Baker’s Dozen: The Best Games of Week 2
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The 2023 New Mexico High School football season has entered Week 2. Games begin Thursday night with a handful of contests around the state and runs through Saturday afternoon. The schedule is highlighted by a clash between the top two…
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Continue ReadingThe 2023 New Mexico High School football season has entered Week 2. Games begin Thursday night with a handful of contests around the state and runs through Saturday afternoon. The schedule is highlighted by a clash between the top two teams in Class 6A (per the Polls) and several games between New Mexico and Texas schools. Here are our Top 13 games of Week 2 of what promises to be another exciting three days of football.
GAME OF THE WEEK: La Cueva at Cleveland (Fri, 7 p.m., Thunderbolt Stadium)
Nine months after squaring off in the highest scoring Class 6A state championship game ever, La Cueva and Cleveland clash again. It will be their third meeting in the last calendar year, and unless something drastically alters the 6A hierarchy over the next three months, a fourth meeting in November is likely. Not only are both teams ranked 1-2 in the 6A polls (MaxPreps and Coaches), they are also 1-2 in MaxPreps’ all-inclusive state poll as well.
Both teams flourished in Week 1 with new offensive weapons. La Cueva (35-14 win over Rio Rancho) debuted QB Cameron Dyer Cameron Dyer 6'3" | 185 lbs | QB La Cueva | 2025 State NM , RB Eliseo ‘Cheeto’ Lumbrera and the fastest wide receiver corps in the state with Kobe McGill, Cruz Markham Cruz Markham 6'3" | 200 lbs | TE La Cueva | 2024 State NM , Tanner Montano Tanner Montano 6'0" | 160 lbs | WR La Cueva | 2026 State NM and Jackson Hix Jackson Hix 6'0" | 175 lbs | WR La Cueva | 2024 State NM all showcasing their speed. Defensively, Mason Posa Mason Posa 6'3" | 210 lbs | LB La Cueva | 2025 State NM (11 tackles) showed why he’s our No. 1 2025 prospect.
Cleveland had some new faces on offense as well, starting with sophomore QB Jordan Hatch, RB Harris Mbueha Harris Mbueha 5'11" | 190 lbs | RB Cleveland | 2024 State NM and WR Karter Weddle. As expected, the Storm’s Stratton Shufelt Stratton Shufelt 6'3" | 220 lbs | LB Cleveland | 2024 State NM -led defensive was stout against Centennial, intercepting the Hawks four times with four sacks and limited Centennial to 34 yards rushing. The Hawks had zero third-down conversions in the second half.
Hobbs at Artesia: The annual battle between the Eagles and Bulldogs is always of the most highly-anticipated matchups in Southeast New Mexico every year, and this season is no different, especially since both teams are coming off impressive Week 1 wins. Even with a new offensive core, Hobbs was hitting on all cylinders in their 41-13 win over Clovis with junior QB Brock Beaty Brock Beaty 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB Hobbs | 2025 State NM , RB Saul Armendariz Saul Armendariz 5'8" | 175 lbs | RB Hobbs | 2024 State NM and WR Jeremiah Jaquez Jeremiah Jaquez 5'8" | 145 lbs | WR Hobbs | 2024 State NM leading the way. All new names to know, but all talented players nonetheless. Artesia, on the other hand, is very experienced on both sides of the ball. The Bulldogs blasted Carlsbad in the Eddy County War and showed few signs of slowing down offensively from last season. QB Nye Estrada Nye Estrada 5'10" | 170 lbs | QB Artesia | 2024 State NM picked up where he left off last season by throwing for 320 yards. The Bulldogs’ defense is pretty good too. This one has all the ingredients for another Hobbs-Artesia classic.
West Mesa at Volcano Vista: Two potentially explosive offenses clash at Community Stadium in Albuquerque Friday night. Mustangs QB Elijah Brody Elijah Brody 6'3" | 185 lbs | QB West Mesa | 2024 State NM probably wants a higher completion percentage but he proved in the opener at Santa Fe that he’s a dynamic runner, finishing with 200 yards rushing. Together, Brody and RB Marcus Sharp Marcus Sharp 6'2" | 205 lbs | RB West Mesa | 2024 State NM are tough to stop. The West Mesa defense showed signs in the opener of being much improved. Volcano Vista had one of the more impressive wins in Week 1 as they traveled to Field of Dreams and beat Las Cruces, 24-7. Alijah Gonzales Alijah Gonzales 5'10" | 175 lbs | RB Volcano Vista | 2024 State NM had over 100 yards rushing and 3 TD for the Hawks. The battle between the West Mesa offense and the Volcano defense, led by LB Kian Vander Wilt Kian Vander Wilt 6'2" | 230 lbs | LB Volcano Vista | 2024 State NM and LB Hunter Martinez Hunter Martinez 6'0" | 180 lbs | DL Volcano Vista | 2024 State NM , should be fun to watch.
Alamogordo at Los Lunas: It’s Tigers vs. Tigers in Los Lunas in an intriguing Class 6A cross-district matchup. Alamogordo began its second year as a 6A member with a thrilling 36-29 victory over Silver at home in Week 1. QB Elijah Montoya Elijah Montoya 6'1" | 175 lbs | QB Alamogordo | 2024 State NM can hurt you in multiple ways. Los Lunas trounced local rival Belen in its opener. Senior Damacio Kaneshiro Damacio Kaneshiro QB Los Lunas | 2024 State NM won the battle for the starting QB job and threw for 170 yards and 2 TD in the convincing win over the Eagles. Jason Ussery Jason Ussery 6'3" | 185 lbs | DB Los Lunas | 2024 State NM , one of the top DBs in the state and a next level talent, had 13 tackles. Alamogordo must account for him in their offensive game plan.
Eldorado at Rio Rancho: Eldorado, now ranked No. 10 in 6A by MaxPreps, showed off a dynamic ‘Big 4′ on offense in last week’s 41-20 win over Cibola – QB Brandon Olivas Brandon Olivas 5'10" | 160 lbs | QB Eldorado | 2024 State NM , RB Johnpaul Ludi, WR Joshua Jackson Joshua Jackson 6'5" | 205 lbs | WR Eldorado | 2024 State NM and WR Josiah Mitchell Josiah Mitchell 6'0" | 155 lbs | WR Eldorado | 2024 State NM – and a significantly younger yet improved defense. Rio Rancho fell to La Cueva in Week 1 but QB Noah Nelson Noah Nelson 5'11" | 170 lbs | DB Rio Rancho | 2024 State NM and RB Rayce Ramirez Rayce Ramirez 5'10" | 170 lbs | RB Rio Rancho | 2024 State NM combined for 192 rushing yards. The Rams must have a better showing, though, in the passing game, completing just 5 passes against the Bears. Rams WR Anthony Raymer Anthony Raymer 5'9" | 155 lbs | WR Rio Rancho | 2024 State NM has plenty of speed.
Bloomfield at Pojoaque Valley: After suffering through a winless season in 2022, Pojoaque Valley appears revitalized under first-year head coach Zeke Villegas, making this game one of the best outside the 6A/5A ranks for Week 2. QB Ethan Meloy is Pojoaque Valley’s most dangerous offensive threat. Bloomfield showed in Week 1 that they haven’t missed a beat from last season’s Class 4A championship team. QB Ryan Sharpe threw 3 TD passes and ran for another in a 41-20 home win over St. Pius X. Drew Perez Drew Perez 5'9" | 140 lbs | DB BLoomfield | 2024 State NM is one of the top wide receivers in 4A.
Albuquerque Academy at Moriarty: Albuquerque Academy mercy ruled Rio Grande in Week 1 but Week 2 promises a tougher test as they head to Moriarty, which runs the triple option/Wing-T offense as well as anybody in the state. The Pintos are coming off a mercy rule road win of their own over Gallup. Junior Caedon Kamplain Caedon Kamplain 5'7" | 150 lbs | RB Moriarty | 2025 State NM is Moriarty’s new No. 1 RB.
Portales at Ruidoso: Portales went to Albuquerque in Week 1 and showed off a prolific offense led by QB Paxton Culpepper Paxton Culpepper 6'0" | 150 lbs | QB Portales | 2025 State NM (202 passing yards, 3 TD in opener) and a fast, hard-hitting defense that blanked Highland in a 45-0 victory. The Rams are No. 2 in Class 4A in the latest MaxPreps and Coaches polls. Ruidoso, the reigning 3A champions, looks to avoid a 0-2 start after losing at 5A Gadsden in Week 1.
Capital at St. Michael’s (Sat.): The rivalries between the three major football playing schools in Santa Fe are underrated. This game took on greater prominence when Capital beat Grants on the road last week while St. Michael’s rallied for an exciting 39-30 win at Taos behind a very productive running game led by senior Matthias Duran Matthias Duran 5'10" | 195 lbs | RB St. Michael's | 2024 State NM (4 TD) and junior Cole Sandoval Cole Sandoval 5'9" | 155 lbs | WR St. Michael's | 2025 State NM . RB Fabian Ryan had two rushing TD for Capital in the first half at Grants.
Goddard at Carlsbad: Goddard, No. 4 in the MaxPreps poll, is renowned for its punishing ground attack and Week 1 was no exception as they pummeled Santa Teresa, 49-0, with RB Jonathan Silva Jonathan Silva RB Goddard | 2024 State NM doing much of the damage. Now they head to Carlsbad, where the Cavemen are eager to bounce back after getting trounced by rival Artesia in the Eddy County War. Intriguing RB battle between Silva and Carlsbad’s Ulysses Mendoza Ulysses Mendoza RB Carlsbad | 2024 State NM .
Texico at Santa Rosa: The No. 1 and No. 4 teams in the latest MaxPreps and Coaches Class 2A polls clash in Santa Rosa. Texico opened the season with a convincing 52-22 road victory over Estancia. The Wolverines are led by arguably the top player in Class 2A this season – 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior QB Cade Figg Cade Figg 5'8" | QB Texico | 2024 State NM . He threw 4 TD passes in the Week 1 win. Figg has been offered as a tight end by Eastern New Mexico.
Taos at Los Alamos: Los Alamos began the season with an impressive 35-0 victory over Espanola Valley. Speedster Melaki Gutierrez Melaki Gutierrez 6'1" | 150 lbs | WR Los Alamos | 2024 State NM was productive running and catching the football against the Sundevils. He is the Hilltoppers’ No. 1 offensive threat. Taos lost a shootout to St. Michael’s, 39-30, last Saturday night at home. Taos showed in Week they have a pair of potentially elite receivers in Noah Washington Noah Washington 5'10" | 145 lbs | WR Taos | 2024 State NM and Lionel Salazar Lionel Salazar 6'0" | 160 lbs | DB Taos | 2024 State NM .
Hatch Valley at Hope Christian: Both teams are coming off nice Week 1 wins. Hatch Valley crushed Laguna-Acoma while Hope Christian traveled north to McCurdy and returned home to Albuquerque with a 42-20 victory. Hatch Valley must find a way to slow down Huskies RB Mason Hohsfield Mason Hohsfield 5'10" | 160 lbs | LB Hope Christian | 2025 State NM , who rushed for 102 yards and 4 TD against McCurdy. Hope Christian OL/DL Jacob Baca Jacob Baca 6'1" | 245 lbs | DL Hope Christian | 2024 State NM is one of the best linemen in 3A and has next level talent. These two teams played to a 14-14 tie a year ago.
NEW MEXICO vs. TEXAS
Gadsden at El Paso (TX) (Thur.)
Clovis at Canyon (TX)(Thur.)
El Paso (TX) Americas at Las Cruces
Centennial at El Paso (TX) Franklin
Lovington at Seminole (TX)
Fabens (TX) at Chaparral
BEST OF THE REST
Deming at Organ Mountain (Sat.)
Piedra Vista at Sandia (Sat.)
West Las Vegas at Dexter
Santa Teresa at Mayfield
Durango (CO) at Farmington
Santa Fe at Roswell
Tularosa at Jal
Valley at Cibola (Sat.)
OTHER GAMES
Espanola Valley at Bernalillo
Highland at St. Pius X
Manzano at Belen
Del Norte at Valencia
Rio Grande at Atrisco Heritage (Thur.)
Wingate at Navajo Prep (Thur.)
Raton at Guymon (OK)
Hagerman at Mescalero Apache
Eunice at Estancia
Crownpoint at Shiprock
Hot Springs at Capitan
Silver at Miyamura
Newcomb at Laguna Acoma
NMMI at Cloudcroft
Sanat Fe Indian at Socorro
Tucumcari at Thoreau
Montezuma (CO) at Aztec
Escalante at Tohatchi
Cobre at Robertson
Gallup at Grants
MaxPreps State Poll Top 15 Teams – August 22