Predicting Every Team’s MVP: Class 3A, Part 2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're now about 3 months away from kickoff of the 2023 New Mexico high school football season. We've been predicting the team MVPs for all the 6A-3A programs. Today, we dive back into Class 3A with the second group of eight teams in alphabetical order:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Raton: [player_tooltip player_id='1103773' first='Jacob' last='Mattorano'], QB</strong>. [player_tooltip player_id='138053' first='Cayden' last='Walton'], who ended his career as the state's all-time leading rusher, dominated the headlines for Raton last season. As a result, most folks don't realize Mattorano threw for almost 1,300 yards and 12 TD. How Raton does in Year 1 of the Post-Walton Era is one of the most intriguing Class 3A storylines in 2023. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Robertson: [player_tooltip player_id='615560' first='Jesse' last='James Gonzalez'], RB</strong>. We're not picking Gonzalez just because he has one of the coolest names in NM high school football, which he does. He rushed for 768 yards and 8 TD on 158 carries during the regular season as a sophomore in 2022. Gonzalez has already rushed for about 1,600 yards in two seasons. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ruidoso: [player_tooltip player_id='592093' first='Logan' last='Sandoval'], WR/DB</strong>. Sandoval was one of the top two-way players for the reigning Class 4A champions in 2022. Offensively, he caught 52 passes for 945 yards and 12 TD (including 2 TD in the 3A championship game) while making 41 tackles and 6 interceptions on defense. Ruidoso loses many of their standouts on both sides of the ball but the Warriors return several major contributors, led by Sandoval. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Santa Fe Indian: Caleb Martinez, ATH</strong>. Martinez played several positions for Santa Fe Indian last season. His biggest contribution came on special teams as he amassed 500+ yards on kick returns. If SFIS is going to make some noise in Class 3A's toughest district, they need Martinez to excel in multiple areas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Michael's: Isaiah Dominguez, RB</strong>. We'll make a leap of faith here. Dominguez was just a freshman in 2022, but he gained valuable experience with the varsity. The Horsemen lost most of the major contributors on offense, but we've learned St. Michael's doesn't rebuild, they reload. Dominguez will likely get the ball a lot in 2023. Will he rise to the occasion as the Horsemen seek their third straight appearance in the Class 3A state championship game? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Socorro: [player_tooltip player_id='592109' first='Alex' last='Amaro'], WR</strong>. Amaro led Socorro in receiving last season with 36 receptions for 481 yards and 7 TD, and he rushed twice for 74 yards. He also saw action on defense for a Warriors team that lost just one game a season ago, but it came in the 3A playoff semifinals at home to St. Michael's. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Thoreau: [player_tooltip player_id='592334' first='Ray' last='Long'], RB</strong>. Thoreau reached the Class 3A quarterfinals last fall largely on the strength of a solid rushing attack led by Long. He finished with 809 yards rushing and 11 TD, averaging 9.2 yards per carry. He rushed for 100+ yards four times. Long and QB [player_tooltip player_id='1103794' first='Isaac' last='Bear Eagle'] will be a strong offensive backfield combination for the Hawks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Las Vegas: C.J. Perea</strong>. Quoting a hilarious series of commercials from a certain credit card/banking company, projecting Perea as the Dons' MVP is the easiest decision in the history of decisions. In fact, Perea could end up as the Player of the Year in Class 3A. Just a rising junior, he's already thrown for 4,245 yards and 45 TD in his first two seasons as WLV's starting QB. The Dons have high expectations this season with a new head coach and a bunch of talent returning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/CoachCarlos62/status/1648087549846618112","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/CoachCarlos62/status/1648087549846618112 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->