5 Teams Looking To Bounce Back In 2022

The 2021 season didn’t go the way some New Mexico High School football teams wanted. Here are five teams looking to rebound and get back on track in 2022: <strong>Clovis (6A)</strong>: No team was hurt more by the pandemic than the Wildcats. Everything was in place on both sides of the ball to compete with Cleveland and others for the Class 6A crown. However, as we know, the 2020 season was delayed to the spring with no playoff. Last fall was a struggle for Clovis, which sent 3-7, dropping their final three games by the combined score of 133-35. That’s not what we expect from the Wildcats. Led by the offensive duo of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138039" first="Robert" last="Nora"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="275303" first="Kash" last="Roberts"]</strong>, the Wildcats eye an improved offense. Head coach Cal Fullerton must decide on a quarterback. Defensively, The Wildcats must replace their top three tacklers, including stellar LB [player_tooltip player_id="134998" first="Manny" last="Bustillos"] (106 tackles). <strong>West Mesa (6A)</strong>: Even though the Mustangs had a quarterback talented enough to play at the next level ([player_tooltip player_id="26242" first="Daniel" last="Ayala"]), they finished with a disappointing 3-6 record and failed to qualify for the 6A playoffs. The season began with a 28-0 loss to Eldorado and didn’t get much better after that. The only wins came over Sandia, Rio Grande and Atrisco Heritage. But a new head coach (Landrick Brody) and possibly his talented son <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="275488" first="Elijah" last="Brody"]</strong> (currently a student at Cleveland) playing quarterback offer hope. The Mustangs will have some talent on offense led by receivers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138047" first="Chris" last="Johnson"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26249" first="Tim" last="Drennan"]</strong>, but need better offensive line play. Defensively, the Thompson Twins (no, not the 80’s musical group) Zebadiah and Zedekiah power the secondary. <strong>Manzano (6A)</strong>: Five years ago Manzano was the King of New Mexico high school football, capturing the Class 6A championship with an undefeated season led by QB Jordan Byrd (signed with San Diego State) and WR Andrew Erickson (now on scholarship at New Mexico). But the subsequent seasons haven’t been kind to the Monarchs. Last season Manzano fell to 1-8. And the school has lost enough students to warrant a move to Class 5A. But their district seems manageable with Del Norte, Los Alamos and Valley. The 2022 slate, though, begins with a challenging road trip to Las Cruces for a matchup with Mayfield. Here’s a name to remember for Manzano: <strong>Demajaye Kindred</strong>. <strong>Portales (4A)</strong>: The Rams won Class 4A state championships in 2016 and 2019 and have been one of the state’s most successful programs over the last decade. But last season Portales fell to 2-8 with several setbacks coming in close, hard-fought games. Figure out a way to reverse the outcomes of those ‘could go either way’ games and Portales could see significant improvement. They have a solid dual threat QB in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="275478" first="Devin" last="Diaz"]</strong> and a pair of reliable pass catchers in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="275205" first="Elijah" last="Kladiihbah"]</strong> and <strong>Zane Mayberry</strong>. The Rams also return many key defensive players from a season ago. <strong>Hatch Valley (3A)</strong>: Like Portales, Hatch Valley experienced football glory in the mid-2010s. Between 2012 and 2017, the Bears went a combined 58-20 and won the Class 4A championship in 2015 with a perfect 13-0 mark. However, 1-9 records in 2019 and 2021 have soured the green chile, so to speak. But things appear to be looking up for Hatch Valley. They have one of the top players in Class 3A in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138201" first="Layton" last="Gillis"]</strong>, a player we’ve dubbed the Hatch Valley Hercules. Several other key contributors on both sides of the ball return as well. https://twitter.com/chs_wildcats/status/1470497808885157891 https://twitter.com/ManzanoFB/status/1512432519697764356 https://twitter.com/zane_mayberry/status/1490931593481175040 https://twitter.com/laytong42/status/1485443365030150145