The contenders for New Mexico high school football championships step onto the field this weekend, as the top four seeds in each of the state's five 11-Man divisions return from bye weeks for quarterfinal games on Friday and Saturday. Defending champions Cleveland, Bloomfield, St. Michael's and Texico are among the No. 1 seeds beginning their title defenses, while Roswell's run in Class 5A shapes up as one of the month's most watched stories.
In Class 6A, undefeated Cleveland (10-0) hosts Rio Rancho (6-5) on Friday night, just two weeks after routing the Rams 50-0. The bracket's other unbeaten, No. 2 Volcano Vista, welcomes No. 7 Carlsbad at 1 p.m. Saturday at Nusenda Community Stadium. The Hawks beat the Cavemen 38-17 in district play eight weeks ago, a game in which Jude Herrera threw four touchdown passes and Aiden Gonzales intercepted three of Marley Muñoz's passes. Carlsbad coach Cale Sanders said yardage in that game was nearly even, at 344-327, making turnovers the difference. "I like our path, I really do," Sanders said. "We're built for playoff football, to make a run when it gets cold and rainy." It will be the second trip to Albuquerque this season for Carlsbad linebacker and UCLA commit Colton McKibben.
Elsewhere in 6A, Eldorado and La Cueva meet again at 7 p.m. Friday at Wilson Stadium after the third-seeded Bears won the season opener 59-21. The lone fresh pairing sends No. 5 Sandia (9-2) to No. 4 Centennial (6-4) at the Field of Dreams on Friday night. The Matadors average 46.5 points behind senior quarterback Jahleel Lewis, who threw five touchdown passes in a first-round win over Farmington, but coach Tylon Wilder praised Centennial's physical defense. The Hawks counter with dual-threat quarterback Ruiz Laborin, who has accounted for exactly 2,300 combined yards. "We're ready to take the next step and win a high stakes game like this," Wilder said.
Class 5A runs through top seed Roswell (9-1), which opens at Wool Bowl at 6 p.m. Friday against No. 8 Santa Fe (7-4). Coyotes quarterback Andruw Fuentez has thrown 32 touchdowns against only four interceptions, and tailback Luis Rodriguez has rushed for nearly 1,000 yards with nine scores. No. 2 Piedra Vista hosts No. 7 Goddard on Saturday, No. 3 Artesia welcomes No. 6 Gadsden in a rematch of a game the Bulldogs won by six touchdowns on Sept. 18, and No. 5 Alamogordo visits No. 4 Los Lunas at 1 p.m. Saturday. Tigers coach A.J. Cisco called Los Lunas "very athletic, tons of kids, very well coached," pointing to quarterback Luke Cieremans, who has 2,042 yards and 26 touchdowns, and receiver Tayson Gaxiola, with 1,040 yards and 13 scores.
In Class 4A, five of the eight remaining teams come from the metro area. No. 2 St. Pius (8-1) hosts No. 7 Manzano at 6 p.m. Friday, with Sartans running back Hershul Olloway Jr. carrying 1,543 yards and 22 touchdowns into the game. No. 5 Valley visits No. 4 Lovington, No. 6 Belen travels to No. 3 Portales, and No. 8 Valencia faces two-time defending champion Bloomfield. Portales features quarterback Jacoby Bamforth, with 25 touchdown passes and one interception, and tailback Slade Segovia, who has 1,360 yards and 23 scores. "We need to have a faster start," Belen coach Kevin Peña said, recalling a 34-27 loss to the Rams on Oct. 2 in which the Eagles trailed 21-0 at halftime. Of Bloomfield, Valencia coach LeDarrius Cage said, "They're one of those teams that has a championship DNA."
Class 3A offers a rematch between No. 1 St. Michael's (10-0) and rival Pojoaque Valley on Saturday. The Horsemen have won 42 consecutive games, are working on eight straight shutouts and beat Pojoaque 54-0 on Halloween. No. 2 Hope Christian hosts 10th-seeded Hot Springs at 11 a.m. Saturday, No. 4 Moriarty welcomes No. 5 Robertson on Friday night, and No. 6 Kirtland Central visits No. 3 Silver and sophomore dual-threat quarterback Kingston Lee. Robertson's season included turmoil when head coach Lucas Sanchez was arrested last month on multiple battery charges.
In Class 2A, top seed Texico hosts No. 9 Legacy Academy on Friday night after winning the regular-season meeting 35-0. "They're No. 1, we're No. 9, no one expects us to win, and that's fine," Legacy coach Joey Romero said. Santa Rosa, led by Preston Muniz and his 1,404 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns, visits Eunice, which answers with sophomore passer Isaac Melancon and 1,000-yard rusher Adan Baeza. No. 3 Dexter, a 3A finalist last year, opens against Raton, and No. 2 Estancia faces Tucumcari in a rematch of a 34-28 Bears win on Sept. 11.
The small-school divisions are further along. The 8-Man semifinals feature No. 1 Fort Sumner/House (9-0), which has allowed only six points all season, hosting No. 4 Mesilla Valley on Friday, while No. 2 Melrose visits No. 3 Tatum in a rematch of a 40-36 Buffaloes win on Oct. 23. The 6-Man championship game is set for 7 p.m. Friday in Mountainair, where No. 1 Grady (11-0) seeks its first title after losing the last two finals to Logan. The Mustangs (10-1) are chasing their first championship since 2007, and Grady won the teams' Sept. 18 meeting 49-20.
