4A Team Rankings: District 5 (Central District)
NMPreps will continue to release team rankings for each classification in New Mexico. We are less than two months away from the first game and we get you started. In 4A we will release by district and then with ranking all 18-teams in the classification.
The Central District (or District 5/6 although there are only four districts in 4A) is one that could be a toss-up. Bernalillo and Grants led the way last season as they finished off the covid season playing in the bowl game with Bernalillo winning, 7-6. This season could be the team that once owned each district crown in St. Pius X with a handful of returning prospects.
Project Order of Finish
1. St. Pius X (last season: 1-3 overall, 0-2 district)
The Sartans return some top talent in the district and we look forward to watching running back Marco Ybarra (2022/RB-LB). Others to keep an eye on this season that made an impact last season are Cian Jones (2022/QB), Dominic Esparza (2022/ATH), and Joaquin Medina (2022/LB). They have some skill players returning but the concern could be the line and defense.
2. Bernalillo (last season: 4-0 overall, 2-0 district)
The Spartans had a season to remember during the Spring. Head coach John Cobos won coach of the year in New Mexico and the team went a perfect 4-0. Well, Fall 2021 could be the start of a rebuild as they will have many holes to fill this coming season. Tristen Ludi-Herrera (ATH/2022) and Kevin Chavez (MLB/2022) will provide immediate help this coming season but they could be surrounded by inexperience and youth.
3. Grants (last season: 3-1 overall, 1-1 district)
The Pirate ship has docked and many familiar faces have stepped off the ship including arguably their best head coach in the last twenty years in Rio Thompson who not only gave life to the program he also sent a handful to the next level. Enter Pirate alumnus Brandon Hernandez, great hire for what the Pirates need during a transition, who has been an assistant at West Mesa most recently. Also, the Pirates must replace the second-ranked QB in the state in Brandon Furbee who is now at Farmington HS. We should also add they graduated Terrell Hocker who was top-3 in the state for rushing yards. We can't go without giving a name to watch and that player is Tyler Everhart (2022) who has all of the tools to be playing at the next level.
4. Albuquerque Academy (last season: 2-2 overall)
The Chargers enter the central district this season and have been on a steady incline under head coach Shaun Gehres. After going 2-2 last season they hope to continue their build of the Chargers program, one that once played for a state championship (2010). Looking forward to the Chargers return quarterback Andres Rivera (2023) who threw for 728-yards and 6-touchdowns during the short 4-game covid season in the Spring. Add in his top three targets in Kellen Gehres (2023), Mark McIntosh (2022), and Tyler Wilson (2022), and the Chargers could be a surprise squad.
5. Valencia (last season: 0-3 overall)
The Jaguars hit a low last season and dropped all three games. It's hard to tell what went wrong last season but this is an area that could have been highly impacted by the pandemic (and everything that has to do with players not in school). Head coach Wesley Shank is one of the best and although this building project is taking a bit longer, the Jaguars should be back within a few years. They had some youth in 2019 that we liked and if they have developed some they could be a force. Matthew Chavez (2023), Rey Garcia (2023), and Nate Rodriguez (2022) are some that come to mind as they look to rebound this Fall.
Note: After we rank each team in their district we will then release all 18-teams for our 4A preseason rankings.
NMPreps will continue to release team rankings for each classification in New Mexico. We are less than two months away from the first game and we get you started. In 4A we will release by district and then with ranking all 18-teams in the classification.
The Central District (or District 5/6 although there are only four districts in 4A) is one that could be a toss-up. Bernalillo and Grants led the way last season as they finished off the covid season playing in the bowl game with Bernalillo winning, 7-6. This season could be the team that once owned each district crown in St. Pius X with a handful of returning prospects.
Project Order of Finish
1. St. Pius X (last season: 1-3 overall, 0-2 district)
The Sartans return some top talent in the district and we look forward to watching running back Marco Ybarra (2022/RB-LB). Others to keep an eye on this season that made an impact last season are Cian Jones (2022/QB), Dominic Esparza (2022/ATH), and Joaquin Medina (2022/LB). They have some skill players returning but the concern could be the line and defense.
2. Bernalillo (last season: 4-0 overall, 2-0 district)
The Spartans had a season to remember during the Spring. Head coach John Cobos won coach of the year in New Mexico and the team went a perfect 4-0. Well, Fall 2021 could be the start of a rebuild as they will have many holes to fill this coming season. Tristen Ludi-Herrera (ATH/2022) and Kevin Chavez (MLB/2022) will provide immediate help this coming season but they could be surrounded by inexperience and youth.
3. Grants (last season: 3-1 overall, 1-1 district)
The Pirate ship has docked and many familiar faces have stepped off the ship including arguably their best head coach in the last twenty years in Rio Thompson who not only gave life to the program he also sent a handful to the next level. Enter Pirate alumnus Brandon Hernandez, great hire for what the Pirates need during a transition, who has been an assistant at West Mesa most recently. Also, the Pirates must replace the second-ranked QB in the state in Brandon Furbee who is now at Farmington HS. We should also add they graduated Terrell Hocker who was top-3 in the state for rushing yards. We can't go without giving a name to watch and that player is Tyler Everhart (2022) who has all of the tools to be playing at the next level.
4. Albuquerque Academy (last season: 2-2 overall)
The Chargers enter the central district this season and have been on a steady incline under head coach Shaun Gehres. After going 2-2 last season they hope to continue their build of the Chargers program, one that once played for a state championship (2010). Looking forward to the Chargers return quarterback Andres Rivera (2023) who threw for 728-yards and 6-touchdowns during the short 4-game covid season in the Spring. Add in his top three targets in Kellen Gehres (2023), Mark McIntosh (2022), and Tyler Wilson (2022), and the Chargers could be a surprise squad.
5. Valencia (last season: 0-3 overall)
The Jaguars hit a low last season and dropped all three games. It's hard to tell what went wrong last season but this is an area that could have been highly impacted by the pandemic (and everything that has to do with players not in school). Head coach Wesley Shank is one of the best and although this building project is taking a bit longer, the Jaguars should be back within a few years. They had some youth in 2019 that we liked and if they have developed some they could be a force. Matthew Chavez (2023), Rey Garcia (2023), and Nate Rodriguez (2022) are some that come to mind as they look to rebound this Fall.
Note: After we rank each team in their district we will then release all 18-teams for our 4A preseason rankings.
