Week One: Friday Night Review
Joshua J Grine of NMPreps.com
Well, after months of us debating, predicting and giving our "expert" opinions on the night we are given a night of surprises. The rain delayed some of the outcomes along with ending a few games before a full amount of minutes were played we have our first Friday night in the books.
Now, it's time to review the night and who stood out in the state of New Mexico on the first Friday evening of football. Hang tight as we have to eat our predictions and give love to a few newcomers along with the running backs who need colleges to take a second look.
Also Check Out: Friday Night Recap
We Totally Underestimated....
Rio Rancho's Josh Foley and the Rams: In the Spring we felt Rio Rancho was number one. The preseason rankings we gave it to Mayfield. Well, the two teams squared off as No. 1 and No. 2 at the Field of Dreams in Las Cruces. Yours truly predicted the Trojans would win at home, then Josh Foley happened.... over and over again. Foley broke free down the middle of the field for a 99-yard run to secure the win for the Rams, 34-7. Foley, ended the night with 344-yards and 3-Touchdowns.
Goddard RB Devin Quiroz: He hails from the 5A power Goddard High School and it looks like they have energy back into the program. Quiroz and the Rockets traveled north to Santa Fe to take on the Capital Jaguars. Quiroz, rushed his way to 152-yards rushing for the Rockets as they had a dominating win 61-7 win in convincing fashion.
The Clovis Wildcats: The Wildcats hit the road to take on their old rival and left opening night with a convincing win, 46-10. The Wildcats opened the season ranked 8th and to most that will seem like a great spot to be in the Top-10, however a win by 36-points against the 10th ranked Hobbs Eagles has us thinking we need to re-consider the Clovis in this middle tier - maybe Middle Tier 1A. We will discuss them more with a key performance by their stud running back who made believers (maybe just more believers).
Too Early Awards...
New Coach Who Earned His Welcome Cake: Okay, we have two coaches in this category, so before you call for my plate in this line let me give first props to Belen head coach Greg Henington. The former OC for the Mayfield Trojans came in and took the shackles off a Eagles offense that seemed a bit caged in 2015. The Eagles averaged 26 points per game last season but were nothing but impressive in an opening win of 42-6 win over 2015 playoff team Bloomfield.
Free Parking. Not 1, Not 2, Not 3.... but 6: Remember when we said that we will return to the Clovis Wildcats well running back Micah Gray scored an impressive 6 touchdowns on the evening. Total yards have yet to come but with 6 touchdowns alone is reason to put the young man in line for a free parking pass next to the principal at Clovis High School.
Opening Night Newcomers...
Belen's RB Mateo Romero: It was reported that the Eagles running back rushed for an impressive 187-yards with 2 touchdowns on the night. Romero, not mentioned in the preseason run down will now have a stat line to live up to the rest of the way.
Los Lunas QB Nick Gaerlan: The sophomore quarterback played in 9-games last season totaling for 65-yards on 4 of 8 passing. Well, let us review a few stat lines from last night. Gaerlan to Trujillo for a 26-yard touchdown and Gaerlan for a 66-yard touchdown run as the Tigers beat the Aztec Tigers easily, 64-20.
How Great These Running Backs Are, Especially the Michigan Dude...
O'Maury Samuels, Los Lunas: 177-yards for 3 touchdowns.
Josh Foley, Rio Rancho: 344-yards for 3 touchdowns.
Micah Gray, Clovis: 6 rushing touchdowns.
Junior Quarterbacks That Impressed...
Taylor Null, Artesia: Had a 32-TD run, a 30-yard TD pass to Duff along with another opening TD pass.
Payton Ball, Las Cruces: Like Null, it was Ball impressing for the Bulldawgs. A 26-yard passing touchdown. A 53-yard TD pass to Molina and another to a pair of TD passes to Baeza the first went for 25 yards.
Thomas Wisneski, Belen: Had a 76-yard touchdown pass.
Streaks Over...
Ranked 50th, 22-Straight Wins: The opening game of the night had a re-match of the 2015 8-Man State Championship. Well, The Gateway Christian avenge the loss for a 30-20 win over the Melrose Buffaloes.
17-Wins: The Estancia Bears are the 3A two-time defending champions who were riding a 17-game win streak. Well, a failed 2 point conversion ended the streak with a 27-26 loss to Robertson High School.
Rapid Fire
Comeback: Las Cruces Down 45-28 wins 49-45.
New Coach: Mark Lopez gets win 1 as Las Cruces HC.
Same Name but Own Man: Rex Henderson now 1-0 as Artesia wins.
WR Love: Brandon Baeza had a pair of TD's for Las Cruces.
WR Love Part 2: Jr Pena has a pair of TD's along with a 41-yard TD.
Don't Forget About Me: Kyle Hooper of Alamogordo continues to show off his arm with a 31-yard TD pass and another on the ground for a 12 yard TD run.
TE With Wheels: New Mexico State commit Trevor Brohard with an 85-yard TD catch.
RB Radar: Hunter Johnson of Goddard with a 58-yard TD run.
The Kicker: Tanner Harris (?) a 25-yard FG for the Artesia Bulldogs.
Small School Love: Simon Gonzales had a pair of nice runs in a Hondo Valley win. 29-yard TD and a 30-yard TD run.
Road Teams in the Top-10: Rio Rancho, Clovis, Centennial and Las Cruces open with wins.
All-Defense Team...
Genarro Flores, Carlsbad: Had an INT that would turn into a TD.
Ed Woodbury, Grants: INT returned for a TD for the lone Pirate score.
Jorge Avita, Artesia: An INT for Artesia on the opening night win.
Elijah Gamboa, Piedra Vista: Accounted for an INT for PV in their win.
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Friday Night Recap (Front Page)
We recap week 1 of the New Mexico High School Football Season. Big time games, big time players, this opening Friday Night had it all.
Rio Rancho Routes Mayfield 34-7
Las Cruces, New Mexico - No. 1 Mayfield hosted No. 2 Rio Rancho Friday Night at the Field of Dreams, the biggest game in New Mexico and it was all Rio Rancho. Ram's Senior Running Back Josh Foley ran for 344-yards and 3 touchdowns helping the Rams route the Trojans 34-7. The game ended in a lightning delay in the 3rd quarter, Foley did most of his damage in the 1st half rushing for a 46-yard touchdown and the play of the week, a 99-yard touchdown. Rio Rancho 1-0 takes on El Paso Americas, Mayfield 0-1 takes on El Paso Del Valle. Note: Mayfield Running Back Isaac Vance who is committed to Kent State was injured on the first play of the game and did not return.
Las Cruces comes from behind to beat Eldorado in thriller
Albuquerque, New Mexico - Las Cruces trailed the Eldorado Eagles 45-28 entering the 4th quarter. However the Bulldawgs led by first year Head Coach Mark Lopez opened the final quarter with three straight scores. Junior Quarterback Payton Ball hot Sophomore Receiver Ivan Molina for a 55-yard strike to make it 45-34, then Gabe Quezada returned a Matt Denis pass for a touchdown to make it 45-42, then after a fumble, Las Cruces' Brandon Baeza scored on a 1-yard rushing touchdown to make it 49-45 with 11 minutes in the 4th Quarter. Las Cruces 1-0 will take on Cleveland, Eldorado 0-1 will take on Volcano Vista.
Clovis Running Back Micah Gray scores 6 touchdowns against Hobbs
Hobbs, New Mexico - Clovis Senior Running Back Micah Gray scored 6 touchdowns against the Hobbs Eagles as the Wildcats rolled past the Eagles in the season opener by a score of 46-10. Clovis now 1-0 will take on Carlsbad next week, Hobbs now 0-1 will take on Artesia.
Rex Henderson wins first game as Head Coach of Artesia
Artesia, New Mexico - The Artesia Bulldogs are still kings of Eddy County. Friday Night at the Bulldog Bowl Junior Quarterback Taylor Null threw three touchdowns, two to senior Ethan Duff as the Bulldogs defeated Carlsbad 30-14. Artesia now 1-0 will take on Hobbs, Carlsbad now 0-1 will take on Clovis. Artesia has now won their last 25 out of 27 games dating back to 2014, Carlsbad is now 3-18 under Head Coach Gary Bradley.
Michigan Commit O'maury Samuels runs for 177-yards and 3 scores in one quarter
Aztec, New Mexico - The Los Lunas Tigers defeated Aztec Friday Night 64-20, but all the Tigers needed was O'maury Samuels 177-yard and 3 touchdown performance which all came in the first quarter. Samuels scored off two runs for 36-yards and another for 67-yards.
Alamogordo opens with 35-0 win over Valencia
Los Lunas, New Mexico - The Alamogordo Tigers now in Class 5A came out and did what most expected them to do against Valencia. Senior Quarterback Kyler Hooper threw for 141-yards and also had 85-yards rushing scoring 3 touchdowns, Alex Ramirez hauled in close to 100-yards, and Jalen Bateman ran for over 150-yards and two touchdowns. The Tigers take on Los Lunas next weekend in a prime time 5A match up.
Friday - August - 26th
Alamogordo 35, Valencia 0 - Final
Artesia 30, Carlsbad 14- Final
Belen 42, Bloomfield 6 - Final
Capitan 41, Hagerman 0
Centennial 42, Albuquerque 0 - Final
Clint (TX) 41, Santa Teresa 0 - Final
Clovis 46, Hobbs 10 - Final
Denver City (TX) 38, Lovington 21 - Final
Dexter 7, Santa Rosa 0 - Final
El Paso HS (TX) 28, Cobre 3 - Final
Escalante 34, Tucumcari 6 - Final
Ft Sumner 34 NMMI 20 Final
Gadsden 24, Deming 14 - Final
Gateway Christian 30, Melrose 20 - Final
Goddard 61, Capital 7 - Final
Hatch Valley 35, Taos 6 - Final/Half
Hondo Valley 39, Roy 0 - Final
Hot Springs 12, Tularosa 0 - Final
Kirtland Central 61, Navajo Prep 13 - Final
Las Cruces 49, Eldorado 45 - Final
Los Alamos 63, Pojoaque Valley 24 - Final
Los Lunas 64, Aztec 20 - Final
Magdalena 54, Mountainair 38 - Final
Mesilla Valley 33, Dora 14
Mountain View TX 7, Chaparral 0 - Final
Miyamura 30, Grants 6 - Final
Moriarty 47, Bernalillo 0 - Final
Piedra Vista 20, Farmington 0
Rio Rancho 34, Mayfield 7 - Final
Robertson 27, Estancia 26 - Final
Roswell 54, Ruidoso 6 - Final
Sandia 50, Rio Grande 0 - Final
Socorro 42, Shiprock 0 - Final
St. Mikes 23, Santa Fe 12 - Final
Show Low (AZ) 55, Espanola Valley 14 - Final
Thoreau 20, Tohatchi 12 - Final
West Las Vegas 14, Clayton 8 - Final
West Mesa 35, Del Norte 14 - Final
Text us missing scores to 505.414.4313
Top 25 Recap
No. 2 Rio Rancho 34, No. 1 Mayfield 7: The Rio Rancho Rams improve to 1-0 on the season with a win on the road. Rams running back Josh Foley ran for an impressive 344-yards and 3 touchdowns.
No. 6 Las Cruces 49, No. 4 Eldorado 45: In the game that will place itself in the conversation of game of the year came back from 45-28 down to take the 4-point win. The Bulldawgs improve to (1-0) on the season and likely move up in the rankings Monday morning. Eldorado drops to (0-1) but will not be the only Top-5 team to lose this week.
No. 7 Artesia 30, No. 16 Carlsbad 14: The Artesia Bulldogs enter the Rex Henderson with a win in the 100th Eddy County rivalry. The Bulldogs led by junior quarterback Taylor Null start their three peat effort with a win.
No. 8 Clovis 46, No. 10 Hobbs 10: Micah Gray was the story of the night as he rushed to 6 touchdowns as the Wildcats start the season (1-0). On the road the at rival Hobbs High School (0-1) this one started and ended with it being all about the Wildcats.
No. 9 Centennial 42, Albuquerque 0: The Centennial Hawks (1-0) start their 6A season with a 42-0 win over the Albuquerque High Bulldogs (0-1). Wide Receiver Jr. Pena had a pair of touchdowns for the Hawks in the win.
No. 14 Alamogordo 35, Valencia 0: The Alamogordo Tigers traveled to the Valencia County as they enter their first season in 5A (the new 5A). Next level recruit Kyle Hooper, the QB for the Tigers, passed and ran for a few touchdowns on the evening to led the Tigers to a 1-0 start to the season.
No. 15 Sandia 50, Rio Grande 0: The Sandia Matadors who are a bit underrated this preseason quietly ran to a 50-0 shutout in their opener that ended after three quarters.
No. 18 Piedra Vista 20, No. 22 Farmington 0: The rival game in Northwest New Mexico was another under the radar finish with the Piedra Vista Panthers improving to 1-0 on the season. Receiver Crompton had a 30-yard TD catch in the game to send the Scorpions to a shutout (0-1) start to their season.
No. 19 Los Lunas 64, Aztec 20: The Los Lunas Tigers (1-0) hit the road and came out with a convincing win over 5A Aztec (0-1). Senior running back O'Maury Samuels ran for 177-yards and that was in limited second half action. Sophomore quarterback Nick Gaerlan also had an impressive night, along with Trevor Brohard passing catching one for 85-yard TD.
No. 20 Goddard 61, Capital 7: The Goddard Rockets open a new era with a new head coach on their way to an impressive (1-0) start with the 50 point win. The Rockets led by running back Devin Quirez who had 152-yards on the night.
No. 23 Belen 42, Bloomfield 6: The Belen Eagles looked impressive putting up 42 points in their opening win starting the Greg Henington era (1-0). Belen running back Mateo Romero had 187-yards in the win for the Belen Eagles.
No. 25 Roswell 54, Ruidoso 6: The Coyotes of Roswell (1-0) had the state interested in them and they proved it on Friday night with the 48-point win over Ruidoso (0-1). The Coyotes will look to improve on a 7-5 season in 2015. Gabe Najar, RB, Roswell - 105 yards on 13 carries with 2 touchdowns.
Gadsden 24, No. 24 Deming 14: The upset pick we had as one of the only non-Top 50 teams to get a win, the Panthers moved to a 24-14 win starting the season 1-0. Deming starts their 5A season (0-1).
