City Series: Top 5 Running Backs in Albuquerque Metro Region

Phase 2 of our ‘City Series’ has begun. We’re now taking a look at the top running backs in the state entering the 2022 season. Today we give you the top five running backs in the Albuquerque Metro Region: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138204" first="Josh" last="Perry"], Cleveland</strong>: Perry rushed for 600+ yards last season even though he missed the second half of the regular season in 2021 with an injury before returning in splendid fashion for the Class 6A state championship game against rival Rio Rancho. How valuable is Perry to the Storm’s offense? He finished with over 160 yards rushing and a season high 4 TD against the Rams in the title game. He’ll combine with QB/WR [player_tooltip player_id="139521" first="Evan" last="Wysong"], RB [player_tooltip player_id="274977" first="Andres" last="Aguirre"] and WR [player_tooltip player_id="139523" first="Nic" last="Trujillo"] to form arguably the most dynamic offense in the state in 2022. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15745798/62053f4e15f5b00550b2bb40">Hudl</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="269525" first="Gabriel" last="Buie"], La Cueva</strong>: Possibly the most underrated player in Albuquerque, Buie will be a key piece of what should be a dynamic La Cueva offense in 2022, joining QB [player_tooltip player_id="137862" first="Aidan" last="Armenta"] and WR [player_tooltip player_id="208744" first="Exodus" last="Ayers"] to scare opposing defenses all season long. Buie rushed for 988 yards and 13 TD in his first season of varsity competition in 2021. If he stays healthy, Buie should rush for 1,000+ yards in 2022. The La Cueva offense is going to be tough to stop. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12694761/6164c1a1386dfe0934fa6521">Hudl</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="274977" first="Andres" last="Aguirre"], Cleveland</strong>: Aguirre’s move from Albuquerque High to Cleveland promises to be one of the most intriguing offseason stories when preseason camp kicks off in late July. Aguirre rushed for nearly 900 yards and 9 TD for the Bulldogs in 2021 and brings more than 1,200 career rushing yards to Cleveland. Aguirre and [player_tooltip player_id="138204" first="Josh" last="Perry"] will be the No. 1 RB duo in the state next season, giving the Storm incredible depth at the position. How new Cleveland head coach Robert Garza divides the playing time will be interesting to watch as the 2022 season unfolds. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14938827/61a187635ca8dd08f0158b3b">Hudl</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137923" first="Malachi" last="Thymes"], Sandia</strong>: If [player_tooltip player_id="269525" first="Gabriel" last="Buie"] (see above) is the most underrated player in Albuquerque, Thymes might be a close No. 2. Thymes led the Matadors to the Class 6A playoffs in 2021 by rushing for 1,158 yards and amassing about 1,300 all-purpose yards. If you think Sandia is going away, forget it. QB [player_tooltip player_id="269568" first="Dalen" last="Moyer"], a 1,000-yard passer in 2021, also returns. Watch out for the Matadors. They’ll battle for a Class 6A playoff berth again. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13089404/620fe248c1199e04c81573d8">Hudl</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138056" first="Cole" last="Conway"], Albuquerque Academy</strong>: The Chargers already have one of the top passing quarterbacks ([player_tooltip player_id="137884" first="A.J." last="Rivera"]) and wide receivers ([player_tooltip player_id="137928" first="Kellan" last="Gehres"]) in Class 4A going into the 2022 season. With the powerfully built Conway (6-2, 220 pounds) running the football, opposing defenses will have to respect the run and the pass. And that should open things up for the Chargers offense. Conway rushed for 1,037 yards and 17 TD in 2021. He also caught 14 passes. Albuquerque Academy is one of the most intriguing teams in Class 4A going into the new season. Their district, which also consists of Bernalillo, Lovington and Portales, will be must-watch football in the fall. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12919611/6202cdb9dfd9dd0ea8910032">Hudl</a> <strong>Honorable Mention</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id="138082" first="Brent" last="Miller"] (Hope Christian); [player_tooltip player_id="138051" first="Nathan" last="Velez"] (Eldorado); [player_tooltip player_id="138054" first="Erik" last="Wolf"] (Moriarty); [player_tooltip player_id="138055" first="Matthew" last="Romero"] (Moriarty); [player_tooltip player_id="269560" first="David" last="Llanez"] (Bernalillo); [player_tooltip player_id="138205" first="Damian" last="Garcia"] (Albuquerque High); [player_tooltip player_id="200152" first="Jonathan" last="Casaus"] (Atrisco Heritage); Rickey Henderson (Valley); [player_tooltip player_id="274725" first="Diego" last="Avila"] (Belen); [player_tooltip player_id="275431" first="John" last="Paul Ludi"] (Eldorado); [player_tooltip player_id="275558" first="Joziah" last="Rodriguez"] (Highland). https://twitter.com/Josh23Perry/status/1503784154810527753 https://twitter.com/gabrielbuie07/status/1470611734930989060 https://twitter.com/AndresGAguirre6/status/1486829669827624967 https://twitter.com/Malaxhi_/status/1459252014135721984 https://twitter.com/ColeConwayFB/status/1491463785965494275 &nbsp; &nbsp;