip player_id='1605057' first='Junior' last='Medrano'], Hobbs (QB) (See Above)   [player_tooltip player_id='1183085' first='Monty' last='Melendez'], La Cueva   [player_tooltip player_id='1423739' first='D'Angelo' last='Mitchell'], Volcano Vista (RB)   [player_tooltip player_id='1155116' first='Jahari' last='Morehead'] (Eldorado)   [player_tooltip player_id='1605033' first='Dailen' last='Ramirez'], Centennial (RB)    [player_tooltip player_id='1604705' first='Micah' last='Takahashi'], Rio Rancho (QB)   [player_tooltip player_id='1651252' first='Ajay' last='Vigil'], Cleveland (WR)   [player_tooltip player_id='1680055' first='Zeke' last='Weir'], Organ Mountain (WR)   [player_tooltip player_id='1605005' first='Brock' last='Wright'], Carlsbad (RB)          10 Defensive Players To Know For 2026   [player_tooltip player_id='1684452' first='Nijion' last='Bokor'], Albuquerque High (DL)   [player_tooltip player_id='1613703' first='Aiden' last='Gonzales'], Volcano Vista (DB)   [player_tooltip player_id='1606137' first='Noah' last='Lovato'], Rio Rancho (DL)   [player_tooltip player_id='1155132' first='Aiden' last='Maldonado'], Sandia (LB)   [player_tooltip player_id='1248663' first='Colton' last='McKibben'], Carlsbad (LB)   [player_tooltip player_id='1679730' first='Gavin' last='McPherson'], Hobbs (LB)   [player_tooltip player_id='1606076' first='Hunter' last='Parmeter'], Las Cruces (LB)   [player_tooltip player_id='1613441' first='Matthew' last='Rodriguez'], Eldorado (LB)   [player_tooltip player_id='1606042' first='Denton' last='Walter'], Las Cruces (LB)   [player_tooltip player_id='1606138' first='Amryn' last='Wheeler'], Hobbs (DL)   Team on the Rise: Clovis. The Wildcats showed significant improvement in Stan Hodges' second season as head coach. Unlike 2024 when they finished 0-10 and were routed in most games, Clovis was competitive in 2025 and won three games. [player_tooltip player_id='1154930' first='Javier' last='Jimenez'] is a dynamic player. Best news? The Wildcats probably won't be playing Cleveland, Rio Rancho or Cibola in the non-district schedule as they did in 2024-25.     Teams Looking To Bounce Back: Farmington and Sandia. Neither team made the playoffs in 2025. Farmington's issues in 2025 revolved mainly around an unproductive offense that scored just 48 points in the final 5 games. Needless to say, the Scorpions lost all five games. After finishing 4-6 in Tylon Wilder's debut season, offense shouldn't be a problem in 2026 for Sandia. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1594010' first='Jahleel' last='Lewis'] possesses a powerful throwing arm. He was the Offensive MVP at the recent Prep Redzone Stock Up Showcase in Grants.           Player Ready To Blow Up: Marley Munoz, Carlsbad: Munoz had a solid season as the Cavemen's dual threat quarterback as he helped lead them to the 6A quarterfinals. He threw for 1,506 yards and rushed for 868 yards and accounted for 19 TD. He just missed joining the 1,000-1,000 club. Don't be surprised if he gets there in 2026. RB [player_tooltip player_id='1605005' first='Brock' last='Wright'] headlines a strong ground game.      5 Key Questions:   1. Will Cleveland and La Cueva dominate the new District 6A-1 or will another team rise up to challenge them?   2. How will Cleveland and Las Cruces, the two participants in November's Class 6A state championship game, fare with new No. 1 quarterbacks and running backs?   3. With its starting QB, No. 1 running back and No. 1 WR all returning in 2026, should Centennial be considered the favorite in the new look District 6A-2? What about Hobbs?   4. How will Eldorado and Volcano Vista, shoved into District 6A-2, deal with all the travel to southern New Mexico?      5. Presuming the usual teams finish atop the standings (and claim the top playoff seeds), which teams are going to emerge and fill out the remining spots in the 12-team playoff bracket?

We begin our popular Look Back, Look Ahead series with a review of the 2025 season in Class 6A and a peek ahead to some of the key storylines, topics, players and questions concerning the 2026 campaign, which begins next August with revamped districts.