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Player Rankings RECRUITING: 2019 News and Updates

Recruiting & Commitments - Class of 2019
Please e-mail us information and send photos or statements from players if you can. (281) 475-9953.

[Updated 5/15/19]

Commitments (Class of 2019) - Basketball

Carsyn Boswell - Carlsbad - Idaho State

Laura Gutierrez - Rio Rancho - Adams State

Maiah Rivas - West Mesa - New Mexico Highlands

Taylor Salazar - Santa Fe - Cochise College

Fetisha Johnson - Miyamura - Haskell Indian Nations

Alize Ruiz - Mayfield - Colby Community College

Espi Varoz - West Mesa - West Point

Estrella Avalos - Onate - Colby Community College

Mitchel Mortensen - Rio Rancho - Utah State Eastern

Kamryn Yazzie - Gallup - Haskell Indian Nations

Julia Chavez - Rio Rancho - Eastern New Mexico University

Kourtney Lewis - Magdalena - New Mexico Highlands

Ashley Antone - Gallup - New Mexico Highlands

Jazmyne Jenkins - Robertson - Trinidad State Junior College

Angel Gonzales - Cimarron - Morrisville State

Genae Morris - Tohatchi - Scottsdale Community College

Taylee Rippee - Portales - Eastern New Mexico University

Brooke Vigil - Dulce - Trinidad State Junior College

Dianne Hefner - Centennial - Pima Community College

Desiree Forster - Cleveland - New Mexico Highlands University

Brittany Sandoval - Aztec - York College

Angie Lopez - Des Moines - Lamar Community College

Aubrey Thomas - Kirtland Central - University of the Southwest




Commitments - Other Sports

Bailey Beene - Goddard - New Mexico State - Track & Field (Javelin)

Alianza Darley - Robertson - University of Texas at El Paso (Volleyball)

Kaylee Caldwell - Cleveland - Eastern New Mexico University (Track)


Commitments (Class of 2020) - Basketball

Katelynn Limardo - Silver - Montana State



Offers

Cailee Crawford - Highland - NMSU, UNM, Clemson

Viane Cumber - Sandia - UNM, San Diego State, Clemson, Arizona State, New Mexico State

Kaya Ingram - La Cueva - Clemson

Jaelyn Bates - Volcano Vista - UNM

  • Poll
District 1-6A New Mexico High School Football 2019 Predictions

Who wins District 1-6A?

  • Cleveland

  • Cibola

  • Rio Rancho

  • Volcano Vista

  • West Mesa

  • Atrisco Heritage


Results are only viewable after voting.

OVERVIEW

District 1-6A will bring a familiar name recognition at the top with the likes of Cleveland, Rio Rancho and Volcano Vista once again as the teams to beat in 6A football. Which team will overcome a three-way tango and how deep is the district this season. They currently have three teams ranked in the top four spots and four in the NMPreps.com's way too early rankings for 2019. Curiosity will come after the top three and maybe the search for another four bid district.

PREDICTIONS

Cleveland 5-0
Volcano Vista 4-1
Rio Rancho 3-2
Cibola 2-3
West Mesa 1-4
Atrisco Heritage 0-5

Who Wins the District: Cleveland...but how close?

Backpedal? Cleveland is the summer preseason number one team in 6A football with Rio Rancho (No. 3) and Volcano Vista (No. 4). Well, not exactly but we have to mix things up a tad here with the Hawks getting plenty of deserved hype coming into the season. The true question is Rio Rancho or Volcano Vista, although both will say it should read Cleveland, Rio Rancho or Volcano Vista in 2019? I like Cleveland going 5-0, again, this season behind Jeff Davison (2021/QB) and Dorian Lewis (2020/RB) among others. So, why the shift to Volcano Vista coming out over Rio Rancho for the runner up slot? I like that Volcano Vista has Diego Pavia, now eligible after sitting out last season. He earned an offer this summer from Western Colorado and likely to get a few more before 2019 concludes.

Volcano Vista or Rio Rancho

Rio Rancho faithful and 2020 quarterback Isaiah Chavez will be out to remind folks that the qb threw for 2,220 yards and 24 touchdowns last season. Add in the fact that he rushed for another 484 yards; also back is Zach Vigil (2022) and Tyrese Watson (2020) who will get a majority of the balls thrown their way this season. The Rams allowed 28 points per game last season while going for 27 per game and the question will be putting up some points on the board winning some of these shootouts that are likely to take place. Against Cleveland, they fell 42-7 and Volcano Vista was better in the shootout winning 38-35 last season.

Volcano Vista went 9-3 last season and as mentioned add in quarterback Diego Pavia, who was stellar during his sophomore season at St. Pius X in 2017. Running back duo Jimmy Gallegos (2020) and Isaac Chavez (2020) also make a return this season with both going over 300 yards last season on limited carries. Ivan Rodriguez (2020) could be the quickest to rise on the list after going for 561 yards last season with 7 touchdowns and now is the number one target with the graduation to Joah Flores and Jacob Werner.

Cibola the fourth bid again in 2019

Not only did they receive the final at-large bid to the playoffs last season, the Cougars won the first round game over 5-seed Mayfield. The bad news for the Cougars will be replacing the overshadowed Marcus Steele from last season. On offense Michael Garica II (2020) will provide the new qb with a top option after 667 receiving yards last season. Andrew Mirabal and Ryan Cordray (2020) will guide a defense that will hope to hold the Cougars in the third slot. A team that could battle the Cougars for the fourth spot will be the West Mesa Mustangs under second year head coach Anthony Ansotigue. The Mustangs have a quarterback in Brandon Kenton (2020) who is poised for a breakout season. Will he have enough around him? That could be something we wait to see in the first slate of games.

As mentioned we have some questions regarding Cibola and West Mesa for the fourth slot. We can get an early indication of how good either team will be in 2019. Cibola gets Sandia, which missed the playoffs last season, while West Mesa gets a crack at Eldorado.

We don't expect to learn a lot out of these two games but Cibola follows up with Onate and then Highland. You have to be happen to be in that position if you're a Cibola fan. Over/under for the Cougars is 2.5 in the first three games. They'll then go La Cueva in week four.

West Mesa goes Eldorado, Centennial and Mayfield before a week four game with Rio Grande. Tough outing for Asotigue as he tries to build the program. This will put as a likelihood of Cibola 2-2 and West Mesa 1-3 heading into district play. My thoughts are that I stay with Cibola riding some confidence into their October 17th game but both will have faced Volcano Vista and Rio Rancho before their showdown. This could mean that we have both on the outside of the playoffs, unless Cibola beats West Mesa and wins week one against Sandia.

GAME ONE

Atrisco Heritage vs Sandia (week two)
Cibola vs Sandia
Cleveland vs Onate
Rio Rancho vs Centennial
Volcano Vista vs La Cueva
West Mesa vs Eldorado

I think just about every person will have Volcano Vista vs La Cueva circled to watch. Will the Hawks be ready for the limelight taking on the defending champs? Won't be a tell-all but we get a good feel for how much they will have to improve before October, vs Cleveland on the 18th, and Rio Rancho on the 26th.

Rio Rancho also has plenty to prove against Centennial during week one that will be an early seed implication game, yes in week one.

Player Rankings Top Linebackers in 2019

Noah Woisin
La Cueva HS/2020: The senior linebacker returns this season and will be a pivotal part of the defense that was ranked among the best in New Mexico last season. The Bears went 13-0 last season, winning the 2018 state championship and look to make a return to the final game. Woisin, a 6-foot-1, linebacker played in 12 games last season and the highlight game was in the state championship game having a career best 13 total tackles (3 for a loss), he also recorded 2 interceptions last season.

Top Linebackers in 2019
Adrian Rodriguez Santa Teresa HS 2022
Arturo Cuen NMMI 2020
Austin Salas Las Cruces 2020
Ayden Madrid Bernalillo HS 2021
Ben West Eldorado 2020
Caleb Vareas Aztec 2021
David Graves Las Cruces High School 2020
Dawson Burton La Cueva HS 2020
Enriquez Gonzales Lovington 2020
Estevan Marquez Robertson HS 2020
Ethan Gomez Sandia HS 2020
Fabian Aranda Valley HS 2021
Felix Gonzales Eunice 2020
Hunter Litherland Del Norte 2020
Ian Nelson Volcano Vista 2021
Jacob Gellhausen Volcano Vista 2020
Jaylan Smith Rio Rancho 2020
Jeremiah Esquibel Rio Rancho High School 2020
Jermiah Esquibel Santa Rosa 2020
Jorge Bolivar Albuquerque 2021
Kaston Ramage Goddard HS 2020
Kyle Weaver Ruidoso 2020
Luke Mummert Albuquerque 2021
Matthew Maestas Santa Fe HS 2021
Matthew Pacheco Santa Rosa HS 2020
*Noah Woisin La Cueva 2020
Ricardo Chavez Santa Rosa HS 2021
Robert Aragon Goddard 2020
Roman Gandy Del Norte High School 2020
Ryan Estrada Animas High School 2020
Sam Flores Santa Teresa HS 2020
Sammy Zaragoza Goddard HS 2021
Scott McGaha St. Pius X 2020
Stone Davis Manzano 2020
Toa Sanchez Grants HS 2020

  • Poll
Team Rankings 5A Basketball (Summer 2019): Volcano Vista Hawks

Do you agree with the Hawks rank?

  • About Right (No. 8)

  • Too High (Should be 7 or lower)

  • Too Low (Should be 9 or higher)


Results are only viewable after voting.

NO. 8 VOLCANO VISTA HAWKS
2018 Season:
23-5 overall, 6-2 district Head Coach: Greg Brown

Scoop: The Volcano Vista Hawks return after reaching the Final Four in 2019 and earning the overall 1-seed in the New Mexico State Tournament. Gone: The Hawks will have to replace some studs with the graduation to Jalontae Gray, Cesar Madrid and Jake Deatherage. Back: Volcano will look to guard Dion Battle (2020) who played well in the state tournament in March.

Ceiling: (4-6 range). Volcano Vista has one of the top head coaches in New Mexico and although the task seems to be a tall order, the Hawks could catch teams off guard. They will still have some size inside, Battle will have to become a go-to player, and mixture of other key players. They will likely be more of a slower tempo than we seen last season with all of the athleticism they had but the Hawks have a chance at climbing into the 4-6 range.

Floor: (10-12 Seed Range). The 2018-2019 season could be argued to be the most talented Hawks team they've had in their 10 plus year history (yes even over the State Championship team) with the size and athletes that they had. They are likely to take a dip this coming season but 10-12 could be the absolute lowest fall from the 1-seed last season.

Quick Prediction: 15 wins. I like them in the middle of the pack this coming season. I think they will start out fine but district could be the mountain during a transition from losing the prospects from last season.

Continued Rankings
#9 Volcano Vista Hawks
#10 Rio Rancho Rams
#11 Albuquerque Bulldogs
#12 Eldorado Eagles
#13 Gadsden Panthers
#14 Capital Jaguars
#15 Roswell Coyotes
#16 Carlsbad Cavemen
#17 Sandia Matadors
#18 Manzano Monarchs
#19 West Mesa Mustangs
#20 Mayfield Trojans
#21 Centennial Hawks
#22 Piedra Vista Panthers
#23 Farmington Scorpions
#24 Alamogordo Tigers
#25 Deming Wildcats
#26 Cibola Cougars
#27 Rio Grande Ravens

ENMU Baseball Coach

Interim Athletic Director Jeff Long has selected Riley Price as the fourth head coach in the history of the Eastern New Mexico baseball program.

Price takes over the Greyhound baseball program following one season as the head assistant at Minot State University, during which time he helped lead the program to new heights during the 2019 campaign. Prior to his time at Minot State, Price served in assistant roles at Lone Star Conference foe Angelo State, Baker University and Washburn University following a playing career at three different institutions in Washburn, Southern Arkansas and Allen Community College.


https://goeasternathletics.com/news/2019/7/15/riley-price-named-new-head-baseball-coach.aspx

  • Poll
Best/Worst Case Scenario: Cleveland Storm

How many wins do the Storm get in 2019?

  • 10-9

  • 8-7

  • 6-5

  • 4-3

  • 2-0


Results are only viewable after voting.

CLEVELAND STORM
Spring Preseason Rank: No. 1
2018 Record: 12-1 overall, 5-0 district
Playoffs: Runner Up

BREAKDOWN
Best-case scenario: 10-0 overall.
Cleveland went a perfect 10-0 in the regular season in 2018 and they have a good handful of the key pieces returning. Gatorade player of the year, running back, Dorian Lewis (2020) returns and looking to place the Storm back as the favorite to win it all. Lewis missed the post season last season due to an injury. New Mexico State University has extended an offer to 2021 prospect Tre Watson (WR) who will be the top target for top returning quarterback Jeff Davison (2021) next season.

Worst-Case scenario: 8-2 overall. The Storm have a loaded roster this coming season and barring any major injuries they should have a perfect season again. The possible losses, for the sake of the feature, will be with Volcano Vista (No. 4) and crosstown rival Rio Rancho (No. 3), both ranked in the top five this preseason.

Over/Under: 9.5 wins. Anytime we set our over/under number we could argue either side of the debate. As you will see with our prediction I am betting the over. I think the Storm go perfect, yes Rio Rancho and Volcano, will battle but the Storm have too many weapons this season. Plus, looking at the last four seasons the Storm have won 10 or more games (45-4 record), with two perfect seasons (2018 and 2015). OVER.

Prediction: 10-0 Overall

SCHEDULE
8.23 vs Onate
8.30 at Franklin, Texas (El Paso)
9.6 vs Eldorado
9.13 vs Mayfield
9.20 at Artesia
10.4 vs Atrisco Heritage Academy
10.11 at Cibola
10.18 at Volcano Vista
10.25 vs West Mesa
11.1 at Rio Rancho

Related
Belen Eagles (July 11th)

Capitan Tigers
Carlsbad Cavemen (May 28th)
Centennial Hawks (July 13th)
Clovis Wildcats (May 27th)

Estancia Bears
Hatch Valley Bears
Hobbs Eagles (June 6th)
Las Cruces Bulldawgs (June 20th)
Rio Rancho Rams (July 10th)

West Las Vegas Dons

  • Poll
Team Rankings 5A Basketball (Summer 2019): Oñate Knights

Do you agree with the Knights rank?

  • About Right (No. 9)

  • Too High (Should be 8 or lower)

  • Too Low (Should be 10 or higher)


Results are only viewable after voting.

NO. 9 OÑATE KNIGHTS
2018 Season:
19-12 overall, 7-5 district Head Coach: Michael Nañez

Scoop: The Knights made history last season becoming the first 15-seed to win a first round game and reaching the Elite Eight. The Knights received votes all over the place this preseason and someone having them in their top five. The reason for excitement comes from top five player in the state Ricky Lujan returning for his senior season. Lujan, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard, is considered one of the best at creating his own shots.

Ceiling: Home Game Territory (5-8 range). The Knights will have some room to improve on their 9-rank this preseason. They should battle with Las Cruces for the district championship and if they are around 1 or 2 losses in district play then we could see them around 4/5.

Floor: Bubble Fringe (10-14 Seed Range). The Knights will be improved this season, yes they graduate some key pieces, but could be a serious threat this season to return to the Elite Eight. District runner up and/or third place would put them in this range.

Quick Prediction: 18-20 wins. They were a 19-win, 15-seed last season, this year they are projected to be better and should float around 18 to 20 wins.

Continued Rankings
#10 Rio Rancho Rams
#11 Albuquerque Bulldogs
#12 Eldorado Eagles
#13 Gadsden Panthers
#14 Capital Jaguars
#15 Roswell Coyotes
#16 Carlsbad Cavemen
#17 Sandia Matadors
#18 Manzano Monarchs
#19 West Mesa Mustangs
#20 Mayfield Trojans
#21 Centennial Hawks
#22 Piedra Vista Panthers
#23 Farmington Scorpions
#24 Alamogordo Tigers
#25 Deming Wildcats
#26 Cibola Cougars
#27 Rio Grande Ravens

  • Poll
Team Rankings 5A Basketball (Summer 2019): Rio Rancho Rams

Do you agree with the Rams rank?

  • About Right (No. 10)

    Votes: 7 63.6%
  • Too High (Should be 9 or lower)

    Votes: 3 27.3%
  • Too Low (Should be 11 or higher)

    Votes: 1 9.1%

NO. 10 RIO RANCHO RAMS
2018 Season:
20-9 overall, 5-3 district Head Coach: Wally Salata

Scoop: The Rams are coming off a 20-win season and reaching another Elite Eight in the PIT. What they have to replace is a D-1 player in David Patterson (averaged 24 points per game in 2019) along with inside presence of Blaine Gallegos who averaged a near double-double with 17 points and 8 rebounds per game. What they return: a good young core with experience Owen Olney (2020), Isaiah Chavez (2020) and Junior Hodnett (2021) provide the Rams with a quality core to lead the Rams next season.

Ceiling: Home Game Territory (6-8 range). The Rams return a nice core next season but replacing the duo in Gallegos and Patterson will be difficult to completely replace. Yes, the talent is in good hands but who will step up and take over when needed on the court is the question. If they can gel quickly they could still finish high in district, in return, making a jump in the seed talk.

Floor: Bubble IN (13-16 Seed Range). If we learned one thing it's that head coach Wally Salata can get the best out of his players and has developed one of the best programs in the class. They'll either surprise some teams early and get key resume wins or they'll peak late into the season and climb.

Quick Prediction: 15 wins. Middle of the pack. They surely experience some identity problems as they look for the go-to player but the transition should go over smoothly. They'll still be a district runner up contender and have an opportunity to return to the PIT again.

Continued Rankings
#11 Albuquerque Bulldogs
#12 Eldorado Eagles
#13 Gadsden Panthers
#14 Capital Jaguars
#15 Roswell Coyotes
#16 Carlsbad Cavemen
#17 Sandia Matadors
#18 Manzano Monarchs
#19 West Mesa Mustangs
#20 Mayfield Trojans
#21 Centennial Hawks
#22 Piedra Vista Panthers
#23 Farmington Scorpions
#24 Alamogordo Tigers
#25 Deming Wildcats
#26 Cibola Cougars
#27 Rio Grande Ravens

Player Rankings Top Receivers to watch in 2019

NMPreps.com's Top Receivers to Watch in 2019

Connor O'Toole (La Cueva HS) - 2020: Connor O'Toole is the name that we've all become familiar with this summer pulling in offers from a dozen plus Power 5 schools; recently pulling an offer from from Cal, Maryland, and Nebraska. Recruiting news listed here. O'Toole played a huge role in the 2018 State Championship for the La Cueva Bears and will line up with some of the top receivers in the state this Fall as the Bears look to repeat.

Tre Watson (Cleveland HS) - 2021: Watson, is one of two, juniors with Division 1 offers earned this summers. Watson is sitting with a couple offers and plenty more likely to come before December concludes. Watson, will have one of the top quarterbacks tossing him the ball and we could only see his name continue to blow up.

Prince 'Nas' Robertson (La Cueva HS) - 2020: Playing alongside O'Toole, Robertson leads the state in receiving yards for class of 2020 last season. Robertson went for 1,020-yards and 13 touchdowns in the state championship campaign.

Isaiah Griffin (St. Pius X) - 2020: The St. Pius X Sartans are currently the favorite in 4A football this coming season and plenty of eyes will be on the Sartans receiver. Griffin, returns after nearly 900-yards receiving and 11 touchdowns in 2018.

Andrue Garcia (Los Lunas HS) - 2020: In 5A football we look at Los Lunas senior Andrue Garcia who led the way for the Tigers last season with 840-yards and 10 touchdowns. The Tigers are a top four favorite in their class and hope to return to the final game after playing for the championship last season.

Andrue Garcia Los Lunas High School 2020
Anthony Roybal Belen High School 2021
Anthony Roybal Belen HS 2021
Austin Erickson Manzano 2020
Avante Stevens Eunice 2020
Baylor Diaz Portales HS 2021
Braxton McDonald Artesia HS 2021
Casey McCarty Capitan 2020
Connor O'Toole La Cueva 2020
Eric Cueto Artesia 2020
Gabe Oherron-Alex Sandia HS 2020
Hunter Litherland Del Norte 2020
Isaiah Griffin St. Pius X 2020
Ivan Rodriguez Volcano Vista 2020
Ja'Shon Lowery La Cueva 2021
Jaden Phillips Clovis 2021
Jaiden Ybarra Animas High School 2020
Jordan Caballero Deming High School 2021
Julio Mendoza Alamogorodo 2020
Kellan Hightower Portales 2020
Layson Powell Ruidoso 2020
Logan Garcia St. Pius X 2020
Malik Phillips Clovis 2020
Michael Garcia Cibola 2020
Noah Gurule Bloomfield 2020
Noah Roybal Cleveland HS 2021
Omar Gallardo West Las Vegas High School 2021
Orin Offutt Animas High School 2020
Prince 'Nas' Robertson La Cueva 2020
Ryan Cosper Hope Christian 2020
Slayd Campos Cibola High School 2021
Tre Watson Cleveland 2021
Ty Jenkins Kirtland Central 2020
Tyrese Watson Rio Rancho 2020
Zach Hoffman Eldorado HS 2020

Player Rankings New Mexico Top TEs in 2019

Austin Salas Las Cruces 2020
Grant Oberheu Ruidoso 2021
Hunter Beene Goddard 2020
Jordan Mendoza Centennial 2020
Isaiah Deane West LV 2020
Xavier Jimenez Las Cruces 2020

Scoop: Hunter Beene (Goddard HS) will have all eyes on the next level talent in 5A football as the Goddard Rockets look to stay in the title contention after earning the 2-seed last season at State. Las Cruces features a double-headed monster in Xavier Jimenez and Austin Salas to go with a top ranked quarterback. The player to watch his stock rise will be in 4A football with Grant Oberhu (Ruidoso) who will be a top searched next level player from the 2021 class. West Las Vegas has a lot of talent, Isaiah Deane, will have one of the best quarterbacks in the state throwing him the ball next season.

  • Poll
Best/Worst Case Scenario: Centennial Hawks

How many wins do the Hawks get in 2019?

  • 10-8 wins

  • 6-7 wins

  • 3-5 wins

  • 0-2 wins


Results are only viewable after voting.

CENTENNIAL HAWKS
Spring Preseason Rank: No. 5
2018 Record: 11-1 overall, 6-0 district
Playoffs: Semifinals

BREAKDOWN
Best-case scenario: 9-1 overall.
The Hawks enter the spring preseason rankings with the fifth place ranking. This season, however, is up for debate on if the Hawks could duplicate the success' that they had last season going 6-0 in district play. Sticking true to the feature and putting them in the 'best-case' record we go with 9-1 as they are ranked lower than all outside of Rio Rancho. If we are doing a plus/minus for best case scenario I could see them at 7-3/8-2/9-1 but a .500 is in the likelihood with the returning players in Aidan Trujillo (2020) and Jordan Mendoza (2020). Coach Ocampo is one of the best and he has built Centennial, from the ground up, into a continued contender.

Worst-Case scenario: 6-4 overall. It would take a lot and major step back for the Hawks to dip into the 6-4 range. Staying true to the feature though we would put them with losses to coin flips - Las Cruces, Mayfield, and Hobbs - along with losing the game they will be the coin-underdog to Rio Rancho (the one loss in the best case scenario). This would also be without an upset loss that could come from Manzano or Carlsbad who sit just outside the top-10.

Over/Under: 7.5 wins. A very tricky over/under for the Hawks. They went 11-1 last season, hand raised I totally missed on everything last season with the Hawks. The over/under was 6.5 last season and they blew that out of the damn water going 10-0 during the regular season. Throwing more salt in my wound I said a realistic record prediction was 6-4, yes 6-4! I picked the under last season. I go OVER this year. I like them at 8-wins; I don't miss a lot but I did big time last season with the Hawks so hopefully in their case I don't miss again.

Prediction: 8-2 Overall

SCHEDULE
8.23 at Rio Rancho
8.30 vs West Mesa
9.7 vs Manzano
9.14 at Sandia
9.20 at Onate
9.27 at Carlsbad
10.4 vs Las Cruces
10.11 at Mayfield
10.18 vs Hobbs
1031 vs Gadsden

Related
Belen Eagles (July 11th)

Capitan Tigers
Carlsbad Cavemen (May 28th)
Clovis Wildcats (May 27th)

Estancia Bears
Hatch Valley Bears
Hobbs Eagles (June 6th)
Las Cruces Bulldawgs (June 20th)
Rio Rancho Rams (July 10th)

West Las Vegas Dons

  • Poll
Best/Worst Case Scenario: Belen Eagles

How many wins will the Eagles get in 2019?

  • 8-10

  • 5-7

  • 3-4

  • 0-2


Results are only viewable after voting.

BELEN EAGLES
Spring Preseason Rank: No. 8
2018 Record: 7-5 overall, 2-1 district
Playoffs: Quarterfinals

BREAKDOWN
Best-case scenario: 6-4 overall.
The Belen Eagles will kick off the 2019 season with a new head coach. The schedule, during a transition, allows them to earn some early wins and will play a handful of coin flip type of games. They lose one of the best running backs in program history in Diego Castillo who rushed for over 2,000-yards in consecutive years. The good news for new head coach Ty House is welcoming back quarterback Luke Aragon. Best case scenario we have them as favorites in the following: Valley and Highland. Coin flip games include: Del Norte, Valencia, Farmington, and Deming. Winning those six would give them six wins. We could also consider Piedra Vista into the mix of coin flip but we have PV winning at (62% chances) so they fall right outside the range.

Worst-Case scenario: 2-8 overall. Taking over for any program is a difficult task and yes it could be a real possibility that the Eagles fall into the 2 or 3 win category this season. Most programs take a dip from time to time and during a transition this could be the year for the Eagles. The thing with 5A football is that we have our top-four and a handful of unknowns - Belen is in that unknown. The Eagles will have to beat Highland and Valley as must win type of games. Del Norte and Farmington in non-district play also play into the mix and a 2-0 start could provide some early buy in for new head coach. 0-2 could quickly spiral into a worst-case scenario for the Eagles.

Over/Under: 4.5 wins. The schedule features a handful of teams that could be in the 'most improved' category by the end of the season. They'll need to absolutely start 1-1 or 2-0 this season. Also, they will need to go 1-2 or 2-1 during district play. Many might not agree with me but I am going UNDER just because of the transition. I like the hire of Ty House and I believe he will be good for the Eagles but could be a year away from getting things going.

Prediction: 3-7 Overall

SCHEDULE
8.23 vs Del Norte
8.30 at Farmington
9.6 vs Artesia
9.13 vs Highland
9.20 vs Piedra Vista
9.27 at Roswell
10.4 at Deming
10.19 at Valley*
10.25 Valencia*
11.2 at Los Lunas*

Related
Capitan Tigers
Carlsbad Cavemen (May 28th)
Clovis Wildcats (May 27th)

Estancia Bears
Hatch Valley Bears
Hobbs Eagles (June 6th)
Las Cruces Bulldawgs (June 20th)
Rio Rancho Rams (July 10th)

West Las Vegas Dons
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