1. Is there a clear cut favorite for Mr. Football this season? If so what player(s)?

2. Which under-the-radar teams are better than their preseason ranking? Rankings 50-95 here.

3. Does your Final Four include all four of these teams (Rio Rancho, Cleveland, Las Cruces, Mayfield)?

4. Is Goddard still a title contender with the loss of Cameron Stevenson?

5. Is this the 4A conversation in terms of true title contenders - Hatch Valley, Robertson, St. Mikes and Ruidoso? Who is or is not?

Bonus: Who plays for the 2A title?

Players who played in HS here, not who were born here but then moved away (sorry, Ralph Kiner). And not including guys who haven't played long in the majors (Bregman, Giles, etc.).

We spoke with a couple of coaches at the MPL and they offered both sides of the story.

Story: https://nmpreps.rivals.com/news/coa...inions-on-looming-change-to-football-calendar

Top 100 Sophomores & Freshmen

The following is the NMPreps.com Top 100 Players returning for the 2017 football season and players that will graduate in 2019 and 2020.

Class of 2019

Clinton Wellborn, QB, Socorro High School
Stats: 395-yards, 5 touchdowns.

Dakota Powell, QB, Manzano High School
Stats: 774-yards.

Evan Cesareo, QB, Lovington High School
Stats: 1,207-yards.

Jarren Amaro, QB, Dexter High School
Stats: 672-yards.

Jude Segura, QB, Fort Sumner High School
Stats: 2,546-passing yards

Kevin Gut-omen, QB, Loving High School
Stats: 478-yards.

Nicholas Gaerlan, QB, Los Lunas High School
Stats: 1,261-yards.

Vince Quezada, QB, Hope Christian High School
Stats: 1,181-passing yards.

Class of 2020

John Balizan, QB, West Las Vegas High School
Stats: 843-yards.

Mason Caperton, QB, Eunice High School
Stats: 1,333-passing yards.

If you picked teams to make the playoffs. Who do you predict to make it?

verbal commitment to San Diego State. We will have an interview soon.

Manzano looks to have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball.

Story: https://nmpreps.rivals.com/news/manzano-ready-to-prove-they-have-more-than-just-byrd

New state of the art turf field now just need a program builder coach please contact me

Just a couple things to wrap up if you have not done so...

- Make sure your final transcript was sent the the NCAA Eligibility Center

- Log in and make sure your NCAA eligibility has been finalized

You don't want to get to campus thinking you are good to go and realize you can't start practice because the administrative stuff isn't finished...

http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future/transcripts?sf96157092=1

NMSU needs to go after guys like Last Chance U. Life in the Southland or Big Sky isnt bad, but not nearly as good as the Sunbelt, CUSA, or MWC.

La Cueva has plenty of experience on defense and some very good offensive skill position players.

How do you think the Bears will do in 2017?

Will they win one or possibly two playoff games in November?

What do you think La Cueva's final record will be?

Story: https://nmpreps.rivals.com/news/la-cueva-has-talent-and-experience-for-special-2017-season

Penn State returns a lot from a quality team.
Ohio State returns a lot from a quality team.
USC returns a lot from a quality team.
Alabama is always in the playoffs.

I think NMSU will win 3. If they win 4 then bonus. This is the year they should do better as next year it's independence and it will be tough as recruiting is not going as well.

UNM will make a bowl game. That means at least 6 wins.

Eastern will have the better season. Not for any other reason except they are the better program.

Aaron Molina signed with the Lobos in 2014, but has spent the last 2 years at a JUCO in Arizona.

Story: https://nmpreps.rivals.com/news/former-valley-wr-commits-to-lobos-for-second-time

You can only pick one, can't draft a movie someone else picked.

OK.....I saw/followed a thread on Twitter about recruiting services. There was a lot of name calling, denying, calling outs, etc, etc.

These seem to be in the Love/Hate type of topic. Some coaches & parents hate them. The people working in them and some parents love them. The battle lines are clearly drawn, there didnt seem to be much middle ground for neutrals.

As the thread developed and progressed, I stumbled upon a company in ABQ that you guys might know more about that I do, ZAM Recruiting Services. I went to their page and looked at their "clients" in soccer. I recognized a few names from here and there. I noticed that Roswell stand out Chris Mesquita is on their list. I then messaged Coach Vernon for some insight, hoping he could fill me in. He said that the family basically took care of all that and he didnt know much but would ask them if/when he sees Chris again.

So the main questions are:

What are your takes on these services?
Can anyone fill me in a bit more about ZAM specifically since they seem to cover ABQ and a bit of the rest of NM?

Poll: Best Region for New Mexico High School Football

Has been at Mesa Community College.

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Just a few different topics that have been swirling around either the news or just in my head the past few weeks. I didnt want to create threads for each individual one so here they go:

VAR System
Any takes? I think it has the potential to be good for the game. I think they have to work out the hows and the whens to implement and use it during games. The tests at the Euro U21s and the Confederations Cup should yield positive results. I know the few soccer "purists" out there will be against it, just like turf, but these are the same people that at times complain about diving and decisions in the games. MLS is a current user and proponent of the system. If you ask me...MLS refs need all the help they can get.
I was speaking/texting with a ref from El Paso about the VAR during the Confed Cup semi's about what was/wasnt a card, offsides, PKs etc. He is going to ask FIFA ref Jair Marrufo (El Paso guy) about some of those situations so hopefully we can learn some more about it. I think it would be cool to be at that conversation myself and get knowledge and insight from a FIFA ref.

Coaching Changes
Learned that both Deming and Alamo will have new coaches next season. Coach Reyes, Deming, is stepping away to work on his degree. Coach Plair, Alamo, is moving to Abilene to work as an assistant with McMurray University (Div III). That has possibility to change things up in Alamo. Who is gonna take over and how will team respond?

NMHSCA Clinic - Soccer Portion???
Anyone have news about the NMHSCA Clinic and if there will be a soccer portion again? I've tried to reach Buster Maybrey via Twitter but no reply. I reached out to Chris Kledge via email, who said he would email Buster, but still no reply. I'd like to know what the topics are and who the presenters are in order to at least make an informed decision to attend or not.
I know last year was the first attempt at it and for a maiden voyage, I think it went fairly well. It needs time to grow and develop itself. I know that Joe Butler pushed it and worked with lots of people to pull it together.

Good for NM!!!

Western New Mexico running back Marques Rodgers is 1 of 2 players eligible for 2017 Supplemental Draft!

https://www.thescore.com/nfl/news/1330330