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ELDORADO EAGLES
Spring Preseason Rank: No. 7
2018 Record: 7-5 overall, 1-3 district
Playoffs: Quarterfinals

BREAKDOWN
Best-case scenario: 6-4 overall. The Eldorado Eagles have a very favorable schedule this season with the likes of West Mesa, Atrisco, Albuquerque, and Del Norte featured. They have two back-to-back swings this season with Cruces/Cleveland and in district play with La Cueva/Clovis that they will be underdogs in.

Worst-Case scenario: 4-6 overall. We kept it simple here, the Eagles are heavy favorites against the four mentioned about - West Mesa, Atrisco, Albuquerque and Del Norte. In the worst case scenario they would go winless in district play.

Over/Under: 6.5 wins. In order to bet the over here they must win all games that they are preseason favored in, plus getting an upset win over Las Cruces, Clovis, Cleveland or La Cueva.

Prediction: 5-5 Overall

SCHEDULE
8.22 vs West Mesa
8.31 vs Las Cruces
9.6 at Cleveland
9.13 vs Atrisco Heritage
9.20 vs Albuquerque
9.27 at Del Norte
10.11 at La Cueva
10.18 vs Clovis
10.24 vs Manzano
10.31 at Sandia


Related
Albuquerque Bulldogs (July 22nd)
Atrisco Heritage Jaguars (July 25th)
Belen Eagles (July 13th)
Capitan Tigers
Carlsbad Cavemen (May 28th)
Centennial Hawks (July 13th)
Cibola Cougars (July 26th)
Cleveland Storm (July 15th)
Clovis Wildcats (May 27th)
Estancia Bears
Hatch Valley Bears
Hobbs Eagles (June 6th)
Las Cruces Bulldawgs (June 20th)
Rio Rancho Rams (July 8th)
West Las Vegas Dons

The New Mexico representitive, Carlsbad starts off the 1st day with a win over a team from Colorado 6 - 3 and will face a Texas West Midland team on Saturday. Good luck to the Carlsbad boys.

What trips, vacations, etc have you taken this summer? Best fishing spots, camping, or restaurants?

NO. 1 ARTESIA BULLDOGS

TEAM SNAPSHOT

• Head Coach: Rex Henderson
• 2018 Record: 7-5 Overall, 2-1 District
• 2018 Post Season: Semifinals (Lost, Roswell 48-42); Quarterfinals (Won, Piedra Vista 39-20)
• 3-Year Trend
  • 2017: 11-2 (State Champions)
  • 2016: 10-3 (State Runner Up)
  • 2015: 12-1 (State Champions)

OVERVIEW

The Bulldogs are 28-10 under head coach Rex Henderson and year-four looks to make a return into the final game. The 2018 season, in terms of Artesia standards, was a step back with only 7-wins and 'only' a semifinal showing losing to district rival and eventual state champion Roswell, 48-42. The Bulldogs have plenty to be excited about with some of the key returning players including quarterback Clay Houghtaling (2020) who comes from a line of successful players to wear the Orange and White. He will have a pair of targets in Eric Cueto (2020) and Braxton McDonald (2021) that could fill in for departed receivers. Wesley Knowlton (2020/DL) and Canon Carter (2020/DB) will highlight a defense that is in need of replacements.

REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

7-wins. Looking at the schedule, the Bulldogs will most likely play in a three-to-tango scenario in district play with the likes of Roswell (No. 2) and Goddard (No. 4). Last season, the three went 2-1 and each team reached the semifinals of the 2018 New Mexico High School State Playoffs. We will breakdown the full schedule in our best/worst case scenarios for the 2019 season however, 7-wins appears to be a realistic chance but could also be on the high end. Here are a list of must-wins to get there - Carlsbad (road), Hobbs (home), and a split with Roswell/Goddard. The ceiling is obviously bringing home another state championship, 31? The floor will be the semifinals.

5A Spring Rankings - 2019
No. 2 Roswell Coyotes
No. 3 Los Lunas Tigers
No. 4 Goddard Rockets
No. 5 Piedra Vista Panthers
No 6 Deming Wildcats
No. 7 Valencia Jaguars
No. 8 Belen Eagles
No. 9 Farmington Scorpions
No. 10 Del Norte Knights
No. 11 Capital Jaguars
No. 12 Santa Teresa Desert Warriors
No. 13 Valley Vikings
No. 14 Santa Fe Demons
No. 15 Alamogordo Tigers
No. 16 Miyamura Patriots
No. 17 Los Alamos Hilltoppers
No. 18 Highland Hornets
No. 19 Chaparral Lobos

Login to view embedded media First game action for Rogers since the 2017 state quarterfinal vs. Valley

Buy, Sell, or Hold: Most Likely to Dethrone Roswell

The Roswell Coyotes finished off a remarkable season (11-2 overall) with a 5A State Championship. The Coyotes, a favorite to repeat will have a handful of contenders looking to dethrone them in 2019.

In this buy, sell, or hold we could only pick one team per category.

Buy: Artesia. We took the teams ranked in the top-4, which is typically the true contenders for a title run. This is the obvious choice with the Bulldogs which is the preseason number one team in the class. This would give the Bulldogs their 31st title.

Hold: Los Lunas. This was the toss up: hold Los Lunas or Goddard. You can't go wrong with either team in the hold section. Los Lunas (preseason No. 3) is our pick and has the team of destiny feel to them. They continue to hang around the top, finished as runner up in 2018 to Roswell, and have some serious talent returning in 2019.

Sell: Goddard. We had to sell one of the contenders. Goddard has a nice squad returning with Hunter Beene (TE) leading the charge but lost some important pieces from last season. Likely they are third in that district which likely puts them against either Roswell or Artesia in the semifinal.

Is it a four team race in 5A football?
That is the feeling today in 5A football. Piedra Vista and Deming enter as they next best on the rankings. I believe if we are considering one, it could be the Deming Wildcats led by Ceazar Chavez who went for over 1300 yards last season and could surpass that by 500 this coming season. They are my sleeper in the talk of 5A football.

The Roswell 50/70 all-star team has battled its way back from losing their opening game to make it back to the US championship versus the SouthEast team that gave them that first loss. Roswell won the state championship in early July and moved on to the regional tournament in Houston. Winning the SouthWest regional qualified the team for the World Series in Livermore, California. The team flew from Houston straight to California last Friday and began play on Monday. Championship game will be Saturday at 6 pm and can be streamed on ESPN3. The world championship will be on Sunday versus the International champ.

50/70 stands for pitch from 50 feet and base-paths are 70 feet. It is a transitional league for 13 year-olds going from Little League distances to standard distances.

For each class:

State Champ:
Semifinal teams:

Kai Locksley has been cleared of the charges brought against him earlier, they havent said exactly where that leaves him with the status of him being qb or not. Just that he needs to toe the line and make sure his shit doesn't stink from here on out. They mentioned that last night on the sports.

Who do you have and what year?

They have reported that there was a shooting there at the WAlmart next to the Cielo Vista Mall, it is being reported that there was 30 injured and so far they are stating 10 fatalities. They say the shooter has been apprehended. They haven't said anything is exact at this time. Of course the media is trying to get the poor guy making a statement to leak out anything they can run with. Terrible incident that happened and prayers to all involved and the families involved. The hospitals are very busy and they have a place set up for blood donations and they showed that place had personnel lined up outside and wrapped around the building, great for all them to display a great effort to help out. The EP Locomotive game tonight has been postponed.

Im just starting the Netflix docu series. Any of you seen it all yet?

Since Hobbs is sort of lost down here on the razor's edge of Texas I thought I should share some news that I bet few know about. There has been lots of improvements going on for athletic facilities at Hobbs High. Tasker Arena's new floor is beautiful and has two large blowups of Tasker's signature. (However, I hate the two large video boards they installed as they are distracting because they reflect badly on the floor.) The new large wrestling facility is nearing completion. As for Watson Stadium, last year they put in new turf and this year they are now installing a massive video/score board. They have already installed 5 enormous steel support poles to mount it on. I hope the new coaching staff will also have a positive impact. Maybe someday we can actually fill the 15,000 seat stadium up. Things are still booming with a number of large oil/gas facilities in Lea County being announced this past week. Sad news however, people are getting slaughtered like cattle on Lea and Eddy county roads because of the devastating amount of huge trucks on the roads. 5 more were killed this past week in another pile up near Jal. The state needs to make every highway down here four lanes quickly. Housing is still critical even though hundreds of new homes have been added or are being built. They are anticipating the need for 1,000 to 1,200 more homes due to the fact that Lea County is now the number 2 oil producing county in the nation and is expected to become number 1 soon as unbelievable oil and gas reserve numbers were recently announced. Another new apartment complex was announced this week also. It should also be noted that Carlsbad and Artesia are also in boom mode with recent population numbers estimated for Carlsbad to be way over 50,000 now with some folks estimating way over 80,000 which I have trouble grasping since their school enrollment numbers are not increasing much. The explanation for that is that the men are living in huge travel trailer facilities and are not bringing their families with them yet as there is no place to live. One ugly problem with all of this...booms are usually followed by a bust in the oil/gas industry.

Grine's Tailgate: Top Five Non-District Games in 6A Football
Grine of NMPreps

Each week on the tailgate we will breakdown a different topic either that we asked or one that has been discussed, sometimes argued, around my circle of football coaches and fans.

Today's topic: Top 5 non-district games in 2019? I will breakdown 6A first.

5. Las Cruces at Manzano: (Week One). Week one of the football season is one that brings plenty of excitement. We have a good ole fashion 1-25 game here. Manzano is on the rebuild now in year two of head coach Phillip Martinez who had his interim tag removed, spending 2018 taking over for mentor Chad Adcox who is now the head coach at Sandia after spending last season on the recliner. Manzano returns a pair of prospects with offers in Zion Hall and Chris Valdez but who, fills in some of the gaps left with skilled players long and gone in college. Austin Erickson, could be the biggest name blow up at WR, we shouldn't forget. Las Cruces is also going through some graduation blues but the return of top quarterback Marcus Lopez (2021) and a pair of stud TE's could be the early riser and dare we consider them a "dark horse" in football? This game could be a surprise on the list for many but I got excited with it being a week one contest. Date: August 23. Too Early Line: Las Cruces -8.5 Grine's Early Prediction: Las Cruces 34, Manzano 22

4. Las Cruces at Eldorado: (Week Two). Trust me I didn't want to include the same team twice on the list but I had to because the Las Cruces schedule features some of the must-see games that you will likely see every media outlet covering. I'll pick one. The reason that I like this game? Las Cruces is playing this sneaky under the radar, what to expect this season. I think their schedule is ballsy this year but what is the old saying, play the best to be the best? I think that's how it goes. Back-to-back they will play teams that are a bit further in the dark if you're looking for sleepers or dark horses. What will it mean for the Bulldawgs at 0-2 on the season? Will Eldorado, with a new OC, who is known for being one of the best on offense, will feature a new QB, some sound backs and a very good OL/DL unit. Eldorado a sleeper keeper? Date: August 31st. Too Early Line: Las Cruces -5.5 Grine's Early Prediction: Las Cruces 35, Eldorado 34

3. Mayfield at Cleveland: (Week Four). Okay, I know the first three games will cause plenty of debate on the five 'best' games to watch this non-distirct season. I like this contest though as the Mayfield Trojans are making their trek back to the top of the classification. Can they fully return? That is to be scene. The Storm have been at the top and waiting to fill the spot for the next blue trophy. I will likely call this the trap game of the week when week four comes around. The Storm feature the star power in Dorian Lewis (2020/RB), quarterback Jeff Davison (2021) and Tre Watson (2021/WR). Will this be a Trojan teardown or can the Mayfield men come with a big win and welcome back to the big show? They got upset last season as the 5-seed in the playoffs but they have to like the return of quarterback Zach Ingram (2020) along with Matthew Riley (2020) at running back, Aaron Thompson (2020/RB) and Daniel Casey (2020/WR) to create your sleeper team to like. Week four could be the biggest clash of the season. This might end up as the best non-district game of the season. Date: September 13. Too Early Line: Cleveland -10.5 (You better buy this early line). Grine's Early Prediction: Cleveland 45, Mayfield 42

2. Clovis at Rio Rancho: (Week Three). For the sake of my argument, I left off 2016. Also, yes Rio Rancho has won the last 5 games. Buuut...... this game has been crazy competitive and intriguing to watch. Three of the last four meetings have given us an OT game and one possession games. I say if you can head out to Rio Rancho for this week three contest. Can the Wildcats finally take down the Ram? Clovis returns a nice core of prospects from quarterback Chance Harris to Jeston Webskowski on defense (DE). This could be one of the better Clovis teams in sometime. Rio Rancho is ranked low and in the top four conversation but this team has some unknown factors. Who takes over at QB? How good is each unit on offense returning? We do know the defense has some fireworks ready to go in Braxton Padilla (DB), Jasper Pennington (DB), and Jaylan Smith (LB). I have a feeling this could be the best of the best between this "rivalry"; yes, I called it a rivalry. Date: September 6th. Too Early Line: Rio Rancho -3.5. Grine's Early Prediction: Clovis 26, Rio Rancho 23
Brief past: 2018 Rio Rancho 20-13, 2017 Rio Rancho 34-31 (OT), 2015 Rio Rancho 37-34

1. La Cueva at Volcano Vista: (Week One). The first Thursday of the season gifts us a potential state title preview - IN WEEK ONE! What an amazing way to kick off the season. This becomes an "all eyes on me" showing for Connor O'Toole who is being courted by two hands-full of Power 5 Schools (i.e LSU, Nebraska, etc). Also, this is the "welcome back, welcome back" to Diego Pavia; Pavia sat out last season due to transfer rules after a stellar campaign at 4A St. Pius X in 2017. He joins a VERY talented Hawks squad. Date: August 22. Too Early Line: La Cueva -3.5 Grine's Early Prediction: La Cueva 28, Volcano Vista 23

Honorable Mention: Centennial at Rio Rancho (Week 1), La Cueva vs Las Cruces (Week 3), Mayfield at Cleveland (Week 4), Manzano at Volcano Vista (Week 4), Las Cruces vs Rio Rancho (Week 4), Rio Rancho at La Cueva (Week 5), Centennial at Sandia (Week 5)

Note: We didn't include games that cross classifications (ex. 6A vs 5A) because we are saving that for another topic in our Grine's Tailgate. Same goes for New Mexico vs Texas (or out-of-state).

Cliff HS has hired Brian Shock as its new Head Boys Basketball Coach!!!!!!

Front Page: CLICK HERE

NMPreps.com's 25 questions leading up to the 2019 New Mexico High School Football season.

Most likely team in 6A to win 10 games in 2019?
(8/2/19) We will state the obvious picks in 6A football. Cleveland and La Cueva. If you've been following along with our predictions feature - your votes - have the two teams 9-0 heading into the final week of football. Centennial is 8-1 but that could be 9-0 as well, had a week one loss to Rio Rancho. Another one loss team is Volcano Vista, could they shock the state in week one and beat La Cueva? If we say most likely to be perfect during the regular season I would have to go with Cleveland as well and then La Cueva - I am weary about that opener with the talent VV has returning. If we also asked over under having two teams go perfect, what would you take as the over/under?

Most Intriguing roster for the 2019 season?
(6/5/19) Yes, La Cueva won the State Championship and they return one of the highest recruited prospects the state offers in Connor O'Toole. Cleveland welcomes back Dorian Lewis, the 2018 Gatorade Player of the Year. However, the team that could be the team playing on the final day of the season is the Volcano Vista Hawks. Yes, plenty already think that and we are not hyping a team that doesn't already have some hype. Diego Pavia (St. Pius X transfer) is now eligible after sitting a season out will battle for quarterback spot. Pavia was one of the most talked about QB's after a stellar sophomore campaign at SPX. The Hawks are excited about the return of top WR Ivan Rodriguez (2020), Jacob Gellhausen (2020), and Brandon Padilla (2020) to name just a few of a really talent team.
Is Grants Primed for a Breakthrough Season?
(6/1/19) The 2019 season is has some hype returning for the Pirates which went 9-3 last season and won a playoff game for the first time this decade. Head coach Rio Thompson has built a respectable football program after years of sitting in the cellar. The Pirates return next level talent in Isaiah Johnson who rushed for 2,000-yards in 2019. Johnson, is the name to know and the name we know but the Pirates also feature a handful of players that return that could propel them into the the semifinal debate. Most schedule will stay the same and they have a real shot at winning the district but will need to battle the likes of St. Pius X (the early favorite) along with reigning champ Taos.

NMPreps.com will continue to add and update to this feature as we lead up to the 2019 football season.

2019 Preseason: Mohs Hardness Scale of Title Contenders

It's back. My popular (or unpopular) opinion. One thing is for certain is that it is NMPreps.com's own original. Last season, we introduced the feature during week 7 and like any prediction - we were close (some really wrong) but overall it was worth the fun.

TOP TIER - THE 6A FAVORITES

Diamond (Scale Number 10)
Group: Cleveland (1-6A), La Cueva (2-6A)

Hardness: Typically, we'd like to put one team in the slot. This preseason we are entering our Mohs Hardness Scale like most teams and giving a little extra love and hope, all teams are 0-0 at this point. These two are the consensus to return to the title game rematch.

Corundum (Scale Number 9)
Group: Volcano Vista (1-6A)

Hardness: The Hawks are preseason ranked in the top-four and looking to have one of their most successful years. Plenty of hype but plenty of returning talent.

Topaz (Scale Number 8)
Group: Rio Rancho (1-6A), Clovis (2-6A)

Hardness: Two teams that will get to square off this season and early on. The winner stays in the conversation and the loser falls into the second tier. Both have some under-the-radar talent compared to the three above. Keep an eye out and could be a big winner taking them now (buy/sell debate).

NEXT TIER - 6A DARK HORSES

Quartz (Scale Number 7)
Group: Las Cruces (3-6A), Centennial (3-6A)

Hardness: Who wins district 3 this season? The winner could be in position for a 4 or 5 seed and put them in a nice situation.

Orthoclase (Scale Number 6)
Group: Eldorado (2-6A), Mayfield (3-6A)

Hardness: Dark horse or unknown. A few nice key pieces and both teams that could have some buying low and maybe paying off big. Mayfield has a quarterback that is ready to join the conversation. The new OC for Eldorado could create a spark for a well run program.

TIER III - SLEEPERS

Apatite (Scale Number 5)
Group: Hobbs (3-6A), Manzano (2-6A)

Hardness: Hobbs will have a new head coach that hasn't lost a game in two years and has some bling with a pair of titles at nearby Eunice. Manzano removed the interim tag from their head coach and is now ready to have a breakout type of season. Who is the QB for either program is the question going into the season.

Flourite (Scale Number 4)
Group: Sandia (2-6A)

Hardness: New head coach, new energy for the Sandia Matadors. We can't forget that they will feature one of the top running backs and overall players in New Mexico this season. Close enough to talk about the runner up/third place section in 2-6A.

TIER IV - FIGHTING FOR A PLAYOFF SLOT

Calcite (Scale Number 3)
Group: Cibola (1-6A), Carlsbad (3-6A)

Hardness: These two continue to be in the 12-14 conversation together each season. Both are here again and hoping to be the last team called.

Gypsum (Scale Number 2)
Group: Gadsden (3-6A)

Hardness: You have to love the direction this program is headed. I say things are only getting better and soon, one day, they are going to be in the Carlsbad-Cibola conversation from the last two years.

Talc (Scale Number 1)
Group: West Mesa (1-6A), Atrisco Heritage (1-6A), Onate (3-6A)

Hardness: All are in a tough situation and the realignment truly hurt both West Mesa and Atrisco Heritage football programs. Onate has a new head coach and just getting things started.

Jim Hood 25
Jimmy Gallegos 23
Zachary Doyle 22
Caleb Varzeas 21
David Griego 18
Isaac Chavez 17
Devin Fox 17
Walter Baca 16
Bryce Santana 15
Simon Reseigh 15
Nicholas Jordan 14
Josiah Baca 14
Octavio Barraza 14
LeShawn Joeseph 13
Jaxon Powell 12
Saml Carrell 12
Wyatt Schroeder 12
Isaiah Deane 11
Chance Harris 11
Carlos Lovato 10
Alberto Cabral 9
Jorge Bolivar 9
Marco Ybarra 8
Alexander Ortiz 7
Elijah Sanchez 7
Joseph Armendariz 6
Lucas Lucero 6
Johnny Herrera 6
Dominic Grady 5
Aaron Alvarado 5
Luke Mummert 5
Cole McClain 5
Brandon Padilla 5
Samuel Lopez 4
Ceazer Chavez 4
Darren Avila 4
Antonio Ontiveros 4
Pedro Sandoval 4
Gabriel Quintana 3
Hunter Riddick 3
Noah Lopez 3
Justin Gonzales 3
Brandon Asi 3
Adrian Ortega 3
Isaiah Chavez 2
Brandon Furbee 2
Ryan McCormick 2
Simon Moya 2
Dayten Boone 1
Bryan Hernandez 1
Deontay Begay 1

NMMI will again be hosting two different showcase tournaments this fall (Roswell, NM). The dates are Nov. 1-3, and Nov. 8-10. Each team will receive four games. High School teams or travel teams welcome. Cost will be $400 per team plus 2-4 baseballs per game. Fields: NMMI, Goddard HS, and Roswell HS.

To get a registration form, please contact Chris Cook at cook@nmmi.edu

The Rio Grande Shootout is looking for one more team. It will be held Dec. 5-7, 2019
Teams committed are...

Hot Springs
Socorro
Cuba
Chaparral
NMMI
Thoreau
NACA

If interested, you can either call/text Coach Derek Bean 575-740-0089 or email @ dbean@torcschools.net