NMPreps.com's 2015 Preseason All State Team
- By kyle h
- New Mexico High School Football
- 39 Replies
Today we release our 2015 NMPreps.com Preseason All-State Selections. We have picked two teams a 1st Team Offense and Defense and a 2nd Team Offense and Defense. This is the best of the best going into the season based off players we saw in person this summer, combine performances, and speaking with head coaches. We included all classes.
NMPreps.com's 1st Team Offense
By: Kyle Henderson of NMPreps.com
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NMPreps.com's 2nd Team Offense
By: Kyle Henderson of NMPreps.com
Pictured is Artesia Quarterback Justin Houghtaling who threw for over 3,400-yards during his junior year leading Artesia to a 5A state championship.
QB - Justin Houghtaling - Artesia - Class of 2016
RB - AJ Strakovich - Miyamura - Class of 2016
RB - Micah Gray - Clovis - Running Back - Class of 2017
TE - Josh Barton - Volcano Vista - Tight End - Class of 2016
WR - Adam Cook - Cleveland - Receiver - Class of 2017
WR - Jordan Byrd - Manzano - Receiver - Class of 2018
WR - Miles Hilton - St. Pius X - Receiver - Class of 2016
OL - Antonio Padilla - Manzano - Offensive Linemen - Class of 2016
OL - Isaiah Lowery - Sandia - Offensive Linemen - Class of 2016
OL - Marcus Bramwell - Artesia - Offensive Linemen - Class of 2017
OL - Triston Olson - Las Cruces - Offensive Linemen - Class of 2017
OL - David Montano - Valley - Offensive Linemen - Class of 2016
K - Gabe Ortega - Cleveland - Quarterback - Class of 2016
KR - Orlando Perez - Manzano - Athlete - Class of 2016
NMPreps.com's 2nd Team Defense
By: Kyle Henderson of NMPreps.com
Pictured is Grants Defensive Linemen Bradley Hatten who shined at the NMPreps Elite Combine checking in at 6-foot-6 and 337 pounds.
DL - Jerry Gurrola - Centennial - Defensive Linemen - Class of 2016
DL - Bradley Hatten - Grants - Defensive Linemen - Class of 2016
DL - Vincent Delgadillo - Las Cruces - Defensive Linemen - Class of 2016
DL - James Martin - Onate - Defensive Linemen - Class of 2017
LB - Michael Barboa - Valley - Linebacker - Class of 2016
LB - Brian Parks - Volcano Vista - Linebacker - Class of 2016
LB - Roope Henry - Cleveland - Linebacker - Class of 2016
LB - Ethan Featherstone - Goddard - Linebacker - Class of 2016
DB - Christian Sanchez - Volcano Vista - Defensive Back - Class of 2016
DB - Isaiah Martinez - Eldorado - Defensive Back - Class of 2016
DB - Ryan Moore - Manzano - Defensive Back - Class of 2017
DB - Kevin Brown - Capital - Defensive Back - Class of 2016
P - Please Submit nomination to nmpreps@yahoo.com
PR - Isaac Vance - Mayfield - Running Back - Class of 2017
NMPreps.com's 1st Team Offense
By: Kyle Henderson of NMPreps.com
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NMPreps.com's 2nd Team Offense
By: Kyle Henderson of NMPreps.com
Pictured is Artesia Quarterback Justin Houghtaling who threw for over 3,400-yards during his junior year leading Artesia to a 5A state championship.
QB - Justin Houghtaling - Artesia - Class of 2016
RB - AJ Strakovich - Miyamura - Class of 2016
RB - Micah Gray - Clovis - Running Back - Class of 2017
TE - Josh Barton - Volcano Vista - Tight End - Class of 2016
WR - Adam Cook - Cleveland - Receiver - Class of 2017
WR - Jordan Byrd - Manzano - Receiver - Class of 2018
WR - Miles Hilton - St. Pius X - Receiver - Class of 2016
OL - Antonio Padilla - Manzano - Offensive Linemen - Class of 2016
OL - Isaiah Lowery - Sandia - Offensive Linemen - Class of 2016
OL - Marcus Bramwell - Artesia - Offensive Linemen - Class of 2017
OL - Triston Olson - Las Cruces - Offensive Linemen - Class of 2017
OL - David Montano - Valley - Offensive Linemen - Class of 2016
K - Gabe Ortega - Cleveland - Quarterback - Class of 2016
KR - Orlando Perez - Manzano - Athlete - Class of 2016
NMPreps.com's 2nd Team Defense
By: Kyle Henderson of NMPreps.com
Pictured is Grants Defensive Linemen Bradley Hatten who shined at the NMPreps Elite Combine checking in at 6-foot-6 and 337 pounds.
DL - Jerry Gurrola - Centennial - Defensive Linemen - Class of 2016
DL - Bradley Hatten - Grants - Defensive Linemen - Class of 2016
DL - Vincent Delgadillo - Las Cruces - Defensive Linemen - Class of 2016
DL - James Martin - Onate - Defensive Linemen - Class of 2017
LB - Michael Barboa - Valley - Linebacker - Class of 2016
LB - Brian Parks - Volcano Vista - Linebacker - Class of 2016
LB - Roope Henry - Cleveland - Linebacker - Class of 2016
LB - Ethan Featherstone - Goddard - Linebacker - Class of 2016
DB - Christian Sanchez - Volcano Vista - Defensive Back - Class of 2016
DB - Isaiah Martinez - Eldorado - Defensive Back - Class of 2016
DB - Ryan Moore - Manzano - Defensive Back - Class of 2017
DB - Kevin Brown - Capital - Defensive Back - Class of 2016
P - Please Submit nomination to nmpreps@yahoo.com
PR - Isaac Vance - Mayfield - Running Back - Class of 2017
Team Rankings NMPreps.com's 2015 Top 100 High School Football Rankings
- By kyle h
- New Mexico High School Football
- 32 Replies
Coming soon! I'll update rankings July 1st, August 1st, and then weekly during the start of the High School Football Season.
NMPreps.com's Top 100 High School Football Teams
Starting today, NMPreps.com will release our Top 100 High School Football Rankings.
Please do not copy/screen shot premium information and post on facebook/twitter/social media sites.
1. Cleveland
Login to view embedded media It’s obvious that this year’s Cleveland Storm team has giant potential. Of course saying it and doing it are two different things. Speaking with Head Coach Heath Ridenour on Tuesday, June 16th he knows just like everyone else that they have the horses to run the show, but they still haven’t won any games on their schedule. In-fact, Cleveland enters the 2015 season riding a two-game losing streak following an ugly 1st round playoff loss to district rival Cibola. I will say this:I strongly doubt there is a team in New Mexico that has better skill position players and linemen that this group. Their linemen remind me of Las Cruces’ 2012 team when the Dawgs had Rudy Guerra, Lane Cummings, Taylor Tisby, Jacob Banegas, and Oscar Guzman. This Cleveland Team has 3, maybe 4 D-1 prospects. Henry Hattis one of the best linemen in the west and Quarterback Gabe Ortega who was just offered by UNM. The other two are Marcus Williams a 6-foot-4 receiver and 6-foot-4 junior receiver Adam Cook. Continue reading this preseason preview of the Cleveland Storm Here
2. Mayfield
Our staff has seen Mayfield a few times this summer and it’s hard to believe, but these guys look as good or even better than the 2014 team talent wise. Saying this team who hasn’t even played a game is better than last year’s team that went 11-2 reaching the 6A title game is a big stretch, considering they lost UTEP Commit Kavika Johnson at quarterback, however… While this team thrived off the abilities of Johnson at quarterback, the Trojans return a ton of talent and a lot of multi-year starters into 2015. The new quarterback will be Joeray Valencia and despite being just 5-foot-11 and 146 pounds, he’s a gamer and one that has been in the system playing behind Johnson the last three years. He’s experienced and while the Trojans don’t throw a ton, he can make the throw down field when needed. The Trojans are going to have a ton of weapons on offense starting with junior to be Isaac Vance who was the recent NMPreps Running Back MVP and who was just offered by New Mexico State. Vance is a 4.4 back that ran for close to 1,000-yards in 2014 and scored 18 touchdowns as just a sophomore. Tight End Noah Pierce is their next big time tight end, Mayfield always has one of these guys, this year he’s going to be a match up nightmare as he can both block and make grabs over the middle standing 6-foot-2 and 228 pounds. Watch for receiver Gavin Swinson to make a splash this year, standing 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds he’s one of the better receivers we’ve seen this summer. Up front, the Trojans are led by Colton Evans the recent NMPreps Elite Combine MVP, he’s outstanding in pass coverage. Also watch for 6-foot-6, 240 pound Jalen Guerrero to be a key linemen for the Trojans this year. On defense the Trojans are anchored at backer by Louis Lombardi the NMPreps Linebacker MVP and in the secondary you have top prospects like Riley Folkman and Ethan Alvarado who each are gamers. The Trojans kick off the season against Hobbs in Watson Memorial then take on El Paso Franklin, followed by Carlsbad, then Alamogordo, then Eldorado, then Manzano. The Trojans have lost the last two big school state championship games by a total of 3 points, you know that’s weighing in on their minds.
3. Rio Rancho
Login to view embedded media Today, we kicked off the 2015 NMPreps.com High School Football Tour Powered by Tate Branch Auto Group at Rio Rancho High School. It was only right to start where the 2014 season ended. Last year the Rams finished 13-0 defeating Mayfield 33-31 in an epic state championship game. There is no way to spin it heading into 2015, Rio Rancho graduated a ton of talent. They must replace a quarterback who threw for 4,500-yards, a running back who had over 1,800 all-purpose yards, a receiver that caught for 1,300-yards, two linebackers that accounted for nearly 200 tackles, a defensive linemen that racked up 11.0 sacks, and defensive back that record 8 interceptions. All those guys are gone. “We had a great spring and we are really looking forward to seeing how these younger guys step in. We got some seniors that want to prove themselves and we’re excited for the challenge.” said Head Rio Rancho Football Coach David Howes. Continue reading this preseason preview of the Rio Rancho Rams Here
4. Las Cruces
6-6 last year for Las Cruces? Down year? Not really, considering the Dawgs still beat teams like EP Montwood, La Cueva, Volcano Vista, and reeled off a win against Atrisco Heritage on the road. Their losses came against Rio Rancho twice (Class 6A state champ), Centennial (5A semifinalist), Artesia (5A state champ), Onate (6A playoff team), Mayfield (6A runner Up). It’s not like they got blown out of any of those games either. A ton of kids got playing time last year with big names going down, this year Las Cruces looks as potent as they’ve been in years past (state champs in 2012 and 2013) returning a ton of top level talent including Preseason NMPreps.com Mr. Football Candidate Kameron Miller at quarterback who recently was named the NMPreps Elite Combine MVP and just landed an offer from the new Mexico Lobos. While Miller (threw for 1,900-yards, 20 touchdowns in 2014) headlines the team, the Bulldawgs return a ton of talent as mentioned to go along: Sam Ellis at 6-foot-4, 180 stepped up big for Las Cruces a junior when Miller went down, a great athlete, look for Ellis to be a top target on the outside, Richy Terrazas is a shifty type receiver, Andrew Chavez is a guy who should have a breakout year and Brandon Baeza who will just be a sophomore is their next big thing on offense. Payton Ball is a name that could emerge in the running back fold and upfront junior to be Tristan Olson is going to be one of the best in the state at 6-foot-1 and 266 pounds (center). On defense Defensive Linemen Vincent Delgadillo is a stud, linebacker is a question mark at this time (will see Las Cruces during two-a-days) and their secondary will be loaded, wouldn’t be surprised to see Miller playing two-ways this year. They have a great schedule set up with El Paso Montwood week 1 followed by La Cueva and Volcano Vista. Expect the Dawgs to be climbing the state tournament tree yet again in 2015.
5. Centennial
The Hawks have clearly arrived at the upper level of New Mexico High School Football Programs after just three short seasons of existence. Head Football Aaron Ocampo has proven yet again that he can win and get into the playoffs. The Hawks made their first big splash in 2014 beating both Onate and Las Cruces (did not play Mayfield). They went 11-2 on the season, their two seasons losses came against Belen in the regular season and again in the semifinals. While the Hawks lose their dynamic duo in Quarterback Christian Cedano and Jaylon Boston at Running Back, the Hawks still have an abundance of varsity lettermen returning, some who have started 3-seasons already. 6-foot-1, 300 pound George Nino is regarded as one of the top linemen in New Mexico, 270 pound Cameron Burkley is in that same category, taking over at Quarterback will be Dante Lopez who shined late in the season, Keith Jasso will likely emerge as running back, and Bryce Rewalt and JR Pena are their outside weapons. On defense Luis Gurrola once again shined at the Elite Combine, he'll be another 4-year starter, Marcus Minnick is a new name that will turn heads as a defensive linemen, their backers are anchored by Jake Boykin, and their secondary will be super athletic. The Hawks open with cross the street rival Onate, get your popcorn ready for that one.
6. Artesia
The defending Class 5A State Champ will look once again to reload into the 2015 season. Winning 12 games in 2014 and beating Belen 49-21 in the finals, could they be even better this year? They do graduate All-State Players: Travis Wilkinson (RB) and Joey Lopez (LB), but plenty return. The Bulldogs are headlined in the summer time by 6-foot-5, 180 pound quarterback Justin Houghtaling who threw for 3,436-yards and 38 touchdowns as a junior (60% completion percentage). Besides the next level pro-style quarterback, the Bulldogs return Chaz Matthews, Carlos Carrasco, Caleb Brewer, Grady Frost, stud linemen Jacob Rivera, and a host of underclassmen that are pretty slaty. Codey Scott is one were eager to see as a defensive linemen, Jharyss Granger is a 265 pound junior, and 6-foot-4, 237 pound Marcus Bramwell who just blew up at the Combine. Their first two games are against Belen and Hobbs, two games which everyone will have their eye on.
7. Sandia
Login to view embedded media The Sandia Matadors have remained one of Albuquerque’s top high school football programs over the years under Head Football Coach Kevin Barker who is entering his 23rd year as a Head Football Coach (Sandia/Manzano). In the past 10-seasons, the Matadors have reached the playoffs 8 out of 10 times, reaching the finals in 2012. “Our seniors are pretty darn good and have led all the way through our spring and summer workouts. We’re led by Seniors Jimmy Gallegos, Dominic Baca, Jeremiah Loya, and Isaiah Lowery. We return 11 starters overall and we’re excited about the 2015 season,” said Head Sandia Football Coach Kevin Barker. Continue Reading Our Exclusive Preview On Sandia Here
8. Eldorado
An always formidable opponent from Albuquerque is Eldorado who has reached the playoffs 7 out of the last 9 seasons. 2014 was a special team, finishing the regular season 9-1 led by Michigan Blue Chip Recruit Quarterback Zach Gentry. While the Eagles graduate their quarterback, 4 out of their 5 linemen, and a handful of defensive players the Eagles once again should remain a top tier high school football team, just with some lesser known names returning for 2015. “I think when you have a program with tradition, kids want to win. These seniors want to win, just like last year’s seniors, and hopefully they continue their bond this year,” said Head Eldorado Football Coach Charlie Dotson entering his 8th year at the helm. Continue Reading Our Exclusive Preview On Eldorado Here
9. Goddard
The departure of legendary Head Coach Sam Jernigan before the 2014 season was one of the biggest coaching changes we've had in the last 10-years in New Mexico. Goddard's administration kept it in-house naturally and hired Jernigan's long time assistant Mike Whalen and what we saw in 2014 was simply Goddard Rocket Football. The Rockets beat Clovis by 20, beat Piedra Vista by nearly 50, and then 50 pointed Los Lunas (those were all playoff teams last year). Their three season losses came against Belen in over-time and their other two losses came against Artesia losing 20-13 and 42-41. For the last 9-seasons we've Goddard graduate some phenomenal players like David Vega, David Anaya, Chayse Kyler, Omar Castillo, etc. and again they graduate top tier talent losing Cameron Neff and Dean McDaniel. Just like year's past guys will step up: Lukas Gutierrez is a name that you'll know soon enough as is Devon Quiroz, Ethan Featherstone, and 300 pound defensive tackle Omar Sosa. Who knows exactly how many games these guys are going to win: But we know that they are going to hit you in the mouth and play some excellent football every Friday Night. Get the Siren Ready Rocket Nation.
10. Volcano Vista
Login to view embedded media Last year Volcano Vista missed the 2014 New Mexico High School Football Playoffs going 3-7 on the year after an impressive opening season 18-14 victory over Sandia. Volcano Vista then lost their first 4 out of 5 games, and finally finished 1-3 in district with their only victory coming against Santa Fe. Last year was last year and this year is this year, so with that said, Volcano Vista has been waiting for this group to be seniors for a while now. These current seniors are the young guns that have been brought up in the program, a few players have seen more than two years on varsity. Head Coach Chad Wallin enters his 9th season as Head Coach making the playoffs three times since the 2008 season. Volcano Vista is big up-front, has some very good skill position players, and it would be an absolute shocker if this team misses the playoffs in 2015. “It's been a good summer to start, the attitude is a lot better and the kids are just working hard. It’s a very senior dominate group and that is where the leadership starts for us," said Head Volcano Vista Coach Chad Wallin. Complete Team Preview of Volcano Vista Here
11. Clovis
The Clovis Wildcats went 6-6 during the 2014 season beating Sandia and losing to Mayfield 35-21 in the quarterfinals. District 4-6A Champs again and the Little Rebel is back tucked safe away in the gymnasium. You have to like Clovis going into the season each year because of their coaching staff, southern style of play, and community support, not to mention that they have some multi-year returners that are going to be top players in New Mexico. Returning at quarterback is Daulton Hatley who threw for 1,255-yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior, Hately really impressed us during his showing at the Eastern New Mexico Camp held in Cleveland. Also returning is Micah Gray who ran for 1,148-yards and 18 touchdowns as just a sophomore. Then you have 6-foot-4, 210 pound Roland Chavez at tight end who has an offer from New Mexico State as well as Tucker Dobbs at receiver who has an offer from Eastern New Mexico. Their skill guys are as good as anyone, but they graduate a ton of linemen, which is concerning heading in. The home opener at Leon Williams against Goddard is just a few weeks away.
12. Onate
During the recent NMPreps Elite Combine, several Onate Knights performed at high levels and now that the program is fully under Head Coach Brent Jaquess (2nd year head coach), Onate should pose as a even tougher opponent in 2015 then in 2014 when they won 8-games including beating Manzano in the playoffs. Returning for the Knights are some talented underclassmen, actually Onate is likely one year away from being a top Las Cruces team (at least talent wise). 210 pound Linebacker Forest Mckee will make his varsity debut at Onate this year, he was the recent top junior at the NMPreps Combine posting 22 reps of 185 pounds and also running a 4.60 40-time. Also keep an eye on another incoming junior by the name of Matthew Young at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds. Young displayed a lot of natural football instincts and ran an impressive 4.91 40-time. Other underclassmen to watch this include: Bryce Watters as an athlete (Cousin to Ricky Watters who played with the 49ers), Joseph Fielder at running back who had 16 reps of 185 pounds and also ran a 4.59 40-time, James Martin who had 19 quarterback sacks last year as sophomore, and Damien Tuton another 208 pound backer. This team could be very dangerous if they stay healthy and get some early season momentum.
13 Alamogordo
If we had to rank the top 7-on-7 teams this summer, Alamogordo would likely be ranked No. 1. Their play this summer has been talked about numerous times right here on NMPreps.com. A big reason for that is their skill position players (who all return for the most part) have increased their strength in the weight room and who are being coached up by Dale Hooper now in year three as Head Coach. Remember, just back in 2013 the Tigers went 1-9, last year the Tigers went 5-5 and beat teams like Los Lunas, Valencia, played Mayfield close for a few quarters, beat Deming, and lost to Artesia in a shootout 48-41. Though they did not win a district game, they played Hobbs and Carlsbad tight in the final games of the season. Returning is Quarterback Kyle Hooper who threw for over 2,500-yards as a sophomore, 6-foot-3, 190 pound receiver Julian Segura who has looked like Megatron this summer (pictured and also has an offer from Eastern New Mexico), Hunter Graham has shined all over the field, and Marcello Barrientoz is yet another name to keep tabs on. We're not sure who is returning up front, but plan to stop by Alamogordo later on this summer to get an up-close look at Alamogordo, a team that everyone seems to think is a 6A sleeper heading into 2015.
14 Manzano
The Manzano Monarchs have reached the big school classification playoffs in the last 6 of 7 seasons. Head Coach Chad Adcox has been with Manzano since 2003 and took over as Head Coach for Aaron Ocampo in 2012. Entering his 4th year as Head Coach at Manzano, Adcox has kept Manzano is the big school mix, but with declining numbers at Manzano getting past yearly bigs like Cleveland, Mayfield, and their district has been a continued struggle. In fact, since 2012 Manzano is 2-8 against district opponents. They graduate a good mix of linemen and skill guys, but their younger group coming up is very talented. “We got some new names like: Orlando Perez, Jordan Byrd, and Antonio Padilla, and skill wise overall I liked the way we competed at the UNM 7-On. It’s all about learning right now in the summer time, for right now I think we are where we need to be,” said Manzano Head Football Coach Chad Adcox. Full Manzano Monarch Preview Here
15. Hobbs
Pictured is Hobbs Defensive Linemen Adrian Mackey (White Shirt)
The Hobbs Eagles missed the playoffs during the 2014 season going 4-6 under Charles Leghorn, but have already again made big waves in summer time 7-on-7 passing leagues. Just a week ago they won the annual Eastern New Mexico 7-On and return a good mix of skill position players along with good offensive and defensive linemen. Returning at quarterback for a second straight year is Isaac Amaya who is a dual threat quarterback that can make the big throw, he’s look good during the summer time. Watch for their home run hitter in the backfield Jeremy Padilla at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, other skill position players include: Devin Beard at receiver, Aaron Compton at receiver, and Cason Clay. Compton and Clay showed out during the recent NMPreps Elite Combine. Up front they return Chris Kuykendall and on defense watch for stud defensive linemen Adrian Mackey who also impressed during the NMPreps Elite Combine. Guy Rossy Tippy returns as does Brevin Thompson. Hard not to like going into each season, now it’s about execution and winning games. They open with Mayfield to kick off the season.
16. La Cueva
Pictured is La Cueva Defensive Back Lucas Silver
The Bears are a tough team to gage going into the season for many reason: One is they graduate a ton of seniors, but again it’s La Cueva they always seem to re-load and be a force to deal with from the Metro Area. The Bears won an impressive 8-games last year before losing to Mayfield in the quarterfinals. Returning this year is: Lucas Silver who should be a two-way star and one who impressed at the NMPreps Elite Combine recently, you also have Noah Hill and despite entering the season coming off a knee injury, he is regarded as one of their top players. Not sure if Athlete Jonathan Stroman is going to play this year, but he could be a next level guy in both football and in baseball, young guns include: Josh Woisin at backer as well as Derek Loidolt. They seem to be a team that is young heading in, it will be interesting to see how things unfold for the Bears.
17. Cibola
The Bears are now in year three of Head Coach Rod Williams system and it’s likely many forget that it was this program that took down the Mighty Cleveland Storm in the playoffs last year. While many of those seniors from Cibola have graduated, Cibola has a lot to continue to build on as a program. This team has made the playoffs in each of the last two-years and return some guys that can make big plays. The headliner is Jacob Smith who is one of the state’s top special teams players and receivers. Jeremiah Bell is a 5-11, 195 pound linebacker that will turn heads and make big plays as well Benny James another 200 pound backer. Brandon Cordova returns up front on the offensive line. They’ll be a district dark horse heading in, but they likely don’t mind one bit.
18. Valley
Entering his 4th year as Valley Head Football Coach Enrico Marcelli has a win/loss record of 23-10. After a slow start in 2014 going 0-4, the Vikings won 4 out of their last 5-games on the season and were one-game away from reaching the playoffs. For a school that has just over 1,100 students, the participation numbers for football are extremely high, in-fact Coach Marcelli told us that Valley has over 130 kids out in the entire program in grades 9-12. This season Valley returns 14 starters into the 2015 season, the headline in the spring/early summer has been the recruiting coverage regarding 6-foot-6, 250 pound returning defensive linemen Teton Saltes who has offers from CAL, Iowa State, New Mexico , Oregon, San Diego State, Texas Tech, Washington, and Washington State. While Saltes is a Blue Chip Senior, Valley only has a total of 12 seniors on the roster, one of their smallest groups in years. “Our senior class this year is really small this year, luckily they are all pretty good. We got guys like Teton Saltes, Noah Santistevan, Michael Barboa, and Elijah Naranjo who are all going to make plays. Last year was up and down a little bit, but I think we’ve learned from that, we lacked a little bit of senior leadership, over the summer we have worked on that,” Said Enrico Marcelli. Full Team Preview of the Valley Vikings Here
19. Atrisco Heritage
They Atrisco Heritage Jaguars finally graduate that loaded senior class. Last year the Jaguars won the district title and went 7-4 under Patrick Johnson losing to Las Cruces 36-15 in the 6A 1st round of the playoffs. While they graduate there year starters like: Ricci Alvidrez (RB) and James Romero (DL) they still have talent at one of the state’s largest schools enrollment wise. Quarterback Aaron Bean threw for 499-yards and ran for 1,294-yards and 15 touchdowns, he’s one of the top option quarterbacks in New Mexico and one who can just fly. They also return running back Darius Moore who ran for over 400-yards. Their offensive line has been pretty big over the last few years, but they graduate a ton including: Daniel Perez, Tupac Crum, and Cody Maldonado. Atrisco is trying to make it 4-straight years to the playoffs, something that is quite impressive no matter how you spin it.
20. Belen
We knew the Eagles would make a title run into the 2014 season and they did just that winning 11 games losing only twice to Artesia in week 1 and in week 14 in the finals 49-21. They do graduate a ton of talent: Manuel Romero at FB, 3-year quarterback Chris Peralta, Jon Barba, Elias Balteirrez, and a ton of high caliber linemen on both sides of the football all depart. We’ve seen Belen slip and miss the playoffs just once since Lerma took over in 2008 and while this incoming group looks young, expect this new crop of Eagles to hold the rope. Gunner Robinson at linebacker is one prospect on our summer radar.
21. St. Pius X
The Sartans are coming off an 8-4 season which was impressive as they were super young. That could only mean good things for the next few years right? Returning for the Sartans is Quarterback Drew Ortiz who threw for over 2,000-yards and 28 touchdowns as just a sophomore in 2014. They Sartans also return Miles Hilton who caught for 743-yards and 11 touchdowns. Also returning is Alex Sais a 200 pound linebacker and Jacob Carpenter who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 317 pounds.
22. Albuquerque
Login to view embedded media The Albuquerque Bulldogs ended a 43-game losing streak during the 2014 season under then first year Head Coach Curtis Flakes. The Bulldogs went on to win 4 games in 2014 and finished district with a record of 3-2, really the Bulldogs were one game away being playoff eligible. That fact in itself is pretty much unbelievable considering Albuquerque had not won since August 28th of 2010. Under Flakes a former Defensive Back at the University of New Mexico and former assistant at Manzano, the practice was crisp, disciplined, and organized. “The first thing we did during the semester after the football season was hit the books. We didn’t lift weights, run plays during our football period, we (the coaches) sat with the kids and used football period as study hour to bring up G.P.A’s. We wanted to make sure their grades were in line before we took the next step in our program,” Said Flakes on Tuesday Morning. The Bulldogs return 18 starters from last season, a lot of these current varsity players have seen time since their sophomore season being pulled up do to lack of numbers. Fast forward to July of 2015, the Bulldogs had well over 60 players out at summer work outs. “There has been a significant amount of change in these young men, now they are very much accountable and up for the challenge to take care of their responsibilities. We are still building a foundation, it’s an every day commitment, it’s a process, it’s going to take some time, but as from a coaching perspective and from the players we are all excited about it,” Commented Flakes. Complete Team Preview on the Albuquerque Bulldogs Linked Here
23. Carlsbad
Yes Carlsbad is ranked in the preseason top 25 despite winning just two games in 2014. The reason: Gary Bradley is their head coach. We’re not saying Carlsbad is going to just run the district and make a deep playoff run, but Bradley has proved he can win and while Carlsbad needs to turn things around, a good foundation is already is place in a City that loves their football. The Cavemen will likely head to the triple option, which is good considering Junior to be Quarterback Jonah Leyva can run some. They graduate a ton of skill position players, so it’s unclear at this point who their featured backs are and how much they’ll even throw the football this year. Now while Carlsbad lost 8 games, remember they beat Hobbs and Alamogordo at the end of the season.
24. Deming
Very impressive 2014 for the Deming Wildcats in Class 6A. Wins over Carlsbad, EP Cathedral, Silver, Santa Fe, and Gadsden put them in playoff contention. Now while they play in one of the toughest districts in New Mexico they didn’t just roll over and they do return some good talent into the 2015 season. Dante Urrea returns at quarterback and had a monster year in 2014 throwing for over 800-yards yards and rushing for just under 1,000-yards in 10-games. They have some good size with Daniel Perez at 6-foot-2, 255 pounds and Israel Ruiz at 6-foot-1, 245 pounds returning.
25. Gadsden
Head Football Coach Joe Vasquez enters his second year as Head Coach at Gadsden, the Panthers went 2-8 in 2014 beating Santa Teresa and Chaparral. The Panthers return quite a few starters into the 2015 season, watch for Josh Dias at WR, Alvaro Gonzalez at OL, Sergio Ramos at QB, Hector De And a at RB, Josh Hernandez at OL, and Joey Balderamma at LB. You’re going to see a much improved Gadsden team in 2015.
26. Miyamura
One of the biggest surprises of the 2014 season was Miyamura going 9-1 in the regular season. Wins against Moriarty, Montezuma-Cortez CO, Grants, Academy, St. Pius X, Piedra Vista, and Farmington put them at a near perfect season before their one-point overtime loss to Aztec. In the playoffs they beat Los Lunas 27-2 before falling to Centennial 69-20. Miyamura could actually be better in 2015 returning 1,000-yard running back AJ Starkovich who is a 6-foot-0, 175 pound bruiser of a back to bring down. They return a few good sized linemen and also should return with confidence knowing just how far they reached last season.
27. West Mesa
Speaking with both Albuquerque Head Coach Curtis Flakes and Valley Head Coach Enrico Marcelli during the 2nd week of July, both commented that West Mesa should be solid this year. Though the Mustangs were just 2-8 in 2014, They return quite a few marquee players including quarterback Marcos Gonzales, Athlete Domonic Fischer, and 215 pound Defensive End Idan Urrutia who will likely be on our Preseason All-State list. The Mustangs also return one of the state's top field goal kickers in Sabino Morales.
28. Los Lunas
It's going to be tough to win the district this year for 2nd year head coach Terrell Trantham, but they have enough returning talent that reaching the playoffs is very much likely. Their game starts with returning junior running back O'Maury Samuels who has already been offered by the New Mexico State Aggies. At 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, he might be the most complete back in the State of New Mexico and he is only a class of 2017 prospect. Also returning for Los Lunas is Quarterback Hunter Wisneski who busted out a few games last year, also watch for 6-foot-2, 170 pound Trevor Brohard., If they can build a solid line over the summer, Los Lunas is going to be tough to handle in 2015.
29. Piedra Vista
The Panthers won 7 games during the regular season which was impressive considering how young they were roster wise. They finally graduate quarterback Isaiah Valdez, but return some game breakers like Elijah Gamboa and also have some big linemen: Jose Dominguez is listed at 5-foot-10, 350 pounds, Isiah Billy is 6-foot-0, 265, Doug Frost is 6-foot-0, 245 pounds, Jake Terry is 5-foot-10, 245 pounds. They reached the playoffs last year beating Valencia in the first round 44-21. Piedra Vista has the talent to return in the playoffs in 2015.
30. Del Norte
Del Norte is certainly on the come up under Head Coach Bruce Binkley and while they graduate some very good talent, they could be even better in 2015. Last year with Dual Threat Quarterback Standout Tyrelle Pryor at the helm they went 5-6 losing to Aztec in the playoffs. This year they return 6-foot-0, 238 pound Running Back/Fullback/Linebacker Avery See and Offensive Linemen Gabe Desoto at 6-foot-2, 255 pounds.
31. Farmington
The headline over the season was Gary Bradley is out in Farmington after taking the Head Coaching position in Carlsbad. In steps Jeff Dalton who has been the defensive coordinator for several years. Farmington won 6 games last season before losing to Belen in the quarterfinals 47-9. Returning for Farmington in 2015 is Donovan Gonzalez, Returning Quarterback Diego Elebario, 6-foot-2, 170 Jeb Pinckley, and 175 pound Matt Tucson at running back.
32. Santa Fe
The Santa Fe Demons are a tough team to rank because of their recent move into Class 6A. Before district Santa Fe beat teams like Grants, Capital, Los Alamos, and Gallup. However, when the district season hit the Demons were beaten by Rio Rancho 63-7, Cleveland 47-0, Volcano Vista 46-8, and Cibola 50-0. Good news is they return Junior Quarterback Adrian Blea and Bailey Lozada-Cabbage who is 6-foot-2, 215 pound Tight End out of the Class of 2017.
33. Valencia
Likely a down season at 6-5 if you ask Valencia followers: The reason is because they had so much talent on the 2014 roster. An early exit losing to Piedra Vista 44-21 in the playoffs was Kevin Jolley's last game as Valencia Head Coach and in steps former Clayton Head Coach Collin Justiss. Justiss has taking Clayton to back to back state titles, actually he's coached in three state titles in three years taking Capitan to the finals in 2012. Look for Fermin Lucero to take over at quarterback, they lose pretty much all their skill guys, but return defensive linemen Zach Lowe who had 10.5 sacks as a sophomore.
34. Aztec
The Tigers had their best year yet under Head Coach Matthew Steinfeldt going 8-3 and winning the District 1-5A title beating Miyamura in a thriller 36-35 in overtime. In the playoffs they were beaten by Goddard 42-14 in the quarterfinal round. Step back this year talent wise? Maybe so as the Tigers graduate three year starting quarterback Marcus Crawford who threw for 2,670-yards and 37 touchdowns last year, they also graduate Josh Harris who caught for 1,548-yards and 27 touchdowns. Returning: Watch for Sophomore to be Cody Smith to take over at quarterback, Dylan Sutherland returns who caught for 326-yards last year, they also return Taylor Elwood who lead the team in tackles with 105.
35. Roswell
In 2013 under Jeff Lynn the Coyotes went 6-5, in 2014 the Coyotes went 2-8 missing the playoffs. They did beat Silver 45-12 early in the season, Silver was a final 4 team in Class 4A. However, they lost close games against Moriarty, Ruidoso, and played Goddard close late in the year losing only 21-10. The Coyotes return Dominic Anaya who was an All-State Corner, return Jacob Miley at quarterback who is 6-foot-3, 180, but other than that it's tough to gage these guys early on.
36. Lovington
The Lovington Wildcats missed the playoffs in their first year in Class 6A going 5-5 under Jaime Quinones. The Wildcats also lost their last 4-games of the season falling to Hobbs, Goddard, Roswell, and Artesia. Look for Dallas Sterns to take over at quarterback, and big boys like Matthew Granger at 245 pounds, Eric Gonzales at 243-pounds, and AJ Ochoa at 240 pounds. Tough district for these guys, but Lovington isn't just going to roll over, ever.
37. Cobre
What a year Cobre had during the 2014 season going 10-4 and reaching the state championship game under Jerry Martinez. Cobre beat Morenci AZ, Ysleta TX, and Hatch during the months of October, which put them into the top 10, but doubt anyone thought that they would make a late season run. They lost to Silver in district 13-6, then beat El Paso Cathedral 46-14, then beat Hot Springs in the playoffs 49-6, and beat Bloomfield the No. 4 seed in the playoffs 34-23, which paired them up against Hatch Valley for a second go-round, the Indians won 21-14. In the finals in a thriller at the Field of Dreams, Ruidoso would win 35-28. The Indians return Corey Roberson, Dominic Redwine, Andru Sanchez, and Chris Dominguez. These guys could definitely make a run again.
38. Silver
The Colts have been fantastic under Coach Butch Branson winning a total of 29 games over the last three seasons. In 2014 they went 9-4 and reached the semifinals before losing to Ruidoso 14-7. Once again they graduate some big names, but return some key seniors: Shawn Gutierrez at backer, Jeremiah Burke 6-1, 190 at receiver, Chad Flower 6-0, 170 in the secondary, and linebacker Derrick Morales.
39. Ruidoso
The Ruidoso Warriors were nearly perfect during the 2014 season going 12-1 and winning the Class 4A State Title Game beating Cobre 35-28. They scored 487 points on the season and allowed 147, but the question mark heading into 2015 is who will step up to carry the torch after the graduation of a loaded roster. They graduate Cade Patterson at quarterback who threw for 2,798-yards, graduate Parker Johnson, who was a NMPreps.com Mr. Football Candidate, and Defensive End Dillon Trapp among many others. Looking for Cisco Mayville to be their guy, as a sophomore he ran for 1,350-yards and 17 touchdowns. They also return Jake Harrelson at linebacker who recorded 164 tackles as a junior, he also has an offer from Eastern New Mexico on the table.
40. Hatch Valley
The Hatch Valley Bears went 9-4 last season under Jack Cisco. In the playoffs they defeated NMMI, Robertson, before losing to Cobre 21-14 in the semifinals. The Hatch Bears return a good amount of talent into the 2015 season including Quarterback Jared Garay who threw for 866-yards and Adrien Grajeda who ran for 1,146-yards. Manuel Romero, Jeremy Padilla, and Austin Franzoy are additional key names to know going into this season. Don't be surprised if Hatch is even better in 2015.
41. Robertson
Pictured is 220 pound LB/TE Francisco Arguello
Last year was the Cardinals years to win it all again. They went 10-1 during year losing in the playoffs against Hatch Valley 20-16. A team built on defense allowed just 109 points on the year and while they graduate a good amount of talent, the Cardinals return another tough crop of sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Keep tabs on JR Gonzales as an athlete, Matthew Baca at running back, 220 pound Francisco Arguello at backer, and rising sophomore Arjay Ortiz.
42. Bloomfield
Head Football Coach Bob Allcorn won at Moriarty and he's winning at Bloomfield. Last year, the Bobcats went 9-2 in Allcorn's first year before losing to Cobre in the quarterfinal round. They return quarterback Brendon Charley who threw for 660-yards and also return Brandon Ramsey who ran for close to 300-yards as just a sophomore. Bloomfield as they've been for many years is the district favorite heading in.
43. Estancia
Pictured is 226 pound FB/LB/DE Caleb Ortiz who ran for over 770-yards as a junior
Is it possible for Estancia to be even better entering the 2015 season? Last year the Bears finished out the season 11-3 beating Clayton 14-6 to win the Class 3A State Title. Their offense racked up 517 points and allowed just 148. Returning is FB/DE/LB Caleb Ortiz at 6-foot-3, 226 pounds, 253 pound linemen Gabe Garcia, 268 pound linemen Michael Garcia, and Adam Lujan who ran for over 500-yards as a junior.
44. St. Michael's
Under Head Football Coach Joey Fernandez it seems that St. Michael's is a yearly contender. Though they came up short in the playoffs against Ruidoso last year, the Horsemen were young and they'll be young this year. The sophomores have grown up a bit, but they are still one-year away from a state title run year. Returning is 6-foot-0, 210 pound linebacker Xavier Vigil who is one of the top juniors in New Mexico and also watch for Chross Jaramillo, Joey Fernandez Jr., and Jake Tetrault, none of the players mentioned will be seniors.
45. Capital
The Jaguars are going to make a run for the district title this year. There we said it. Bill Moon has built the program up from scratch and this year the Jaguars have enough talent to compete for a slot in the playoffs. Last year they went 5-5 with wins against West Las Vegas, Los Alamos, Bernalillo, Socorro, and Espanola Valley. They return quarterback Augustine Larranaga and Kevin Brown, two game breakers.
46. Moriarty
The Pintos finished the season 5-5 missing the playoffs despite winning their last two games of the season beating Grants and Academy. You should expect a blue collar type team that is cable of pulling off weekend upsets under Head Coach Joe Anaya who has kept the Moriarty program light shining after Bob Allcorn took the Bloomfield Job. Watch for linebacker Allen Michel who will be a three year starter.
47. Portales
The Rams are going to be a team to keep tabs on entering the 2015 season because of their skill position players. Last year the Rams went 7-5 before losing to Silver in the playoffs. Headlining the roster is Bronte Staugaard who had an outstanding year rushing for 1,517-yards and 22 touchdowns, he is going to be a handful each Friday Night.
48. Lordsburg
This year's Lordsburg team is going to be one of the better team's they've had in the last 10-15 years, yes they are going to be that good and could be even better in 2016. Last year with a handful of talented sophomores Lordsburg went 10-2 before losing to Estancia 53-14 in the playoffs. They return Junior Quarterback Johnny Plowman who threw for 2,204-yards and 33 touchdowns, return Raymond Saucedo who ran for 959-yards as a sophomore, return Jacob Esquivel who caught for 895-yards and 17 touchdowns as a sophomore.
49. Academy
The Chargers had just 25 players on their roster during the 2014 season as they went independent. They won three games on the season beating Santa Rosa, Taos, and Bernalillo. It's always tough to gage their incoming talent, but they due return Clay Crosby at running back. Don't judge a book by their cover, these guys will beat you on any given day.
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50. Clayton
For the last two years Clayton has reached the state title game in Class 3A. The bad news is that Head Coach Collin Justiss resigned and took over the Valencia Opening. In steps Dustin Tippitt who inherits a very good roster. Carson Vandiver, Justin Taylor, Jose Zamora, Tomas Sanchez, Tucker Poling and freshman to be Kobe Leal are going to keep Clayton in the mix in 2015.
51. Grants
Head Football Coach Rio Thompson enters his second year as Head Coach at Grants, last year the Pirates missed the playoffs going 4-7 on the season. They return two-year starting quarterback Brandon Hernandez and 6-foot-6, 255 pound offensive linemen Bradley Hatten.
52. Espanola
Espanola Valley is coming off a 5-5 season and things are looking bright entering 2015 under Miguel Medina. Last year Espanola reeled off wins against West Las Vegas, Gallup, Bernalillo, McCurdy, and Questa. They return Marcos Flores at quarterback and a handful of key players that started in 2014.
53. Hot Springs
The Hot Springs Tigers reached the 2014 playoffs with a 5-5 record and were paired against Cobre in the 1st round losing 49-6. The Tigers return some solid prospects into the season headlined by Nick Moreno at running back and Darin Welty at quarterback.
54. West Las Vegas
You have to think the Dons are on the come up under Adrian Gonzales as Head Coach. It's been a tough place to win, but West Las Vegas showed some moxy last year beating Taos 20-14 late in the year. They return Miguel Sena at receiver who caught for 799-yards and 7 touchdowns as well as Jordan Martinez who totaled 75 tackles.
55. Taos
Flavio Lopez is out as Head Coach at Taos, in steps Art Abreu Jr as a first year head coach. Taos has been a formidable opponent over the last few years, however four straight losses to the end of the season stopped them from reaching the playoffs. They return Damian Garcia at backer who recorded 94 total tackles as a junior as well as Khaleel Bial who recorded 12 sacks in 2014.
56. Texico
The Wolverines had a rare down year in 2014 winning just three football games. What we like about Texico headed into the 2015 season is they return a ton of talent. Watch for standout running back Mason Golden who ran for over 1,000-yards as a sophomore last year.
57. Hope
The Huskies Football Program has never really taken off. They have had three different head coaches in the last three years and went 2-8 last year going 0-4 in district play. The good news is that Caleb Meyer Hagen returns at quarterback, he'll be a three year starter.
58. Rio Grande
The Ravens will enter the 2015 season with another Head Football Coach. Sam Mascarenas takes over following Pat Quillen who went 1-9 in 2014. Last year the Ravens were outscored 119-429 on the season, their only win came against Highland winning 38-20.
59. Highland
The last time Highland won a football game was on October 10th of 2013. Over the last two years the Hornets are 1-19 and went 0-10 during the 2014 season under first year Head Coach Stacy Washington. 6-foot-4, 190 pond Dominic Johnson returns at quarterback.
60. Dexter
Kevin Graham takes over as Head Coach replacing Frank Sandoval. Last year the Demons went 8-4 on the season losing to Eunice in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. Dexter, again should be very competitive returning three year starting quarterback Dominic Lomeli.
61. Santa Rosa
The Lions had a rare losing season in 2014 gong 5-7 on the year. After beating Navajo Prep in the 1st round of the playoffs, the Lions were trounced by Clayton 52-0 in the quarterfinals. Returning is 234 pound Matt Chavez up front, but other than that it's tough to tell who will step up. Then again, it's Santa Rosa Football.
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62. Escalante
Head Coach Dusty Giles brought home another state championship to Escalante after going 12-0 beating 34-30. In the finals the Lobos beat Hagerman 34-30 in a thriller. Dominic Montano returns at quarterback who is aka superman. Montano threw for 865-yards and 15 touchdowns, but check this out: ran for an incredible 2,194-yards and 34 touchdowns. The Lobos should be just fine once again.
63. Eunice
The Cardinals started out the 2014 season 0-4, then won their next 7 games under Head Coach Caleb Aldridge. In the playoffs they were beaten by Clayton 34-14. After the season, Aldridge resigned and the position was filled by former Carlsbad Offensive Coordinator Ken Stevens. They return Blane Ferbrache who ran for 992-yards as a junior in 2014.
64. Kirtland Central
The Broncos moved down to Class 4A and reached the playoffs under Kevin Graham losing to St. Mike's 20-12 in the 1st round. The bad news is Graham took over the head position in Dexter. Kirtland Central has rotating head coaches a few times over the years, causes program setbacks. Leo Nez at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds returns at defensive end.
65. Tularosa
The Wildcats won 6 games during the 2014 season under Bryan Jones. Their season ended in the quarterfinals losing to rival Lordsburg 35-18. The Wildcats return quarterback Dakota Varbel and junior to be Cameron Sheppard. Tularosa just might surprise you this year.
66. Laguna Acoma
Over the last two years under Head Coach Roger Cordova, the Hawks have won 17 games. A big part of their success over the years has come from having Running David McGee leading the way, he finally graduated, so did play maker Ryan Arkie. Who will step up in Laguna in 2015?
67. NMMI
NMMI year in and year out is like a box of chocolates, you never know who is going to attend the military boarding school. Last year the Colts won 7 games under Randy Montoya, their defense was stellar allowing just 127 points on the season and forcing 4 shutouts on the season.
68. Pojoaque
The Elks reached the playoffs last year after winning key district games against Taos and West Las Vegas. In the 1st round they were beaten by Portales 41-18. Winning 11 games in the last two years, Coach John Ainsworth deserves some major props, it's a very tough place to win.
69. Los Alamos
The Hilltoppers went a dismal 1-9 last season under Head Coach Garrett Williams, their lone win came against Espanola in a 38-28 shootout. They return Patrick Irish at 265 pounds as well as Nathan Rogers at 6-foot-3, 265 pounds.
70. Melrose
Melrose continues to win state titles at the 8-man level. In 2014 the Buffs went 11-1 during the season beating Logan 76-37. The scary thing is they return pretty much everyone from last year, including Braden Hemminger at 6-foot-4, 180, Wyatt Williams at 6-foot-2, 160, and Sophomore to be Cade Barard at 6-foot-3, 198 pounds.
71. Hagerman
The Bobcats went 10-2 last season under Case Crandall losing to Escalante in the 2A title game 34-30. This year they return 220 pound Gayvn Quiroz and 175 pound Logan Franklin.
72. Bernalillo
Last year Bernalillo went 2-8 under Trent Spencer, the new coach of the 2015 season is John Cabos. It's been a long time since the glory years at Bernalillo back in 2009 and 2010 when they were back to back district champs under Ken Noel.
73. Chaparral
The Lobos went 2-8 during the 2014 season, the highlight of the season was of course beating district rival Santa Teresa 24-19. They also beat San Elizario 20-14. Winning two games at Chaparral is impressive considering the Lobos won a total of 1 during the 2012 and 2013 season.
74. Santa Teresa
The Desert Warriors went 0-5 in district play last year losing their last 5 games of the season, even losing to Chaparral 24-19. It's been a while since Santa teresa has visited the playoffs, 2010 was the last time the Desert Warriors were in the post season. Santa Teresa should have some size up front" Isaac Lara at 285, Raymond Lopez at 285, and Julian Urquidi at 250 pounds.
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75. Raton
The 2015 season will mark the 2nd season under Head Coach Tory Giacomo at Raton. The Tigers are a combined 6-15 over the last two years missing the playoffs in 2014. The overall numbers at Raton seem to be very low. Returning is Dakota Martinez at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds as well as TJ Shell at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds.
76. Loving
It's good that Loving Football is back, remember two years ago they had to cancel the season because of lack of numbers. Last year under Doug Santo they went 2-7 beating Ft. Sumner and Jal.
77. Thoreau
The Hawks went 8-2 last year under Roger Willie and despite winning their last two games of the season beating Wingate 52-0 and Santa Fe Indian 32-5, the Hawks missed the playoffs. The Hawks do graduate 10-years.
78. Jal
The Panthers were 1-8 last year and didn't score a touchdown until the 4th game of the season. The Panthers return quarterback Lane Madera and 230 pound linebacker Jacobi Reeves.
79. Tucumcari
Believe it or not, Tucumcari went 0-10 during the 2014 being outscored 465-146. The good news is that Tucumcari was pretty young last year and return some good talent including Tyler Ferguson who is returning at quarterback.
80. Logan
The 2014 8-Man state runner ups graduate 5 seniors including Eastern New Mexico Commit Wyatt Strand. The incoming senior class has some big shoes to fulfill, watch for Scott Earle at 200 pounds and for Kohl Ciemmy at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds. In 2014 Logan scored 780 points.
81. Magdalena
The Steers are coming off a 10-1 season under Head Coach Scott Dean and during their last 4 games of the season their results read like this: Beat Alamo Navajo 67-0, beat Cloudcroft 71-0, beat Mescalero 72-0, and beat Dora 62-0. They lost to Melrose in the playoffs 36-16. They return standout Mike Chambers.
82. Questa
The Wildcats came up short in the 2014 2A playoffs losing to Escalante 26-14. They only graduate 8 seniors and return Tomas Madrid who had more than 500 all purpose yards as just a sophomore.
83. Ft. Sumner
The Foxes went 5-5 during the 2014 season and had a bumpy ending losing their last 4 out of 5 games and then eventually losing to Hagerman 36-6 in the playoffs. Watch for Tyler Riggins at 6-foot-1, 165 pound senior and also watch for Wyatt Bishop at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds.
84. Santa Fe Indian
The Santa Fe Indian Braves beat Crownpoint, McCurdy, Dulce, and Wingate all during the 2014 season and ended up with a 5-4 record under Eric Brock.
85. Capitan
The Tigers had another down season in 2014 winning just 3 games. Not sure what the reason is, but the Tigers have been rotating coaches almost at will year after year. James Weems is the Head Coach in 2015, watch for Luke Walker who will likely start at quarterback.
86. Shiprock
The Chieftains missed the 2014 playoffs and lost keys district games against Thoreau, Bloomfield, and Kirtland late in the year. The last Shiprock team to reach the finals was way back in 2010 under Head Coach Richard Ballard.
87. Mesilla Valley
The Son Blazers missed the 2014 playoffs going 2-8 on the season and losing their last 8 game of the season.
88. McCurdy
McCurdy went just 2-8 under Jorge Oropeza and missed the 2014 2A playoffs. Their lone wins came against Navajo Pine and Cuba. The last time they reached the playoffs was back in 2012 under Eric Vigil.
89. Socorro
The Warriors went 0-10 during the 2014 season under Quevin Redding. They were outscored 73-477 on the season. Watch for Jonah Mauldin at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds who is returning at backer.
90. Tatum
Tatum has become a yearly staple in the 8-Man playoffs and this year should be no different. Last year the Coyotes went 6-4 under Head Coach Gary Durham before losing to Melrose 52-14 in the playoffs. For a 8-Man program their numbers are impressive, last year they had 32 on the roster. Watch for 5-foot-10, 215 pound Jaun Sanchez and Steven Gutirrez at 5-foot-10, 210 pounds, both are returning up front.
91. Gateway Christian
The Warriors put together a strong 2014 season going 7-4 before losing in the playoffs to Logan. They return more than 10 lettermen into the 2015 season. Watch for Cort Marley and Johnny Worral.
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92. Hondo
The 2014 Class 6-Man champs went perfect at 10-0 last year racking up 656 points and allowing just 117. They pounded Lake Arthur in the finals 72-33. They graduate Roberto Nores, but return 230 pound Jake Devine and junior to be Christopher Torero.
93. Lake Arthur
The Panthers again put together a big year in 6-man going 9-3 losing to the Hondo in the state finals. They return running backs Saul De La Cruz and Leonel Velo, the duo should shine this year.
94. Zuni
Last year the Thunderbirds went 2-8 under Corey Robinson with their two wins coming against Tohatchi and Navajo Pine. They return just 5 lettermen into the 2015 season. Watch for Hared Sooseeah at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds.
95. Floyd
The Broncos made a strong run towards the end of last year beating teams like Lake Arthur 36-34, beat Roy 90-0, and beat Grady 51-0, before losing in a heartbreaker against Lake Arthur 34-26. While they graduate more than 6 seniors, they return more 10 varsity lettermen. Watch for Mark McDonald at 6-foot-0 and 195 pounds.
96. Animas
The Panthers went 6-3 last year under Richard Winkler with notable wins against Vaughn and rival Reserve. They came up short in the playoffs losing to Grady 61-41. Returning to the 2015 season 11 varsity lettermen, watch for Zach Winkler at 6-foot-0, 165 pounds.
97. Dulce
The Hawks won just two games during the 2014 season beating Navajo Pine and rival Cuba in a thriller 26-24. The Hawks will likely start two sophomore linemen: Robert Perea at 250 pounds and Chris Gomez at 235 pounds.
98. Navajo Pine
Last year the only game the Warriors won was against Cuba by way of forfeit. They scored just 26 points all year and allowed 398 being shutout in 5 games.
99. Cuba
100. Gallup
The Gallup Bengals have a record of 2-18 over the last two years, last year the program likely hit their bottom point going 0-10 on the season. Taking over at Head Coach for the Bengals is Joshua Olsen.
NMPreps.com's Top 100 High School Football Teams
Starting today, NMPreps.com will release our Top 100 High School Football Rankings.
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1. Cleveland
Login to view embedded media It’s obvious that this year’s Cleveland Storm team has giant potential. Of course saying it and doing it are two different things. Speaking with Head Coach Heath Ridenour on Tuesday, June 16th he knows just like everyone else that they have the horses to run the show, but they still haven’t won any games on their schedule. In-fact, Cleveland enters the 2015 season riding a two-game losing streak following an ugly 1st round playoff loss to district rival Cibola. I will say this:I strongly doubt there is a team in New Mexico that has better skill position players and linemen that this group. Their linemen remind me of Las Cruces’ 2012 team when the Dawgs had Rudy Guerra, Lane Cummings, Taylor Tisby, Jacob Banegas, and Oscar Guzman. This Cleveland Team has 3, maybe 4 D-1 prospects. Henry Hattis one of the best linemen in the west and Quarterback Gabe Ortega who was just offered by UNM. The other two are Marcus Williams a 6-foot-4 receiver and 6-foot-4 junior receiver Adam Cook. Continue reading this preseason preview of the Cleveland Storm Here
2. Mayfield
Our staff has seen Mayfield a few times this summer and it’s hard to believe, but these guys look as good or even better than the 2014 team talent wise. Saying this team who hasn’t even played a game is better than last year’s team that went 11-2 reaching the 6A title game is a big stretch, considering they lost UTEP Commit Kavika Johnson at quarterback, however… While this team thrived off the abilities of Johnson at quarterback, the Trojans return a ton of talent and a lot of multi-year starters into 2015. The new quarterback will be Joeray Valencia and despite being just 5-foot-11 and 146 pounds, he’s a gamer and one that has been in the system playing behind Johnson the last three years. He’s experienced and while the Trojans don’t throw a ton, he can make the throw down field when needed. The Trojans are going to have a ton of weapons on offense starting with junior to be Isaac Vance who was the recent NMPreps Running Back MVP and who was just offered by New Mexico State. Vance is a 4.4 back that ran for close to 1,000-yards in 2014 and scored 18 touchdowns as just a sophomore. Tight End Noah Pierce is their next big time tight end, Mayfield always has one of these guys, this year he’s going to be a match up nightmare as he can both block and make grabs over the middle standing 6-foot-2 and 228 pounds. Watch for receiver Gavin Swinson to make a splash this year, standing 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds he’s one of the better receivers we’ve seen this summer. Up front, the Trojans are led by Colton Evans the recent NMPreps Elite Combine MVP, he’s outstanding in pass coverage. Also watch for 6-foot-6, 240 pound Jalen Guerrero to be a key linemen for the Trojans this year. On defense the Trojans are anchored at backer by Louis Lombardi the NMPreps Linebacker MVP and in the secondary you have top prospects like Riley Folkman and Ethan Alvarado who each are gamers. The Trojans kick off the season against Hobbs in Watson Memorial then take on El Paso Franklin, followed by Carlsbad, then Alamogordo, then Eldorado, then Manzano. The Trojans have lost the last two big school state championship games by a total of 3 points, you know that’s weighing in on their minds.
3. Rio Rancho
Login to view embedded media Today, we kicked off the 2015 NMPreps.com High School Football Tour Powered by Tate Branch Auto Group at Rio Rancho High School. It was only right to start where the 2014 season ended. Last year the Rams finished 13-0 defeating Mayfield 33-31 in an epic state championship game. There is no way to spin it heading into 2015, Rio Rancho graduated a ton of talent. They must replace a quarterback who threw for 4,500-yards, a running back who had over 1,800 all-purpose yards, a receiver that caught for 1,300-yards, two linebackers that accounted for nearly 200 tackles, a defensive linemen that racked up 11.0 sacks, and defensive back that record 8 interceptions. All those guys are gone. “We had a great spring and we are really looking forward to seeing how these younger guys step in. We got some seniors that want to prove themselves and we’re excited for the challenge.” said Head Rio Rancho Football Coach David Howes. Continue reading this preseason preview of the Rio Rancho Rams Here
4. Las Cruces
6-6 last year for Las Cruces? Down year? Not really, considering the Dawgs still beat teams like EP Montwood, La Cueva, Volcano Vista, and reeled off a win against Atrisco Heritage on the road. Their losses came against Rio Rancho twice (Class 6A state champ), Centennial (5A semifinalist), Artesia (5A state champ), Onate (6A playoff team), Mayfield (6A runner Up). It’s not like they got blown out of any of those games either. A ton of kids got playing time last year with big names going down, this year Las Cruces looks as potent as they’ve been in years past (state champs in 2012 and 2013) returning a ton of top level talent including Preseason NMPreps.com Mr. Football Candidate Kameron Miller at quarterback who recently was named the NMPreps Elite Combine MVP and just landed an offer from the new Mexico Lobos. While Miller (threw for 1,900-yards, 20 touchdowns in 2014) headlines the team, the Bulldawgs return a ton of talent as mentioned to go along: Sam Ellis at 6-foot-4, 180 stepped up big for Las Cruces a junior when Miller went down, a great athlete, look for Ellis to be a top target on the outside, Richy Terrazas is a shifty type receiver, Andrew Chavez is a guy who should have a breakout year and Brandon Baeza who will just be a sophomore is their next big thing on offense. Payton Ball is a name that could emerge in the running back fold and upfront junior to be Tristan Olson is going to be one of the best in the state at 6-foot-1 and 266 pounds (center). On defense Defensive Linemen Vincent Delgadillo is a stud, linebacker is a question mark at this time (will see Las Cruces during two-a-days) and their secondary will be loaded, wouldn’t be surprised to see Miller playing two-ways this year. They have a great schedule set up with El Paso Montwood week 1 followed by La Cueva and Volcano Vista. Expect the Dawgs to be climbing the state tournament tree yet again in 2015.
5. Centennial
The Hawks have clearly arrived at the upper level of New Mexico High School Football Programs after just three short seasons of existence. Head Football Aaron Ocampo has proven yet again that he can win and get into the playoffs. The Hawks made their first big splash in 2014 beating both Onate and Las Cruces (did not play Mayfield). They went 11-2 on the season, their two seasons losses came against Belen in the regular season and again in the semifinals. While the Hawks lose their dynamic duo in Quarterback Christian Cedano and Jaylon Boston at Running Back, the Hawks still have an abundance of varsity lettermen returning, some who have started 3-seasons already. 6-foot-1, 300 pound George Nino is regarded as one of the top linemen in New Mexico, 270 pound Cameron Burkley is in that same category, taking over at Quarterback will be Dante Lopez who shined late in the season, Keith Jasso will likely emerge as running back, and Bryce Rewalt and JR Pena are their outside weapons. On defense Luis Gurrola once again shined at the Elite Combine, he'll be another 4-year starter, Marcus Minnick is a new name that will turn heads as a defensive linemen, their backers are anchored by Jake Boykin, and their secondary will be super athletic. The Hawks open with cross the street rival Onate, get your popcorn ready for that one.
6. Artesia
The defending Class 5A State Champ will look once again to reload into the 2015 season. Winning 12 games in 2014 and beating Belen 49-21 in the finals, could they be even better this year? They do graduate All-State Players: Travis Wilkinson (RB) and Joey Lopez (LB), but plenty return. The Bulldogs are headlined in the summer time by 6-foot-5, 180 pound quarterback Justin Houghtaling who threw for 3,436-yards and 38 touchdowns as a junior (60% completion percentage). Besides the next level pro-style quarterback, the Bulldogs return Chaz Matthews, Carlos Carrasco, Caleb Brewer, Grady Frost, stud linemen Jacob Rivera, and a host of underclassmen that are pretty slaty. Codey Scott is one were eager to see as a defensive linemen, Jharyss Granger is a 265 pound junior, and 6-foot-4, 237 pound Marcus Bramwell who just blew up at the Combine. Their first two games are against Belen and Hobbs, two games which everyone will have their eye on.
7. Sandia
Login to view embedded media The Sandia Matadors have remained one of Albuquerque’s top high school football programs over the years under Head Football Coach Kevin Barker who is entering his 23rd year as a Head Football Coach (Sandia/Manzano). In the past 10-seasons, the Matadors have reached the playoffs 8 out of 10 times, reaching the finals in 2012. “Our seniors are pretty darn good and have led all the way through our spring and summer workouts. We’re led by Seniors Jimmy Gallegos, Dominic Baca, Jeremiah Loya, and Isaiah Lowery. We return 11 starters overall and we’re excited about the 2015 season,” said Head Sandia Football Coach Kevin Barker. Continue Reading Our Exclusive Preview On Sandia Here
8. Eldorado
An always formidable opponent from Albuquerque is Eldorado who has reached the playoffs 7 out of the last 9 seasons. 2014 was a special team, finishing the regular season 9-1 led by Michigan Blue Chip Recruit Quarterback Zach Gentry. While the Eagles graduate their quarterback, 4 out of their 5 linemen, and a handful of defensive players the Eagles once again should remain a top tier high school football team, just with some lesser known names returning for 2015. “I think when you have a program with tradition, kids want to win. These seniors want to win, just like last year’s seniors, and hopefully they continue their bond this year,” said Head Eldorado Football Coach Charlie Dotson entering his 8th year at the helm. Continue Reading Our Exclusive Preview On Eldorado Here
9. Goddard
The departure of legendary Head Coach Sam Jernigan before the 2014 season was one of the biggest coaching changes we've had in the last 10-years in New Mexico. Goddard's administration kept it in-house naturally and hired Jernigan's long time assistant Mike Whalen and what we saw in 2014 was simply Goddard Rocket Football. The Rockets beat Clovis by 20, beat Piedra Vista by nearly 50, and then 50 pointed Los Lunas (those were all playoff teams last year). Their three season losses came against Belen in over-time and their other two losses came against Artesia losing 20-13 and 42-41. For the last 9-seasons we've Goddard graduate some phenomenal players like David Vega, David Anaya, Chayse Kyler, Omar Castillo, etc. and again they graduate top tier talent losing Cameron Neff and Dean McDaniel. Just like year's past guys will step up: Lukas Gutierrez is a name that you'll know soon enough as is Devon Quiroz, Ethan Featherstone, and 300 pound defensive tackle Omar Sosa. Who knows exactly how many games these guys are going to win: But we know that they are going to hit you in the mouth and play some excellent football every Friday Night. Get the Siren Ready Rocket Nation.
10. Volcano Vista
Login to view embedded media Last year Volcano Vista missed the 2014 New Mexico High School Football Playoffs going 3-7 on the year after an impressive opening season 18-14 victory over Sandia. Volcano Vista then lost their first 4 out of 5 games, and finally finished 1-3 in district with their only victory coming against Santa Fe. Last year was last year and this year is this year, so with that said, Volcano Vista has been waiting for this group to be seniors for a while now. These current seniors are the young guns that have been brought up in the program, a few players have seen more than two years on varsity. Head Coach Chad Wallin enters his 9th season as Head Coach making the playoffs three times since the 2008 season. Volcano Vista is big up-front, has some very good skill position players, and it would be an absolute shocker if this team misses the playoffs in 2015. “It's been a good summer to start, the attitude is a lot better and the kids are just working hard. It’s a very senior dominate group and that is where the leadership starts for us," said Head Volcano Vista Coach Chad Wallin. Complete Team Preview of Volcano Vista Here
11. Clovis
The Clovis Wildcats went 6-6 during the 2014 season beating Sandia and losing to Mayfield 35-21 in the quarterfinals. District 4-6A Champs again and the Little Rebel is back tucked safe away in the gymnasium. You have to like Clovis going into the season each year because of their coaching staff, southern style of play, and community support, not to mention that they have some multi-year returners that are going to be top players in New Mexico. Returning at quarterback is Daulton Hatley who threw for 1,255-yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior, Hately really impressed us during his showing at the Eastern New Mexico Camp held in Cleveland. Also returning is Micah Gray who ran for 1,148-yards and 18 touchdowns as just a sophomore. Then you have 6-foot-4, 210 pound Roland Chavez at tight end who has an offer from New Mexico State as well as Tucker Dobbs at receiver who has an offer from Eastern New Mexico. Their skill guys are as good as anyone, but they graduate a ton of linemen, which is concerning heading in. The home opener at Leon Williams against Goddard is just a few weeks away.
12. Onate
During the recent NMPreps Elite Combine, several Onate Knights performed at high levels and now that the program is fully under Head Coach Brent Jaquess (2nd year head coach), Onate should pose as a even tougher opponent in 2015 then in 2014 when they won 8-games including beating Manzano in the playoffs. Returning for the Knights are some talented underclassmen, actually Onate is likely one year away from being a top Las Cruces team (at least talent wise). 210 pound Linebacker Forest Mckee will make his varsity debut at Onate this year, he was the recent top junior at the NMPreps Combine posting 22 reps of 185 pounds and also running a 4.60 40-time. Also keep an eye on another incoming junior by the name of Matthew Young at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds. Young displayed a lot of natural football instincts and ran an impressive 4.91 40-time. Other underclassmen to watch this include: Bryce Watters as an athlete (Cousin to Ricky Watters who played with the 49ers), Joseph Fielder at running back who had 16 reps of 185 pounds and also ran a 4.59 40-time, James Martin who had 19 quarterback sacks last year as sophomore, and Damien Tuton another 208 pound backer. This team could be very dangerous if they stay healthy and get some early season momentum.
13 Alamogordo
If we had to rank the top 7-on-7 teams this summer, Alamogordo would likely be ranked No. 1. Their play this summer has been talked about numerous times right here on NMPreps.com. A big reason for that is their skill position players (who all return for the most part) have increased their strength in the weight room and who are being coached up by Dale Hooper now in year three as Head Coach. Remember, just back in 2013 the Tigers went 1-9, last year the Tigers went 5-5 and beat teams like Los Lunas, Valencia, played Mayfield close for a few quarters, beat Deming, and lost to Artesia in a shootout 48-41. Though they did not win a district game, they played Hobbs and Carlsbad tight in the final games of the season. Returning is Quarterback Kyle Hooper who threw for over 2,500-yards as a sophomore, 6-foot-3, 190 pound receiver Julian Segura who has looked like Megatron this summer (pictured and also has an offer from Eastern New Mexico), Hunter Graham has shined all over the field, and Marcello Barrientoz is yet another name to keep tabs on. We're not sure who is returning up front, but plan to stop by Alamogordo later on this summer to get an up-close look at Alamogordo, a team that everyone seems to think is a 6A sleeper heading into 2015.
14 Manzano
The Manzano Monarchs have reached the big school classification playoffs in the last 6 of 7 seasons. Head Coach Chad Adcox has been with Manzano since 2003 and took over as Head Coach for Aaron Ocampo in 2012. Entering his 4th year as Head Coach at Manzano, Adcox has kept Manzano is the big school mix, but with declining numbers at Manzano getting past yearly bigs like Cleveland, Mayfield, and their district has been a continued struggle. In fact, since 2012 Manzano is 2-8 against district opponents. They graduate a good mix of linemen and skill guys, but their younger group coming up is very talented. “We got some new names like: Orlando Perez, Jordan Byrd, and Antonio Padilla, and skill wise overall I liked the way we competed at the UNM 7-On. It’s all about learning right now in the summer time, for right now I think we are where we need to be,” said Manzano Head Football Coach Chad Adcox. Full Manzano Monarch Preview Here
15. Hobbs
Pictured is Hobbs Defensive Linemen Adrian Mackey (White Shirt)
The Hobbs Eagles missed the playoffs during the 2014 season going 4-6 under Charles Leghorn, but have already again made big waves in summer time 7-on-7 passing leagues. Just a week ago they won the annual Eastern New Mexico 7-On and return a good mix of skill position players along with good offensive and defensive linemen. Returning at quarterback for a second straight year is Isaac Amaya who is a dual threat quarterback that can make the big throw, he’s look good during the summer time. Watch for their home run hitter in the backfield Jeremy Padilla at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, other skill position players include: Devin Beard at receiver, Aaron Compton at receiver, and Cason Clay. Compton and Clay showed out during the recent NMPreps Elite Combine. Up front they return Chris Kuykendall and on defense watch for stud defensive linemen Adrian Mackey who also impressed during the NMPreps Elite Combine. Guy Rossy Tippy returns as does Brevin Thompson. Hard not to like going into each season, now it’s about execution and winning games. They open with Mayfield to kick off the season.
16. La Cueva
Pictured is La Cueva Defensive Back Lucas Silver
The Bears are a tough team to gage going into the season for many reason: One is they graduate a ton of seniors, but again it’s La Cueva they always seem to re-load and be a force to deal with from the Metro Area. The Bears won an impressive 8-games last year before losing to Mayfield in the quarterfinals. Returning this year is: Lucas Silver who should be a two-way star and one who impressed at the NMPreps Elite Combine recently, you also have Noah Hill and despite entering the season coming off a knee injury, he is regarded as one of their top players. Not sure if Athlete Jonathan Stroman is going to play this year, but he could be a next level guy in both football and in baseball, young guns include: Josh Woisin at backer as well as Derek Loidolt. They seem to be a team that is young heading in, it will be interesting to see how things unfold for the Bears.
17. Cibola
The Bears are now in year three of Head Coach Rod Williams system and it’s likely many forget that it was this program that took down the Mighty Cleveland Storm in the playoffs last year. While many of those seniors from Cibola have graduated, Cibola has a lot to continue to build on as a program. This team has made the playoffs in each of the last two-years and return some guys that can make big plays. The headliner is Jacob Smith who is one of the state’s top special teams players and receivers. Jeremiah Bell is a 5-11, 195 pound linebacker that will turn heads and make big plays as well Benny James another 200 pound backer. Brandon Cordova returns up front on the offensive line. They’ll be a district dark horse heading in, but they likely don’t mind one bit.
18. Valley
Entering his 4th year as Valley Head Football Coach Enrico Marcelli has a win/loss record of 23-10. After a slow start in 2014 going 0-4, the Vikings won 4 out of their last 5-games on the season and were one-game away from reaching the playoffs. For a school that has just over 1,100 students, the participation numbers for football are extremely high, in-fact Coach Marcelli told us that Valley has over 130 kids out in the entire program in grades 9-12. This season Valley returns 14 starters into the 2015 season, the headline in the spring/early summer has been the recruiting coverage regarding 6-foot-6, 250 pound returning defensive linemen Teton Saltes who has offers from CAL, Iowa State, New Mexico , Oregon, San Diego State, Texas Tech, Washington, and Washington State. While Saltes is a Blue Chip Senior, Valley only has a total of 12 seniors on the roster, one of their smallest groups in years. “Our senior class this year is really small this year, luckily they are all pretty good. We got guys like Teton Saltes, Noah Santistevan, Michael Barboa, and Elijah Naranjo who are all going to make plays. Last year was up and down a little bit, but I think we’ve learned from that, we lacked a little bit of senior leadership, over the summer we have worked on that,” Said Enrico Marcelli. Full Team Preview of the Valley Vikings Here
19. Atrisco Heritage
They Atrisco Heritage Jaguars finally graduate that loaded senior class. Last year the Jaguars won the district title and went 7-4 under Patrick Johnson losing to Las Cruces 36-15 in the 6A 1st round of the playoffs. While they graduate there year starters like: Ricci Alvidrez (RB) and James Romero (DL) they still have talent at one of the state’s largest schools enrollment wise. Quarterback Aaron Bean threw for 499-yards and ran for 1,294-yards and 15 touchdowns, he’s one of the top option quarterbacks in New Mexico and one who can just fly. They also return running back Darius Moore who ran for over 400-yards. Their offensive line has been pretty big over the last few years, but they graduate a ton including: Daniel Perez, Tupac Crum, and Cody Maldonado. Atrisco is trying to make it 4-straight years to the playoffs, something that is quite impressive no matter how you spin it.
20. Belen
We knew the Eagles would make a title run into the 2014 season and they did just that winning 11 games losing only twice to Artesia in week 1 and in week 14 in the finals 49-21. They do graduate a ton of talent: Manuel Romero at FB, 3-year quarterback Chris Peralta, Jon Barba, Elias Balteirrez, and a ton of high caliber linemen on both sides of the football all depart. We’ve seen Belen slip and miss the playoffs just once since Lerma took over in 2008 and while this incoming group looks young, expect this new crop of Eagles to hold the rope. Gunner Robinson at linebacker is one prospect on our summer radar.
21. St. Pius X
The Sartans are coming off an 8-4 season which was impressive as they were super young. That could only mean good things for the next few years right? Returning for the Sartans is Quarterback Drew Ortiz who threw for over 2,000-yards and 28 touchdowns as just a sophomore in 2014. They Sartans also return Miles Hilton who caught for 743-yards and 11 touchdowns. Also returning is Alex Sais a 200 pound linebacker and Jacob Carpenter who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 317 pounds.
22. Albuquerque
Login to view embedded media The Albuquerque Bulldogs ended a 43-game losing streak during the 2014 season under then first year Head Coach Curtis Flakes. The Bulldogs went on to win 4 games in 2014 and finished district with a record of 3-2, really the Bulldogs were one game away being playoff eligible. That fact in itself is pretty much unbelievable considering Albuquerque had not won since August 28th of 2010. Under Flakes a former Defensive Back at the University of New Mexico and former assistant at Manzano, the practice was crisp, disciplined, and organized. “The first thing we did during the semester after the football season was hit the books. We didn’t lift weights, run plays during our football period, we (the coaches) sat with the kids and used football period as study hour to bring up G.P.A’s. We wanted to make sure their grades were in line before we took the next step in our program,” Said Flakes on Tuesday Morning. The Bulldogs return 18 starters from last season, a lot of these current varsity players have seen time since their sophomore season being pulled up do to lack of numbers. Fast forward to July of 2015, the Bulldogs had well over 60 players out at summer work outs. “There has been a significant amount of change in these young men, now they are very much accountable and up for the challenge to take care of their responsibilities. We are still building a foundation, it’s an every day commitment, it’s a process, it’s going to take some time, but as from a coaching perspective and from the players we are all excited about it,” Commented Flakes. Complete Team Preview on the Albuquerque Bulldogs Linked Here
23. Carlsbad
Yes Carlsbad is ranked in the preseason top 25 despite winning just two games in 2014. The reason: Gary Bradley is their head coach. We’re not saying Carlsbad is going to just run the district and make a deep playoff run, but Bradley has proved he can win and while Carlsbad needs to turn things around, a good foundation is already is place in a City that loves their football. The Cavemen will likely head to the triple option, which is good considering Junior to be Quarterback Jonah Leyva can run some. They graduate a ton of skill position players, so it’s unclear at this point who their featured backs are and how much they’ll even throw the football this year. Now while Carlsbad lost 8 games, remember they beat Hobbs and Alamogordo at the end of the season.
24. Deming
Very impressive 2014 for the Deming Wildcats in Class 6A. Wins over Carlsbad, EP Cathedral, Silver, Santa Fe, and Gadsden put them in playoff contention. Now while they play in one of the toughest districts in New Mexico they didn’t just roll over and they do return some good talent into the 2015 season. Dante Urrea returns at quarterback and had a monster year in 2014 throwing for over 800-yards yards and rushing for just under 1,000-yards in 10-games. They have some good size with Daniel Perez at 6-foot-2, 255 pounds and Israel Ruiz at 6-foot-1, 245 pounds returning.
25. Gadsden
Head Football Coach Joe Vasquez enters his second year as Head Coach at Gadsden, the Panthers went 2-8 in 2014 beating Santa Teresa and Chaparral. The Panthers return quite a few starters into the 2015 season, watch for Josh Dias at WR, Alvaro Gonzalez at OL, Sergio Ramos at QB, Hector De And a at RB, Josh Hernandez at OL, and Joey Balderamma at LB. You’re going to see a much improved Gadsden team in 2015.
26. Miyamura
One of the biggest surprises of the 2014 season was Miyamura going 9-1 in the regular season. Wins against Moriarty, Montezuma-Cortez CO, Grants, Academy, St. Pius X, Piedra Vista, and Farmington put them at a near perfect season before their one-point overtime loss to Aztec. In the playoffs they beat Los Lunas 27-2 before falling to Centennial 69-20. Miyamura could actually be better in 2015 returning 1,000-yard running back AJ Starkovich who is a 6-foot-0, 175 pound bruiser of a back to bring down. They return a few good sized linemen and also should return with confidence knowing just how far they reached last season.
27. West Mesa
Speaking with both Albuquerque Head Coach Curtis Flakes and Valley Head Coach Enrico Marcelli during the 2nd week of July, both commented that West Mesa should be solid this year. Though the Mustangs were just 2-8 in 2014, They return quite a few marquee players including quarterback Marcos Gonzales, Athlete Domonic Fischer, and 215 pound Defensive End Idan Urrutia who will likely be on our Preseason All-State list. The Mustangs also return one of the state's top field goal kickers in Sabino Morales.
28. Los Lunas
It's going to be tough to win the district this year for 2nd year head coach Terrell Trantham, but they have enough returning talent that reaching the playoffs is very much likely. Their game starts with returning junior running back O'Maury Samuels who has already been offered by the New Mexico State Aggies. At 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, he might be the most complete back in the State of New Mexico and he is only a class of 2017 prospect. Also returning for Los Lunas is Quarterback Hunter Wisneski who busted out a few games last year, also watch for 6-foot-2, 170 pound Trevor Brohard., If they can build a solid line over the summer, Los Lunas is going to be tough to handle in 2015.
29. Piedra Vista
The Panthers won 7 games during the regular season which was impressive considering how young they were roster wise. They finally graduate quarterback Isaiah Valdez, but return some game breakers like Elijah Gamboa and also have some big linemen: Jose Dominguez is listed at 5-foot-10, 350 pounds, Isiah Billy is 6-foot-0, 265, Doug Frost is 6-foot-0, 245 pounds, Jake Terry is 5-foot-10, 245 pounds. They reached the playoffs last year beating Valencia in the first round 44-21. Piedra Vista has the talent to return in the playoffs in 2015.
30. Del Norte
Del Norte is certainly on the come up under Head Coach Bruce Binkley and while they graduate some very good talent, they could be even better in 2015. Last year with Dual Threat Quarterback Standout Tyrelle Pryor at the helm they went 5-6 losing to Aztec in the playoffs. This year they return 6-foot-0, 238 pound Running Back/Fullback/Linebacker Avery See and Offensive Linemen Gabe Desoto at 6-foot-2, 255 pounds.
31. Farmington
The headline over the season was Gary Bradley is out in Farmington after taking the Head Coaching position in Carlsbad. In steps Jeff Dalton who has been the defensive coordinator for several years. Farmington won 6 games last season before losing to Belen in the quarterfinals 47-9. Returning for Farmington in 2015 is Donovan Gonzalez, Returning Quarterback Diego Elebario, 6-foot-2, 170 Jeb Pinckley, and 175 pound Matt Tucson at running back.
32. Santa Fe
The Santa Fe Demons are a tough team to rank because of their recent move into Class 6A. Before district Santa Fe beat teams like Grants, Capital, Los Alamos, and Gallup. However, when the district season hit the Demons were beaten by Rio Rancho 63-7, Cleveland 47-0, Volcano Vista 46-8, and Cibola 50-0. Good news is they return Junior Quarterback Adrian Blea and Bailey Lozada-Cabbage who is 6-foot-2, 215 pound Tight End out of the Class of 2017.
33. Valencia
Likely a down season at 6-5 if you ask Valencia followers: The reason is because they had so much talent on the 2014 roster. An early exit losing to Piedra Vista 44-21 in the playoffs was Kevin Jolley's last game as Valencia Head Coach and in steps former Clayton Head Coach Collin Justiss. Justiss has taking Clayton to back to back state titles, actually he's coached in three state titles in three years taking Capitan to the finals in 2012. Look for Fermin Lucero to take over at quarterback, they lose pretty much all their skill guys, but return defensive linemen Zach Lowe who had 10.5 sacks as a sophomore.
34. Aztec
The Tigers had their best year yet under Head Coach Matthew Steinfeldt going 8-3 and winning the District 1-5A title beating Miyamura in a thriller 36-35 in overtime. In the playoffs they were beaten by Goddard 42-14 in the quarterfinal round. Step back this year talent wise? Maybe so as the Tigers graduate three year starting quarterback Marcus Crawford who threw for 2,670-yards and 37 touchdowns last year, they also graduate Josh Harris who caught for 1,548-yards and 27 touchdowns. Returning: Watch for Sophomore to be Cody Smith to take over at quarterback, Dylan Sutherland returns who caught for 326-yards last year, they also return Taylor Elwood who lead the team in tackles with 105.
35. Roswell
In 2013 under Jeff Lynn the Coyotes went 6-5, in 2014 the Coyotes went 2-8 missing the playoffs. They did beat Silver 45-12 early in the season, Silver was a final 4 team in Class 4A. However, they lost close games against Moriarty, Ruidoso, and played Goddard close late in the year losing only 21-10. The Coyotes return Dominic Anaya who was an All-State Corner, return Jacob Miley at quarterback who is 6-foot-3, 180, but other than that it's tough to gage these guys early on.
36. Lovington
The Lovington Wildcats missed the playoffs in their first year in Class 6A going 5-5 under Jaime Quinones. The Wildcats also lost their last 4-games of the season falling to Hobbs, Goddard, Roswell, and Artesia. Look for Dallas Sterns to take over at quarterback, and big boys like Matthew Granger at 245 pounds, Eric Gonzales at 243-pounds, and AJ Ochoa at 240 pounds. Tough district for these guys, but Lovington isn't just going to roll over, ever.
37. Cobre
What a year Cobre had during the 2014 season going 10-4 and reaching the state championship game under Jerry Martinez. Cobre beat Morenci AZ, Ysleta TX, and Hatch during the months of October, which put them into the top 10, but doubt anyone thought that they would make a late season run. They lost to Silver in district 13-6, then beat El Paso Cathedral 46-14, then beat Hot Springs in the playoffs 49-6, and beat Bloomfield the No. 4 seed in the playoffs 34-23, which paired them up against Hatch Valley for a second go-round, the Indians won 21-14. In the finals in a thriller at the Field of Dreams, Ruidoso would win 35-28. The Indians return Corey Roberson, Dominic Redwine, Andru Sanchez, and Chris Dominguez. These guys could definitely make a run again.
38. Silver
The Colts have been fantastic under Coach Butch Branson winning a total of 29 games over the last three seasons. In 2014 they went 9-4 and reached the semifinals before losing to Ruidoso 14-7. Once again they graduate some big names, but return some key seniors: Shawn Gutierrez at backer, Jeremiah Burke 6-1, 190 at receiver, Chad Flower 6-0, 170 in the secondary, and linebacker Derrick Morales.
39. Ruidoso
The Ruidoso Warriors were nearly perfect during the 2014 season going 12-1 and winning the Class 4A State Title Game beating Cobre 35-28. They scored 487 points on the season and allowed 147, but the question mark heading into 2015 is who will step up to carry the torch after the graduation of a loaded roster. They graduate Cade Patterson at quarterback who threw for 2,798-yards, graduate Parker Johnson, who was a NMPreps.com Mr. Football Candidate, and Defensive End Dillon Trapp among many others. Looking for Cisco Mayville to be their guy, as a sophomore he ran for 1,350-yards and 17 touchdowns. They also return Jake Harrelson at linebacker who recorded 164 tackles as a junior, he also has an offer from Eastern New Mexico on the table.
40. Hatch Valley
The Hatch Valley Bears went 9-4 last season under Jack Cisco. In the playoffs they defeated NMMI, Robertson, before losing to Cobre 21-14 in the semifinals. The Hatch Bears return a good amount of talent into the 2015 season including Quarterback Jared Garay who threw for 866-yards and Adrien Grajeda who ran for 1,146-yards. Manuel Romero, Jeremy Padilla, and Austin Franzoy are additional key names to know going into this season. Don't be surprised if Hatch is even better in 2015.
41. Robertson
Pictured is 220 pound LB/TE Francisco Arguello
Last year was the Cardinals years to win it all again. They went 10-1 during year losing in the playoffs against Hatch Valley 20-16. A team built on defense allowed just 109 points on the year and while they graduate a good amount of talent, the Cardinals return another tough crop of sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Keep tabs on JR Gonzales as an athlete, Matthew Baca at running back, 220 pound Francisco Arguello at backer, and rising sophomore Arjay Ortiz.
42. Bloomfield
Head Football Coach Bob Allcorn won at Moriarty and he's winning at Bloomfield. Last year, the Bobcats went 9-2 in Allcorn's first year before losing to Cobre in the quarterfinal round. They return quarterback Brendon Charley who threw for 660-yards and also return Brandon Ramsey who ran for close to 300-yards as just a sophomore. Bloomfield as they've been for many years is the district favorite heading in.
43. Estancia
Pictured is 226 pound FB/LB/DE Caleb Ortiz who ran for over 770-yards as a junior
Is it possible for Estancia to be even better entering the 2015 season? Last year the Bears finished out the season 11-3 beating Clayton 14-6 to win the Class 3A State Title. Their offense racked up 517 points and allowed just 148. Returning is FB/DE/LB Caleb Ortiz at 6-foot-3, 226 pounds, 253 pound linemen Gabe Garcia, 268 pound linemen Michael Garcia, and Adam Lujan who ran for over 500-yards as a junior.
44. St. Michael's
Under Head Football Coach Joey Fernandez it seems that St. Michael's is a yearly contender. Though they came up short in the playoffs against Ruidoso last year, the Horsemen were young and they'll be young this year. The sophomores have grown up a bit, but they are still one-year away from a state title run year. Returning is 6-foot-0, 210 pound linebacker Xavier Vigil who is one of the top juniors in New Mexico and also watch for Chross Jaramillo, Joey Fernandez Jr., and Jake Tetrault, none of the players mentioned will be seniors.
45. Capital
The Jaguars are going to make a run for the district title this year. There we said it. Bill Moon has built the program up from scratch and this year the Jaguars have enough talent to compete for a slot in the playoffs. Last year they went 5-5 with wins against West Las Vegas, Los Alamos, Bernalillo, Socorro, and Espanola Valley. They return quarterback Augustine Larranaga and Kevin Brown, two game breakers.
46. Moriarty
The Pintos finished the season 5-5 missing the playoffs despite winning their last two games of the season beating Grants and Academy. You should expect a blue collar type team that is cable of pulling off weekend upsets under Head Coach Joe Anaya who has kept the Moriarty program light shining after Bob Allcorn took the Bloomfield Job. Watch for linebacker Allen Michel who will be a three year starter.
47. Portales
The Rams are going to be a team to keep tabs on entering the 2015 season because of their skill position players. Last year the Rams went 7-5 before losing to Silver in the playoffs. Headlining the roster is Bronte Staugaard who had an outstanding year rushing for 1,517-yards and 22 touchdowns, he is going to be a handful each Friday Night.
48. Lordsburg
This year's Lordsburg team is going to be one of the better team's they've had in the last 10-15 years, yes they are going to be that good and could be even better in 2016. Last year with a handful of talented sophomores Lordsburg went 10-2 before losing to Estancia 53-14 in the playoffs. They return Junior Quarterback Johnny Plowman who threw for 2,204-yards and 33 touchdowns, return Raymond Saucedo who ran for 959-yards as a sophomore, return Jacob Esquivel who caught for 895-yards and 17 touchdowns as a sophomore.
49. Academy
The Chargers had just 25 players on their roster during the 2014 season as they went independent. They won three games on the season beating Santa Rosa, Taos, and Bernalillo. It's always tough to gage their incoming talent, but they due return Clay Crosby at running back. Don't judge a book by their cover, these guys will beat you on any given day.
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50. Clayton
For the last two years Clayton has reached the state title game in Class 3A. The bad news is that Head Coach Collin Justiss resigned and took over the Valencia Opening. In steps Dustin Tippitt who inherits a very good roster. Carson Vandiver, Justin Taylor, Jose Zamora, Tomas Sanchez, Tucker Poling and freshman to be Kobe Leal are going to keep Clayton in the mix in 2015.
51. Grants
Head Football Coach Rio Thompson enters his second year as Head Coach at Grants, last year the Pirates missed the playoffs going 4-7 on the season. They return two-year starting quarterback Brandon Hernandez and 6-foot-6, 255 pound offensive linemen Bradley Hatten.
52. Espanola
Espanola Valley is coming off a 5-5 season and things are looking bright entering 2015 under Miguel Medina. Last year Espanola reeled off wins against West Las Vegas, Gallup, Bernalillo, McCurdy, and Questa. They return Marcos Flores at quarterback and a handful of key players that started in 2014.
53. Hot Springs
The Hot Springs Tigers reached the 2014 playoffs with a 5-5 record and were paired against Cobre in the 1st round losing 49-6. The Tigers return some solid prospects into the season headlined by Nick Moreno at running back and Darin Welty at quarterback.
54. West Las Vegas
You have to think the Dons are on the come up under Adrian Gonzales as Head Coach. It's been a tough place to win, but West Las Vegas showed some moxy last year beating Taos 20-14 late in the year. They return Miguel Sena at receiver who caught for 799-yards and 7 touchdowns as well as Jordan Martinez who totaled 75 tackles.
55. Taos
Flavio Lopez is out as Head Coach at Taos, in steps Art Abreu Jr as a first year head coach. Taos has been a formidable opponent over the last few years, however four straight losses to the end of the season stopped them from reaching the playoffs. They return Damian Garcia at backer who recorded 94 total tackles as a junior as well as Khaleel Bial who recorded 12 sacks in 2014.
56. Texico
The Wolverines had a rare down year in 2014 winning just three football games. What we like about Texico headed into the 2015 season is they return a ton of talent. Watch for standout running back Mason Golden who ran for over 1,000-yards as a sophomore last year.
57. Hope
The Huskies Football Program has never really taken off. They have had three different head coaches in the last three years and went 2-8 last year going 0-4 in district play. The good news is that Caleb Meyer Hagen returns at quarterback, he'll be a three year starter.
58. Rio Grande
The Ravens will enter the 2015 season with another Head Football Coach. Sam Mascarenas takes over following Pat Quillen who went 1-9 in 2014. Last year the Ravens were outscored 119-429 on the season, their only win came against Highland winning 38-20.
59. Highland
The last time Highland won a football game was on October 10th of 2013. Over the last two years the Hornets are 1-19 and went 0-10 during the 2014 season under first year Head Coach Stacy Washington. 6-foot-4, 190 pond Dominic Johnson returns at quarterback.
60. Dexter
Kevin Graham takes over as Head Coach replacing Frank Sandoval. Last year the Demons went 8-4 on the season losing to Eunice in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. Dexter, again should be very competitive returning three year starting quarterback Dominic Lomeli.
61. Santa Rosa
The Lions had a rare losing season in 2014 gong 5-7 on the year. After beating Navajo Prep in the 1st round of the playoffs, the Lions were trounced by Clayton 52-0 in the quarterfinals. Returning is 234 pound Matt Chavez up front, but other than that it's tough to tell who will step up. Then again, it's Santa Rosa Football.
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62. Escalante
Head Coach Dusty Giles brought home another state championship to Escalante after going 12-0 beating 34-30. In the finals the Lobos beat Hagerman 34-30 in a thriller. Dominic Montano returns at quarterback who is aka superman. Montano threw for 865-yards and 15 touchdowns, but check this out: ran for an incredible 2,194-yards and 34 touchdowns. The Lobos should be just fine once again.
63. Eunice
The Cardinals started out the 2014 season 0-4, then won their next 7 games under Head Coach Caleb Aldridge. In the playoffs they were beaten by Clayton 34-14. After the season, Aldridge resigned and the position was filled by former Carlsbad Offensive Coordinator Ken Stevens. They return Blane Ferbrache who ran for 992-yards as a junior in 2014.
64. Kirtland Central
The Broncos moved down to Class 4A and reached the playoffs under Kevin Graham losing to St. Mike's 20-12 in the 1st round. The bad news is Graham took over the head position in Dexter. Kirtland Central has rotating head coaches a few times over the years, causes program setbacks. Leo Nez at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds returns at defensive end.
65. Tularosa
The Wildcats won 6 games during the 2014 season under Bryan Jones. Their season ended in the quarterfinals losing to rival Lordsburg 35-18. The Wildcats return quarterback Dakota Varbel and junior to be Cameron Sheppard. Tularosa just might surprise you this year.
66. Laguna Acoma
Over the last two years under Head Coach Roger Cordova, the Hawks have won 17 games. A big part of their success over the years has come from having Running David McGee leading the way, he finally graduated, so did play maker Ryan Arkie. Who will step up in Laguna in 2015?
67. NMMI
NMMI year in and year out is like a box of chocolates, you never know who is going to attend the military boarding school. Last year the Colts won 7 games under Randy Montoya, their defense was stellar allowing just 127 points on the season and forcing 4 shutouts on the season.
68. Pojoaque
The Elks reached the playoffs last year after winning key district games against Taos and West Las Vegas. In the 1st round they were beaten by Portales 41-18. Winning 11 games in the last two years, Coach John Ainsworth deserves some major props, it's a very tough place to win.
69. Los Alamos
The Hilltoppers went a dismal 1-9 last season under Head Coach Garrett Williams, their lone win came against Espanola in a 38-28 shootout. They return Patrick Irish at 265 pounds as well as Nathan Rogers at 6-foot-3, 265 pounds.
70. Melrose
Melrose continues to win state titles at the 8-man level. In 2014 the Buffs went 11-1 during the season beating Logan 76-37. The scary thing is they return pretty much everyone from last year, including Braden Hemminger at 6-foot-4, 180, Wyatt Williams at 6-foot-2, 160, and Sophomore to be Cade Barard at 6-foot-3, 198 pounds.
71. Hagerman
The Bobcats went 10-2 last season under Case Crandall losing to Escalante in the 2A title game 34-30. This year they return 220 pound Gayvn Quiroz and 175 pound Logan Franklin.
72. Bernalillo
Last year Bernalillo went 2-8 under Trent Spencer, the new coach of the 2015 season is John Cabos. It's been a long time since the glory years at Bernalillo back in 2009 and 2010 when they were back to back district champs under Ken Noel.
73. Chaparral
The Lobos went 2-8 during the 2014 season, the highlight of the season was of course beating district rival Santa Teresa 24-19. They also beat San Elizario 20-14. Winning two games at Chaparral is impressive considering the Lobos won a total of 1 during the 2012 and 2013 season.
74. Santa Teresa
The Desert Warriors went 0-5 in district play last year losing their last 5 games of the season, even losing to Chaparral 24-19. It's been a while since Santa teresa has visited the playoffs, 2010 was the last time the Desert Warriors were in the post season. Santa Teresa should have some size up front" Isaac Lara at 285, Raymond Lopez at 285, and Julian Urquidi at 250 pounds.
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75. Raton
The 2015 season will mark the 2nd season under Head Coach Tory Giacomo at Raton. The Tigers are a combined 6-15 over the last two years missing the playoffs in 2014. The overall numbers at Raton seem to be very low. Returning is Dakota Martinez at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds as well as TJ Shell at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds.
76. Loving
It's good that Loving Football is back, remember two years ago they had to cancel the season because of lack of numbers. Last year under Doug Santo they went 2-7 beating Ft. Sumner and Jal.
77. Thoreau
The Hawks went 8-2 last year under Roger Willie and despite winning their last two games of the season beating Wingate 52-0 and Santa Fe Indian 32-5, the Hawks missed the playoffs. The Hawks do graduate 10-years.
78. Jal
The Panthers were 1-8 last year and didn't score a touchdown until the 4th game of the season. The Panthers return quarterback Lane Madera and 230 pound linebacker Jacobi Reeves.
79. Tucumcari
Believe it or not, Tucumcari went 0-10 during the 2014 being outscored 465-146. The good news is that Tucumcari was pretty young last year and return some good talent including Tyler Ferguson who is returning at quarterback.
80. Logan
The 2014 8-Man state runner ups graduate 5 seniors including Eastern New Mexico Commit Wyatt Strand. The incoming senior class has some big shoes to fulfill, watch for Scott Earle at 200 pounds and for Kohl Ciemmy at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds. In 2014 Logan scored 780 points.
81. Magdalena
The Steers are coming off a 10-1 season under Head Coach Scott Dean and during their last 4 games of the season their results read like this: Beat Alamo Navajo 67-0, beat Cloudcroft 71-0, beat Mescalero 72-0, and beat Dora 62-0. They lost to Melrose in the playoffs 36-16. They return standout Mike Chambers.
82. Questa
The Wildcats came up short in the 2014 2A playoffs losing to Escalante 26-14. They only graduate 8 seniors and return Tomas Madrid who had more than 500 all purpose yards as just a sophomore.
83. Ft. Sumner
The Foxes went 5-5 during the 2014 season and had a bumpy ending losing their last 4 out of 5 games and then eventually losing to Hagerman 36-6 in the playoffs. Watch for Tyler Riggins at 6-foot-1, 165 pound senior and also watch for Wyatt Bishop at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds.
84. Santa Fe Indian
The Santa Fe Indian Braves beat Crownpoint, McCurdy, Dulce, and Wingate all during the 2014 season and ended up with a 5-4 record under Eric Brock.
85. Capitan
The Tigers had another down season in 2014 winning just 3 games. Not sure what the reason is, but the Tigers have been rotating coaches almost at will year after year. James Weems is the Head Coach in 2015, watch for Luke Walker who will likely start at quarterback.
86. Shiprock
The Chieftains missed the 2014 playoffs and lost keys district games against Thoreau, Bloomfield, and Kirtland late in the year. The last Shiprock team to reach the finals was way back in 2010 under Head Coach Richard Ballard.
87. Mesilla Valley
The Son Blazers missed the 2014 playoffs going 2-8 on the season and losing their last 8 game of the season.
88. McCurdy
McCurdy went just 2-8 under Jorge Oropeza and missed the 2014 2A playoffs. Their lone wins came against Navajo Pine and Cuba. The last time they reached the playoffs was back in 2012 under Eric Vigil.
89. Socorro
The Warriors went 0-10 during the 2014 season under Quevin Redding. They were outscored 73-477 on the season. Watch for Jonah Mauldin at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds who is returning at backer.
90. Tatum
Tatum has become a yearly staple in the 8-Man playoffs and this year should be no different. Last year the Coyotes went 6-4 under Head Coach Gary Durham before losing to Melrose 52-14 in the playoffs. For a 8-Man program their numbers are impressive, last year they had 32 on the roster. Watch for 5-foot-10, 215 pound Jaun Sanchez and Steven Gutirrez at 5-foot-10, 210 pounds, both are returning up front.
91. Gateway Christian
The Warriors put together a strong 2014 season going 7-4 before losing in the playoffs to Logan. They return more than 10 lettermen into the 2015 season. Watch for Cort Marley and Johnny Worral.
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92. Hondo
The 2014 Class 6-Man champs went perfect at 10-0 last year racking up 656 points and allowing just 117. They pounded Lake Arthur in the finals 72-33. They graduate Roberto Nores, but return 230 pound Jake Devine and junior to be Christopher Torero.
93. Lake Arthur
The Panthers again put together a big year in 6-man going 9-3 losing to the Hondo in the state finals. They return running backs Saul De La Cruz and Leonel Velo, the duo should shine this year.
94. Zuni
Last year the Thunderbirds went 2-8 under Corey Robinson with their two wins coming against Tohatchi and Navajo Pine. They return just 5 lettermen into the 2015 season. Watch for Hared Sooseeah at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds.
95. Floyd
The Broncos made a strong run towards the end of last year beating teams like Lake Arthur 36-34, beat Roy 90-0, and beat Grady 51-0, before losing in a heartbreaker against Lake Arthur 34-26. While they graduate more than 6 seniors, they return more 10 varsity lettermen. Watch for Mark McDonald at 6-foot-0 and 195 pounds.
96. Animas
The Panthers went 6-3 last year under Richard Winkler with notable wins against Vaughn and rival Reserve. They came up short in the playoffs losing to Grady 61-41. Returning to the 2015 season 11 varsity lettermen, watch for Zach Winkler at 6-foot-0, 165 pounds.
97. Dulce
The Hawks won just two games during the 2014 season beating Navajo Pine and rival Cuba in a thriller 26-24. The Hawks will likely start two sophomore linemen: Robert Perea at 250 pounds and Chris Gomez at 235 pounds.
98. Navajo Pine
Last year the only game the Warriors won was against Cuba by way of forfeit. They scored just 26 points all year and allowed 398 being shutout in 5 games.
99. Cuba
100. Gallup
The Gallup Bengals have a record of 2-18 over the last two years, last year the program likely hit their bottom point going 0-10 on the season. Taking over at Head Coach for the Bengals is Joshua Olsen.