1st Quarter Assessment after 4 weeks
By: Kyle Henderson of NMPreps.com
6A Elite
Is the theme in Class 6A really: Cleveland then who? The Storm the NMPreps.com Preseason Favorite and still ranked No. 1 on September 1st, 2015 are 4-0 outscoring the competition 207-56 following their 50-20 win over Clovis at Leon Williams. With impressive wins against El Paso Del Valle 52-36 and Clovis, it’s clear this group is worth the preseason hype and the heavy favorite to continue to dominate Class 6A.
Previous to week 4, the Mayfield Trojans sat at the No. 2 spot before they were upset in Alamogordo by the now 4-0 Tigers 46-28. In his third year as Head Coach at Alamogordo Dale Hooper and the Tigers are 4-0 after their statewide shocking victory placing them as a new contender in Class 6A, in-fact the majority of the NMPreps.com Premium Fan-base voted them No. 2 overall after their week 4 victory. Alamogordo is scoring 51.0 points per game and allowing just 10 points per game on defense.
As usual the Las Cruces Bulldawgs are in the 6A elite discussion and while they are playing a good amount of juniors and sophomores, the Bulldawgs have reeled off 3 impressive wins to start the season. A 46-7 over La Cueva, a 24-21 win over Volcano Vista, and 34-31 win against Rio Rancho has proven they can win the big game, they have a monster match up with undefeated Centennial in week 5 this Friday Night.
Despite graduating Blue Chip Quarterback Zach Gentry who is now red-shirting for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, Head Eldorado Football Coach Charlie Dotson has continued his winning success as the Eagles enter week 5 at 4-0. Grabbing their first big win over 2015 over Volcano Vista 38-21 in Week 4 grabbed the state’s attention, in week 5 they take on the Mayfield Trojans at the Field of Dreams this Saturday.
6A Still In The Mix
While the Mayfield Trojans now 3-1 were finally defeated by Alamogordo after 22-long years, the Trojans have been a yearly 6A contender and that won’t change after one early season loss. No word on when Running Back Isaac Vance will return, we’ve been told he is sick and also told he is suffering from an ankle injury, whichever the case, once he is healthy the Trojans are as dangerous as anyone in New Mexico.
There are also some .500 level teams that dangerous on any given week: Rio Rancho, Volcano Vista, and Hobbs all fall into this category. The Rams were defeated 34-31 on the road at Las Cruces and have continued to be a top flight program under Head Coach David Howes. Volcano Vista has dropped two in a row, but don’t mistake that for an early season slump, they are dangerous capable of beating anyone in New Mexico, yes they have that much talent. Hobbs defeated Onate this past Saturday 41-21 thanks to 6 touchdown passes from Isaac Amaya. Remember, Hobbs nearly defeated Mayfield and their only other loss is a 38-28 loss at Artesia,
6A Dangerous On Any Given Night
3-1 Clovis, 3-1 Cibola, and 3-1 Sandia have all impressed early on and while they are not getting too much hype, their early season success is noted. The Wildcat’s only loss comes against Cleveland and know this: Clovis held the ball for the first 10 minutes of the game and scored to lead Cleveland 7-0, the first New Mexico team to lead the Storm all year. Rod Williams the Head Coach at Cibola continues to win and while the Cibola Cougars don’t have an overwhelming amount of talent, they have enough speed and athleticism to take most teams down to the wire. Sandia lost their first game of the season to Volcano Vista, but has since played like the preseason Sandia we expected them to be. Three straight wins over Atrisco 51-7, Albuquerque 51-7, and Valley 48-20 have them rolling into their Week 5 match up against Cleveland this Thursday Night.
Chasing Artesia and Centennial in Class 5A
Each Centennial and Artesia are undefeated entering Week 5 and clearly the No. 1 and No. 2 teams within the classification. Now which team is No. 1 overall? That is quite debatable. The Hawks have have beat up on Gadsden, Del Norte, and El Paso Socorro in the last three weeks all by large margins of victory. Quarterback Dante Lopez has been money all year already passing for over 1,000-yards and 10 touchdowns and the defense is giving up just 11.75 points per game. Artesia has won their last 16 out of 17 games is scoring 39.5 points per game, their defense however has been their staple this year allowing just 34 points in 4 games which translates to a 8.5 per game average. Centennial takes on Las Cruces in week 5, Artesia heads to Carlsbad.
So who else in Class 5A? The St. Pius X Sartans are currently undefeated with a 4-0 record and have outscored the comp this year 168-18. They have a ton of veteran players from last year’s team, but we’re still looking for a marquee win from the Sartans. St. Pius X has beaten 2-2 Del Norte, 0-4 Los Alamos, 2-2 Gallup, and 0-4 Bernalillo, however we’ll get a better look at their talent as they take on 3-1 Miyamura in Week 5. Teams like Piedra Vista, Goddard, Miyamura and Farmington are likely next in line. Piedra Vista defeated Goddard back in week 2 and their only loss comes against a very good Durango, Colorado team, Goddard is now 2-2, their losses come against 3-1 Clovis and 3-1 Piedra Vista, in over the last few weeks Goddard has well, looked like Goddard. Miyamura once again is in the 5A mix and just defeated previously unbeaten Grants 33-14 and as long as Running Back AJ Starkovich is healthy, Miaymura is going to be a sleeper. Farmington suffered their first loss of the year in week 4 losing to Durango, Colorado, but 1st year Coach Jeff Dalton looks to have things in order reeling off wins against Los Lunas, Kirtland, and Belen.
4A Parity
Each year 4A causes headaches for me personally. Just when you think you have the Class as a whole figured out, the unexpected happens. For example: Last St. Michael’s 3-0 hosted 1-2 Robertson in Santa Fe, the Cardinals pulled off a 25-20 upset. While this game is a rivalry game, I think it proves my point.
Our Class 4A rankings currently read: 1. Hatch 4-0, 2. Bloomfield, 3. Portales, but I get the feeling they should read: 1. Hatch, 2. Portales, 3 who knows. The Bears have been exceptional this season scoring 194-points and allowing just 49 on defense. Portales is also 4-0 with a big win over Lovington and they have outscored the comp 152-25. Bloomfield is 4-0 and has outscored the comp 180-53, but their week 4 24-19 win over now 1-3 Taos confuses me.
Cobre is 2-2 but has a key win over Robertson, Robertson just beat St. Mike’s, and the Horsemen are still 3-1 after their 5 point loss on Saturday. We also can’t forget about teams like Hot Springs 4-0, NMMI 3-0, and Hope Christian at 3-1. Maybe it’s just way too early to even rank this classification?
Small School Powers: Estancia, Escalante, and Melrose
In the land of the small schools: We have three juggernauts. Estancia the defending Class 3A champ looks even better than they did in 2014 under Stewart Burnett. They beat 5A Lovington in week 1 in Lovington no less, and on the year they have scored 196 points already. Last weekend Adam Lujan their senior tailback ran for 466-yards and scored 4 touchdowns.
In Class 2A the Escalante Lobos are riding a 16-game winning streak under Head Coach Dusty Giles. They have beaten Tucumcari 18-0, Dulce 62-0, Navajo Prep 56-6, and beat Raton last weekend 47-6. Senior Quarterback Dominic Montano has rushed for 488-yards and 10 touchdowns in 4 weeks. The Lobos are on the road this weekend taking on Albuquerque Academy.
Melrose is the Artesia of the 8-Man scene, they just win, all the time. This season they are 4-0 beating Dora 60-8, Cloudcroft 60-6, Mescalero 60-6, and Logan 52-0. Sophomore Cade Banard and Senior Rowdy Allen lead the way. Their could be a storm approaching from Roswell as the Gateway Christian Warriors are also 4-0 outscoring their first four opponents 204-40.
*****
Complete feature will be published soon. Work in progress.
Mr. Football Candidates
Coming Soon
By: Kyle Henderson of NMPreps.com
6A Elite
Is the theme in Class 6A really: Cleveland then who? The Storm the NMPreps.com Preseason Favorite and still ranked No. 1 on September 1st, 2015 are 4-0 outscoring the competition 207-56 following their 50-20 win over Clovis at Leon Williams. With impressive wins against El Paso Del Valle 52-36 and Clovis, it’s clear this group is worth the preseason hype and the heavy favorite to continue to dominate Class 6A.
Previous to week 4, the Mayfield Trojans sat at the No. 2 spot before they were upset in Alamogordo by the now 4-0 Tigers 46-28. In his third year as Head Coach at Alamogordo Dale Hooper and the Tigers are 4-0 after their statewide shocking victory placing them as a new contender in Class 6A, in-fact the majority of the NMPreps.com Premium Fan-base voted them No. 2 overall after their week 4 victory. Alamogordo is scoring 51.0 points per game and allowing just 10 points per game on defense.
As usual the Las Cruces Bulldawgs are in the 6A elite discussion and while they are playing a good amount of juniors and sophomores, the Bulldawgs have reeled off 3 impressive wins to start the season. A 46-7 over La Cueva, a 24-21 win over Volcano Vista, and 34-31 win against Rio Rancho has proven they can win the big game, they have a monster match up with undefeated Centennial in week 5 this Friday Night.
Despite graduating Blue Chip Quarterback Zach Gentry who is now red-shirting for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, Head Eldorado Football Coach Charlie Dotson has continued his winning success as the Eagles enter week 5 at 4-0. Grabbing their first big win over 2015 over Volcano Vista 38-21 in Week 4 grabbed the state’s attention, in week 5 they take on the Mayfield Trojans at the Field of Dreams this Saturday.
6A Still In The Mix
While the Mayfield Trojans now 3-1 were finally defeated by Alamogordo after 22-long years, the Trojans have been a yearly 6A contender and that won’t change after one early season loss. No word on when Running Back Isaac Vance will return, we’ve been told he is sick and also told he is suffering from an ankle injury, whichever the case, once he is healthy the Trojans are as dangerous as anyone in New Mexico.
There are also some .500 level teams that dangerous on any given week: Rio Rancho, Volcano Vista, and Hobbs all fall into this category. The Rams were defeated 34-31 on the road at Las Cruces and have continued to be a top flight program under Head Coach David Howes. Volcano Vista has dropped two in a row, but don’t mistake that for an early season slump, they are dangerous capable of beating anyone in New Mexico, yes they have that much talent. Hobbs defeated Onate this past Saturday 41-21 thanks to 6 touchdown passes from Isaac Amaya. Remember, Hobbs nearly defeated Mayfield and their only other loss is a 38-28 loss at Artesia,
6A Dangerous On Any Given Night
3-1 Clovis, 3-1 Cibola, and 3-1 Sandia have all impressed early on and while they are not getting too much hype, their early season success is noted. The Wildcat’s only loss comes against Cleveland and know this: Clovis held the ball for the first 10 minutes of the game and scored to lead Cleveland 7-0, the first New Mexico team to lead the Storm all year. Rod Williams the Head Coach at Cibola continues to win and while the Cibola Cougars don’t have an overwhelming amount of talent, they have enough speed and athleticism to take most teams down to the wire. Sandia lost their first game of the season to Volcano Vista, but has since played like the preseason Sandia we expected them to be. Three straight wins over Atrisco 51-7, Albuquerque 51-7, and Valley 48-20 have them rolling into their Week 5 match up against Cleveland this Thursday Night.
Chasing Artesia and Centennial in Class 5A
Each Centennial and Artesia are undefeated entering Week 5 and clearly the No. 1 and No. 2 teams within the classification. Now which team is No. 1 overall? That is quite debatable. The Hawks have have beat up on Gadsden, Del Norte, and El Paso Socorro in the last three weeks all by large margins of victory. Quarterback Dante Lopez has been money all year already passing for over 1,000-yards and 10 touchdowns and the defense is giving up just 11.75 points per game. Artesia has won their last 16 out of 17 games is scoring 39.5 points per game, their defense however has been their staple this year allowing just 34 points in 4 games which translates to a 8.5 per game average. Centennial takes on Las Cruces in week 5, Artesia heads to Carlsbad.
So who else in Class 5A? The St. Pius X Sartans are currently undefeated with a 4-0 record and have outscored the comp this year 168-18. They have a ton of veteran players from last year’s team, but we’re still looking for a marquee win from the Sartans. St. Pius X has beaten 2-2 Del Norte, 0-4 Los Alamos, 2-2 Gallup, and 0-4 Bernalillo, however we’ll get a better look at their talent as they take on 3-1 Miyamura in Week 5. Teams like Piedra Vista, Goddard, Miyamura and Farmington are likely next in line. Piedra Vista defeated Goddard back in week 2 and their only loss comes against a very good Durango, Colorado team, Goddard is now 2-2, their losses come against 3-1 Clovis and 3-1 Piedra Vista, in over the last few weeks Goddard has well, looked like Goddard. Miyamura once again is in the 5A mix and just defeated previously unbeaten Grants 33-14 and as long as Running Back AJ Starkovich is healthy, Miaymura is going to be a sleeper. Farmington suffered their first loss of the year in week 4 losing to Durango, Colorado, but 1st year Coach Jeff Dalton looks to have things in order reeling off wins against Los Lunas, Kirtland, and Belen.
4A Parity
Each year 4A causes headaches for me personally. Just when you think you have the Class as a whole figured out, the unexpected happens. For example: Last St. Michael’s 3-0 hosted 1-2 Robertson in Santa Fe, the Cardinals pulled off a 25-20 upset. While this game is a rivalry game, I think it proves my point.
Our Class 4A rankings currently read: 1. Hatch 4-0, 2. Bloomfield, 3. Portales, but I get the feeling they should read: 1. Hatch, 2. Portales, 3 who knows. The Bears have been exceptional this season scoring 194-points and allowing just 49 on defense. Portales is also 4-0 with a big win over Lovington and they have outscored the comp 152-25. Bloomfield is 4-0 and has outscored the comp 180-53, but their week 4 24-19 win over now 1-3 Taos confuses me.
Cobre is 2-2 but has a key win over Robertson, Robertson just beat St. Mike’s, and the Horsemen are still 3-1 after their 5 point loss on Saturday. We also can’t forget about teams like Hot Springs 4-0, NMMI 3-0, and Hope Christian at 3-1. Maybe it’s just way too early to even rank this classification?
Small School Powers: Estancia, Escalante, and Melrose
In the land of the small schools: We have three juggernauts. Estancia the defending Class 3A champ looks even better than they did in 2014 under Stewart Burnett. They beat 5A Lovington in week 1 in Lovington no less, and on the year they have scored 196 points already. Last weekend Adam Lujan their senior tailback ran for 466-yards and scored 4 touchdowns.
In Class 2A the Escalante Lobos are riding a 16-game winning streak under Head Coach Dusty Giles. They have beaten Tucumcari 18-0, Dulce 62-0, Navajo Prep 56-6, and beat Raton last weekend 47-6. Senior Quarterback Dominic Montano has rushed for 488-yards and 10 touchdowns in 4 weeks. The Lobos are on the road this weekend taking on Albuquerque Academy.
Melrose is the Artesia of the 8-Man scene, they just win, all the time. This season they are 4-0 beating Dora 60-8, Cloudcroft 60-6, Mescalero 60-6, and Logan 52-0. Sophomore Cade Banard and Senior Rowdy Allen lead the way. Their could be a storm approaching from Roswell as the Gateway Christian Warriors are also 4-0 outscoring their first four opponents 204-40.
*****
Complete feature will be published soon. Work in progress.
Mr. Football Candidates
Coming Soon
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