Classes 5A-3A football semifinals and 2A finals: Intriguing matchups abound

Nov. 16—Semifinals in Classes 5A, 4A and 3A, plus the Class 2A championship game, have this in common:

All seven prep football playoff games will be kicking off at 1 p.m. Saturday. Four schools that were a state runner-up a year ago — Piedra Vista in 5A, Silver in 4A, St. Michael's in 3A and Texico in 2A — are still alive in this postseason.

Three of the No. 1 seeds (Roswell, Bloomfield and Eunice) are on the road this weekend.

A preview:

Class 5A

There are only two teams left with the power to prevent a No. 1 vs. No. 2, Roswell-Artesia showdown in the 5A final: fifth-seeded Deming and third-seeded Piedra Vista.

The Wildcats and Panthers (6-5) face probably the longest odds of any playoff teams in any classification this weekend. How to overcome that? Both Deming and PV want to dictate things with their run game, if possible.

"Ground and pound," Panthers coach Jared Howell said.

Piedra Vista fell at home last year to Artesia in the 5A state final, and graduated 27 seniors off that team. So it is a much younger squad the Panthers send up against the high-powered Bulldogs (11-1) this year. And this game is in Artesia.

The first minutes, Howell said, are crucial, as Piedra Vista is not necessarily built to play catch-up. Junior running back Brig Keiser, who had three touchdowns last week in a 30-6 home quarterfinal victory against Valley, will have a spotlight on him Saturday.

A productive run game is Piedra Vista's best curative against a relentless Artesia offense paced by quarterback Nye Estrada and running back Frankie Galindo.

"We have to try and minimize the impact of those two guys," Howell said. "They do a great job of making you play honest, balanced defense."

Ethan Conn is the Bulldogs' top receiver.

In Deming, Wildcats coach Rich Pereles' approach sounds quite similar to that of Howell at Piedra Vista. Deming (9-3) needs to control clock and pace against the unbeaten Coyotes (11-0), who are the higher seed but on the road for this semifinal.

"Roswell Junior College," Deming coach Rich Pereles joked of the potent Coyotes. "That's where I want my program to be. They're fast, they're big and they're athletic."

The Wildcats like to run the ball, want to run the ball, want to slow things down. How effective they are at any or all of those things on Saturday will determine much.

Of course, therein lies the rub. Roswell's opponents, and there are a lot of good ones on that list, have combined to score just 73 points in 11 games against the stifling Coyotes defense.

But Roswell's offense, led by senior QB Manny Fuentez and muscular-but-extremely-effective fullback Bryce Sanchez, is one of the highest scoring in Class 5A.

Much of Deming's offensive burden falls to junior dual-threat QB Ryan Alfaro, on the ground more so than the air.

Deming's small roster (just 25 strong, with seven players going both ways) routed Goddard 33-0 last week. Roswell whipped Mayfield, 50-0.

"We have no pressure on us," Pereles said. "These guys believe they can play with anybody."

Class 4A

It was fairly obvious, from very early on in the season, that the four top teams in this division were significantly above the rest.

So it is no surprise that Bloomfield, Lovington, Silver and Portales are the four teams in the semifinals.

The top-seeded Bobcats (11-0) have to travel this week, visiting No. 4 Portales (10-1). The third-seeded Colts (9-2) are at No. 2 Lovington (8-3).

"I think us, Lovington and Portales are pretty similar," Silver coach Jerome Ortiz said. "I think Bloomfield is a few shades ahead of all of us. One of us has to try to get them."

Bloomfield-Portales features one of the best QB matchups of the weekend in any class, with Blake Spencer of the Bobcats and Paxton Culpepper of the Rams. Both are juniors.

It is Culpepper and his crew that face the larger burden, since Bloomfield's defense has not surrendered a point to ANY team from New Mexico since Sept. 1. The last team to score on the Bobcats was Bayfield, Colorado, on Sept. 29. Bloomfield has given up only 34 points all year, and 20 of those came in the opener against St. Pius.

"They're very stingy," Portales coach Jaime Ramirez said. "We need to make sure we're hitting on all cylinders to move the ball against this team. They play the run very well, they play the pass very well."

Culpepper's TD-to-interception ratio is a solid 4-1; his top targets are Zane Mayberry, Braden Beck and Andru Ontiveros, who have combined to catch 29 of Culpepper's 35 scores and who can all stretch the field.

On the other side, Spencer has thrown for 35 touchdowns versus just three picks. Drew Perez (18 TD receptions) is not only Spencer's favorite target but one of 4A's elite receivers.

"With two teams that are equally talented, it comes down to five plays that make you or break you," Ramirez said.

On the blue turf in Lovington, Silver's stout defense, which gives up just over 11 points a game, faces a versatile Wildcats offense that averages 37 an outing.

"The keys for us are just to stay disciplined, no turnovers and make sure we control the little things," Ortiz said, adding that scouting Lovington is "like looking in the mirror."

Lovington quarterback Wyatt Gomez has tossed 40 touchdown passes this year, 29 of them to Demarcus Thompson (he averages 21 yards a catch) and Cesar Gonzalez. Camon Ochoa leads the Lovington ground attack.

Silver QB Adan Jacquez has been outstanding for the Colts, throwing for over 2,000 yards with 32 TDs. He also is his team's leading rusher. Julian Richard has 14 touchdown receptions for Silver.

Class 3A

It is Cobre and New Mexico Military Institute against the District 2 duo No. 1 St. Michael's and No. 2 Robertson.

Fifth-seeded NMMI is in Santa Fe to face the Horsemen (9-2). The Colts (10-2) are coming off a one-sided 35-8 quarterfinal road win at West Las Vegas, while St. Mike's had to score 21 fourth-quarter points to advance past Raton.

The No. 3-seeded Indians (8-2) and the Cardinals (9-2) staged the lowest-scoring game of New Mexico's regular season when they met on Aug. 26 and Robertson won, 3-0.

Cobre coach Jerry Martinez is not expecting 3-0 in the rematch, but something low-scoring to be sure.

"Two great defenses," he said. Neither of them surrender more than 10 points a game.

A physical Indians team will travel to Las Vegas and look to impose its will with size, defense and a running game led by senior Gavin Chuy. Chuy had 170 yards in a 40-0 quarterfinal win over Dexter, and he has been on a heater over the last month.

"He's just blown up," Martinez said.

Robertson cruised past Socorro in the quarterfinals. The Cardinals feature a thrilling dual-threat QB in junior Jesse James Gonzales, who leads the team in rushing yards and rushing scores.

Cobre has won its last three games by a combined score of 133-0.

NMMI comes into Santa Fe having won six in a row, and the Colts, much like Cobre and Robertson, tout a strong defense. It gives up just 10 points a game.

The NMMI offense is one of the most run-oriented in New Mexico, and the Colts will rush it nine times for every one pass they attempt. Junior Cohen Tomasits is NMMI's top back, and junior QB Cole Seidenberger also is heavily featured in the ground game and is their top touchdown maker.

"We're a physical team that doesn't beat itself," Colts coach John O'Mera said.

The Horsemen are 4-1 in games decided by one score or less, including last week when they kept their season alive with a huge fourth quarter against district rival Raton.

Quarterback Reed Bass has tossed 18 touchdowns; Lucas Gurule has 10 touchdown catches on just 30 total receptions for the Horsemen, who have reliable offensive balance.

"We definitely think we can play with them," O'Mera said. "But we've got our work cut out for us."

Class 2A

There won't be any issues playing four quarters this time.

When No. 1 seed Eunice and No. 2 Texico met in Eunice on Sept. 29, the game got called at halftime due to inclement weather. It went down as a 21-14 victory for the Cardinals.

"Very frustrating to be in that situation and not get to finish," Wolverines coach Bob Gilbreath said. "We were a victim of circumstance."

Fast forward to Saturday, and the 2A championship game in Texico, and you have a pair of 10-2 teams, district rivals, who have an abundance of familiarity with each other.

There's a terrific quarterback matchup here, as well, with Eunice sophomore Elijah Melancon having combined for 49 passing/rushing touchdowns, 40 in the air, and Texico's 6-3, 220-pound senior Cade Figg, who missed a large chunk of the regular season with a shoulder injury; his first game back was the first meeting with Eunice.

"We gotta perform offensively," Gilbreath said. "In this profession, you have a whole slew of quotes and one-liners, and they say defense wins championships, but the best defense is a great offense."

The Cardinals also feature an elite running back in Eljan Woods (1,148 yards/14 touchdowns) and receiver in 6-1 Ashton Thompson who has a whopping 19 scoring grabs.