Bold Picks, Rapid Fire and Some Questions
Joshua J Grine of NMPreps.com
Back for its unpopular debut is the weekend trends where I make three bold picks. Also, rapid fire and a few questions about the games this coming weekend.
Weekend Trends: Bold Picks
We try to pick three things that we could all be talking about on Saturday morning.
1. The Upset: Santa Fe over Capital. Santa Fe is currently unranked and on a losing streak that is at 15 games dating back to the 2014 season. So why the upset here? Santa Fe played decent against St. Michael's who is ranked 30th in the Fab 50, while Capital is still looking for it's own groove after a 0-2 start. Santa Fe does have some hidden gems that could show their shape during this contest.
2. Score: Rio Rancho and Clovis combine for 90. I know we have the predicted score at 28-27 Rio Rancho. However, if we are trying to be bold I could see a 40-45 shootout in this one. Rio Rancho has gone over 30 each game, Clovis over 40. Maybe, a shootout is in store if the offenses go wild. In Last season it was a 37-34 close fought game but in 2013 they had a 62-59 (OT) game! Who's ready for a basketball like score?
3. The Stat: 8 Touchdowns, 2 Running backs. Staying with the Rams and Wildcats we have two of the best running backs in the state. Josh Foley of Rio Rancho and Micah Gray of Clovis. I think between the both in the predict high scoring affair, they have a combined 8 touchdowns. My only question is who gets the last one?
Rapid Fire
X-Factor: Cade Manzanares, MLB, Roswell: The Coyotes are the favorites against the Hobbs Eagles this weekend. Manzanares can get to the quarterback with 4.5 sacks on the season. Could get a pair against a weak OL and passing offense.
Player of the Week Watch: Payton Ball, QB, Las Cruces: We have Las Cruces as the predicted winner against Cleveland. The junior quarterback will have his moments to shine and have is true "I've arrived" moment in this game.
Impact at 3-0: Moriarty. The Pintos are ranked number one in 4A football but a 3-0 start with a winner over a Fab 50 opponent will silence some of the critics. This win could prove if they are the real deal in 2016.
Impact at 0-3: Capital. The season could get away from the Jaguars if they drop to 0-3 this week with another loss to a city rival. The Jaguars need to find that first win and hopefully ride into district play with some confidence.
Under the Radar Game: Belen vs Farmington. We sort of picked the right game in this section last week, this week again should be a game that we haven't talked about but could be a must see. Both teams will need this win the selection committee meets.
Bubble Game: Cibola vs Manzano. Neither team is predicted to win their district. Both can't afford a loss here as maybe 2 spots will be left when the selection committee meets a loss here could put you at 13 or 14 instead of 10 or 11.
Top-25 Questions
1. Does Eldorado Have The Best - Underrated - Offense? They have put up 90 points this season, 45 in both games and still not much conversation on the offense. They have done it against good competition too, with a win over Volcano Vista and we know what happened in the opener against Las Cruces. This could be the true test against Mayfield to prove just how good this offense is. Right now I would have to consider it among the best in the state.
2. Can Clovis slow down Rio Rancho at home? We talked about how close the 2015 and 2013 games were but the 2014 game in Clovis was a 42-14 blowout. This one is in Clovis and Rio Rancho is proving to answer any question while playing well on the road. Clovis has its hands full against a solid OL but Clovis brings an underrated DL that could be the X-factor in slowing them down.
3. Will we see the potential breakout for Andres Trujillo? We hit on the quarterback for Las Cruces but the highly anticpated showing of Trujillo has been relatively mum. This could be the game we all take a bigger notice on Cleveland and Trujillo. The Storm has been somewhat slow winds this season and will need a thunder of a game to truly make a claim as a title contender again.
Joshua J Grine of NMPreps.com
Back for its unpopular debut is the weekend trends where I make three bold picks. Also, rapid fire and a few questions about the games this coming weekend.
Weekend Trends: Bold Picks
We try to pick three things that we could all be talking about on Saturday morning.
1. The Upset: Santa Fe over Capital. Santa Fe is currently unranked and on a losing streak that is at 15 games dating back to the 2014 season. So why the upset here? Santa Fe played decent against St. Michael's who is ranked 30th in the Fab 50, while Capital is still looking for it's own groove after a 0-2 start. Santa Fe does have some hidden gems that could show their shape during this contest.
2. Score: Rio Rancho and Clovis combine for 90. I know we have the predicted score at 28-27 Rio Rancho. However, if we are trying to be bold I could see a 40-45 shootout in this one. Rio Rancho has gone over 30 each game, Clovis over 40. Maybe, a shootout is in store if the offenses go wild. In Last season it was a 37-34 close fought game but in 2013 they had a 62-59 (OT) game! Who's ready for a basketball like score?
3. The Stat: 8 Touchdowns, 2 Running backs. Staying with the Rams and Wildcats we have two of the best running backs in the state. Josh Foley of Rio Rancho and Micah Gray of Clovis. I think between the both in the predict high scoring affair, they have a combined 8 touchdowns. My only question is who gets the last one?
Rapid Fire
X-Factor: Cade Manzanares, MLB, Roswell: The Coyotes are the favorites against the Hobbs Eagles this weekend. Manzanares can get to the quarterback with 4.5 sacks on the season. Could get a pair against a weak OL and passing offense.
Player of the Week Watch: Payton Ball, QB, Las Cruces: We have Las Cruces as the predicted winner against Cleveland. The junior quarterback will have his moments to shine and have is true "I've arrived" moment in this game.
Impact at 3-0: Moriarty. The Pintos are ranked number one in 4A football but a 3-0 start with a winner over a Fab 50 opponent will silence some of the critics. This win could prove if they are the real deal in 2016.
Impact at 0-3: Capital. The season could get away from the Jaguars if they drop to 0-3 this week with another loss to a city rival. The Jaguars need to find that first win and hopefully ride into district play with some confidence.
Under the Radar Game: Belen vs Farmington. We sort of picked the right game in this section last week, this week again should be a game that we haven't talked about but could be a must see. Both teams will need this win the selection committee meets.
Bubble Game: Cibola vs Manzano. Neither team is predicted to win their district. Both can't afford a loss here as maybe 2 spots will be left when the selection committee meets a loss here could put you at 13 or 14 instead of 10 or 11.
Top-25 Questions
1. Does Eldorado Have The Best - Underrated - Offense? They have put up 90 points this season, 45 in both games and still not much conversation on the offense. They have done it against good competition too, with a win over Volcano Vista and we know what happened in the opener against Las Cruces. This could be the true test against Mayfield to prove just how good this offense is. Right now I would have to consider it among the best in the state.
2. Can Clovis slow down Rio Rancho at home? We talked about how close the 2015 and 2013 games were but the 2014 game in Clovis was a 42-14 blowout. This one is in Clovis and Rio Rancho is proving to answer any question while playing well on the road. Clovis has its hands full against a solid OL but Clovis brings an underrated DL that could be the X-factor in slowing them down.
3. Will we see the potential breakout for Andres Trujillo? We hit on the quarterback for Las Cruces but the highly anticpated showing of Trujillo has been relatively mum. This could be the game we all take a bigger notice on Cleveland and Trujillo. The Storm has been somewhat slow winds this season and will need a thunder of a game to truly make a claim as a title contender again.
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