Look Back, Look Ahead: Class 4A
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We continue our ‘Look Back, Look Ahead’ series with a comprehensive look back at the 2021 season in Class 4A and a look ahead to some of the key storylines, topics and questions going into the 2022 season. LOOK BACK…
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Continue ReadingWe continue our ‘Look Back, Look Ahead’ series with a comprehensive look back at the 2021 season in Class 4A and a look ahead to some of the key storylines, topics and questions going into the 2022 season.
LOOK BACK
Team of the Year: Lovington. The Wildcats didn’t win the most games in Class 4A but they finished as champions and knocked off three Class 5A schools to start the season. They shook off a three-game losing streak in the middle of the year and won seven straight games on the road to the 4A title, including a 41-21 victory over Ruidoso in the state championship game. Led by one of the top wide receiver corps in the state, the Wildcats scored a bunch of points and played good defense too.
Offensive Player of the Year: Isaac Hinson Isaac Hinson 6'0" | 185 lbs | WR Lovington | 2022 State NM , Lovington. This is as much of an award for Hinson’s all-around excellence as it is for his accomplishments on offense. He did everything on offense, catching 45 passes for 727 yards and a staggering 15 TD (that means one of every three passes he caught resulted in a TD), rushed for 259 yards and 3 TD and completed 14-of-22 passes for 207 yards and 1 TD. He also returned kicks. Overall, he accounted for 1,300 all-purpose yards. Hinson edged out Albuquerque Academy QB A.J. Rivera A.J. Rivera 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB Albuquerque Academy | 2023 State NM for the award. Rivera threw for 2,531 yards and 23 TD.
Defensive Players of the Year: Joseph Perez Joseph Perez 6'0" | 195 lbs | LB Lovington | 2022 State NM , Lovington and Kavin Chavez Kavin Chavez 5'8" | 170 lbs | LB Bernalillo | 2022 State NM , Bernalillo. Perez was the leader for an underappreciated Lovington defense, finishing with 137 tackles, 14 TFL and 3 sacks. Chavez led the state in tackles with 152 and was the backbone of a solid Bernalillo defense
Junior of the Year: Aidan Granado Aidan Granado 5'9" | 170 lbs | RB Silver | 2023 State NM , Silver. The unheralded Granado quietly had a spectacular season by rushing for 1,632 yards – third most in the state – and 5 TD. He averaged over 11 yards per attempt. Albuquerque Academy QB A.J. Rivera A.J. Rivera 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB Albuquerque Academy | 2023 State NM would have been a nice choice here too.
Sophomore of the Year: Brody Whitaker, Albuquerque Academy. A two-way lineman for the Chargers, Whitaker led AA with 72 tackles, 12 TFL and 9 sacks. Little wonder colleges are already expressing interest. Willamette University in Oregon has visited. Whitaker has a 4.0 GPA. If he grows a few more inches – and no doubt he will – Whitaker could attract D-1 or D-2 interest by his senior season in 2023.
Freshman of the Year: Ondalis Cardenas, Lovington. Quarterback Ashton Aranda and the talented wide receiver corps grabbed the headlines but Cardenas was the heart and soul of the Wildcats’ running game. He finished with 771 yards and 11 TD on 107 carries. His future is bright. With Lovington losing its top three receivers, Cardenas could take on a larger role in the Lovington offense next season.
Breakthrough Player of the Year: Marco Ybarra Marco Ybarra 5'10" | 190 lbs | RB St. Pius X | 2022 State NM , St. Pius X. Ybarra has already put together an impressive life resume on and off the field. After battling injuries as a sophomore and junior, Ybarra rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and 22 TD this past season. He’s also student body president and very active in the community. A true scholar-baller, as they say. He’ll definitely play at the next level. He just has to decide where he wants to go. Ybarra plans to take recruiting visits in January prior to the start of the late signing period in early February. Wyoming and Northern Arizona have expressed interest. Ivy League schools are still on the table, as well.
Top 5 Passers (per MaxPreps): 1. A.J. Rivera A.J. Rivera 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB Albuquerque Academy | 2023 State NM , Albuquerque Academy (2,531 passing yards); 2. Ashton Aranda, Lovington (2,180); 3. Alejandro Sapien Alejandro Sapien 5'11" | 155 lbs | QB St. Pius X | 2023 State NM , St. Pius X (1,464); 4. Landan Frost, Aztec (1,325); 5. Jacob Pino Jacob Pino 5'8" | 150 lbs | QB Bernalillo | 2023 State NM , Bernalillo (1,271).
Top 5 Rushers (per MaxPreps): 1. Aidan Granado Aidan Granado 5'9" | 170 lbs | RB Silver | 2023 State NM , Silver (1,632); 2. Zakk Thomas Zakk Thomas 5'10" | RB Kirtland Central | 2022 State NM , Kirtland Central (1,537); 3. Braxton Hall Braxton Hall RB Ruidoso | 2022 State NM , Ruidoso (1,503); 4. Marco Ybarra Marco Ybarra 5'10" | 190 lbs | RB St. Pius X | 2022 State NM (1,497); 5. Dominic Esquibel Dominic Esquibel 6'2" | 225 lbs | RB Pojoaque Valley | 2022 State NM (1,496).
Top 5 Receivers (per MaxPreps): 1. Kellan Gehres Kellan Gehres 5'10" | 150 lbs | WR Albuquerque Academy | 2023 State NM , Albuquerque Academy (67 receptions); 2. Adam Aguilera Adam Aguilera 5'8" | 160 lbs | WR Lovington | 2022 State NM , Lovington (62); 3. Tristen Ludi-Herrera Tristen Ludi-Herrera 5'11" | 150 lbs | WR Bernalillo | 2022 State NM , Bernalillo (51); 4. Isaac Hinson Isaac Hinson 6'0" | 185 lbs | WR Lovington | 2022 State NM , Lovington (45); 5. Dominic Esparza Dominic Esparza 5'10" | 170 lbs | DB St. Piux | 2022 State NM (45).
Top 5 Tacklers (per MaxPreps): 1. Kavin Chavez Kavin Chavez 5'8" | 170 lbs | LB Bernalillo | 2022 State NM , Bernalillo (152 tackles); 2. Joseph Perez Joseph Perez 6'0" | 195 lbs | LB Lovington | 2022 State NM , Lovington (137); 3. Eloy Vigil, Bernalillo (118); 4. Diego Snell-Martinez Diego Snell-Martinez 170 lbs | RB Bloomfield | 2022 State NM , Bloomfield (116), 5. Gavon Hall, Ruidoso (116).
Game of the Year: St. Pius X 14, Albuquerque Academy 13. The district title and a probable top four seed were on the line when the Sartans and Chargers squared off at Community Stadium on the final weekend of the regular season. In the end, only a missed PAT in the fourth quarter separated the two rivals. St. Pius X got the ball back after the miss and drained the final seven minutes with a well-executed drive. Marco Ybarra Marco Ybarra 5'10" | 190 lbs | RB St. Pius X | 2022 State NM had two TD runs in the third quarter when the Sartans grabbed the lead for good.
LOOK AHEAD
Player To Watch: A.J. Rivera A.J. Rivera 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB Albuquerque Academy | 2023 State NM , Albuquerque Academy. Rivera has been the Chargers’ starting QB since his freshman year in 2019. He now has 4,735 career passing yards, affording him an opportunity to eclipse 7,000 career passing yards and 60 TD passes by this time next year.
5 Key Questions:
1. Will Lovington tweak its offensive philosophy after losing its top three receivers to graduation? Adam Aguilera Adam Aguilera 5'8" | 160 lbs | WR Lovington | 2022 State NM , Isaac Hinson Isaac Hinson 6'0" | 185 lbs | WR Lovington | 2022 State NM and Tayten Hilliard Tayten Hilliard 6'0" | 175 lbs | WR Lovington | 2022 State NM combined for 143 receptions this past season. All three will graduate in May. The Wildcats also have one of the top young running backs in the state with rising sophomore Ondalis Cardenas. So, does Lovington continue with its passing-oriented attack or does it switch to a more run-based attack? We’ll find out in August.
2. Will Class 4A become pass happy with the top seven passing quarterbacks all returning next season? Led by A.J. Rivera A.J. Rivera 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB Albuquerque Academy | 2023 State NM , the top seven quarterbacks in Class 4A in passing yardage this past season are set to return in 2022. So, does this mean we’ll see a bunch of teams committed to throwing the football? Not Moriarty, of course. They’ll continue to run the football over and over.
3. Who are the next great running backs in 4A? Six of the top eight rushers in 4A this past season were seniors. The only two non-seniors in that group are Aidan Granado Aidan Granado 5'9" | 170 lbs | RB Silver | 2023 State NM (Silver) and Cole Conway Cole Conway 6'3" | 230 lbs | RB Albuquerque Academy | 2023 State NM (Albuq. Academy). Expect Granado to lead 4A in rushing again next season with Lovington’s Odalis Cardenas close behind.
4. What’s the toughest new district in 4A? Class 5A may have its “super district,” but the new District 4A-4 with Albuquerque Academy, Bernalillo, Lovington and Portales deserves the same title. The good news? High school football fans in the Albuquerque Metro area should get an opportunity to see Lovington at least once per season in 2022 and 2023. The October battle between AA and Lovington will be a ‘must-watch’ game in 2022.
5. Who will be the best 4A team in the Four Corners? The new District 4A-1 features three evenly matched schools in the Four Corners: Aztec, Bloomfield and Kirtland Central. Should be a heckuva race.
Player Ready to Blow Up: Kellan Gehres Kellan Gehres 5'10" | 150 lbs | WR Albuquerque Academy | 2023 State NM , Albuquerque Academy. Gehres led all of 4A with 67 receptions for 1,111 yards and 12 TD in the just completed season. Next year, Gehres will have the same talented quarterback ( A.J. Rivera A.J. Rivera 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB Albuquerque Academy | 2023 State NM ) throwing him the ball. When you consider the Chargers also bring back their leading rusher ( Cole Conway Cole Conway 6'3" | 230 lbs | RB Albuquerque Academy | 2023 State NM ), they could potentially have the most explosive offense in 4A next season. Prediction: Gehres will have a monster senior season.
Junior Season:
9-3 Season
2531 Yds 23 TDs 70% Comp%
2nd Team All-District
2nd Team All-Metro
Set new school single season records for passing yards, TDs and completion percentage
Check out my Junior Season highlight! https://t.co/essMPoLQgN— Andres (AJ) Rivera (@AndresAJRivera1) December 2, 2021
Had a great talk with Coach @IsaacKKParker from Willamette University. Thanks for the insight, I really learned a lot Coach@WillametteFB @Rude_WUBearcats
@BrodyWhitaker2 @PrepRedzoneNM pic.twitter.com/20STHBmOgs— Andres (AJ) Rivera (@AndresAJRivera1) December 8, 2021
Tayten Hilliard Senior Highlights
Class of 2022 WR/DB/KR/PR
‘22 NMHSCA 1st Team All-State WR
‘22 NMHSCA 1st Team All-State DB
NMHSCA All-Star Game Selection
4 Year Starter
Off/Def/ST Stats in the threadhttps://t.co/SmsdVuj6CL @nmpreps @PrepRedzoneNM @NMrecruits @CoachGonzo96— T (@tayten_hilliard) December 16, 2021