New Mexico's toughest football district gets even harder
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Prep Football
WEEK 1
Thursday, Aug. 20
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St. Pius at West Mesa, Community, 7 p.m.
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Cibola at Sandia, Wilson, 7 p.m.
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Rio Grande at Highland, Milne, 7 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 21
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Centennial at Cleveland, 7 p.m.
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Las Cruces at Rio Rancho, 7 p.m.
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Eldorado at La Cueva, Wilson, 7 p.m.
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Volcano Vista at Atrisco Heritage, Community, 7 p.m.
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Los Lunas at Mayfield, Field of Dreams, 7 p.m.
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Valley at Albuquerque High, Milne, 7 p.m.
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Bernalillo at Belen, 7 p.m.
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Hope Christian at Gallup, 7 p.m.
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Del Norte at Valencia, 6 p.m.
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Moriarty at Thoreau, 7 p.m.
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Silver at Legacy Academy, at Bernalillo HS, 7 p.m.
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Menaul at Mesilla Valley, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 22
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Manzano at Albuquerque Academy, 11 a.m.
For the full 2026 schedule, check abqjournal.com or click here.
Alamogordo left. Eldorado and Volcano Vista joined. And District 2-6A football is going to be particularly beastly for the next two years.
Most of the teams in 2-6A who were already district rivals — Clovis, Organ Mountain, Centennial, Las Cruces, Carlsbad and Hobbs — remain so. The addition of Volcano Vista and Eldorado makes this the deepest and most challenging prep football district in New Mexico.
“I think this is the tougher of the two (6A) districts,” Hobbs coach Ken Stevens said.
A 2-6A preview:
Not a single team in all of 6A was hit harder by graduation at the skill positions than Las Cruces, which lost 35-28 at Cleveland in the state final last November. Quarterback Gunnar Guardiola (25 passing touchdowns), tailback Danny Amaro (42 rushing TDs) and receiver Francisco Winnikoff (13 receiving TDs) sparked the Bulldawgs in a stirring postseason run, and now Las Cruces, which had an undefeated JV season last year, retools.
“We’ve got guys coming up who are pretty darn good,” coach Mark Lopez said. “We feel good about where we’re at, and I think our guys have a good belief going into the season about what they can do.”
Junior Aldo Gallegos steps in for Guardiola, and he’ll give Las Cruces a dual threat option. Senior Jaxon Alba and junior Chris Gomez both should be prominent in the ground attack for Las Cruces, which opens at Rio Rancho on Friday.
The defense is spearheaded by University of New Mexico commit Denton Walker and Hunter Parmeter, both linebackers. Tight end Diego Lopez and edge Vaughn Romney also supply Las Cruces with all-state experience on the roster.
Centennial, by contrast, returns three of its premier skill-position players in QB Ruiz Laborin (2,000 passing yards), running back Dailen Ramirez (1,150 yards, 15 TDs) and wide receiver Andrew Sandoval (58 catches and seven TDs). All are seniors.
“I try not to predict too much, but I think we’ve got a good squad,” Hawks coach Aaron Ocampo said. “Some positions, we have guys who are proven. Other positions, we have to grow up fast.”
Centennial is at Cleveland in the season opener Friday night. The Hawks lost 24-21 to La Cueva in the 6A quarterfinals.
Centennial will be just about brand new along the offensive line, and the defense lost a large number of starters to graduation.
Hobbs has been one of 6A’s most consistent programs over the last half dozen years and the Eagles last season got all the way to the semifinals before losing to Cleveland. This Hobbs team, Stevens said, will be younger than usual, with more than half the starters having graduated.
“The question is, how fast do we grow up and mature,” Stevens said. His Eagles open against Roswell.
Although the Eagles return just a single starter along the O-Line, they do have several skill athletes back in the fold, led by senior QB Junior Medrano who threw for over 1,800 yards and 22 scores as a junior. He also rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and an additional 16 touchdowns.
Senior Shamus Wright returns at running back as does Demarcus Hill, and combined those two gained nearly 1,400 yards with 17 TDs last fall.
Stevens is high on 6-2 sophomore receiver Bradan Dunlap; the Eagles graduated all their top receivers.
The defense leaders include senior inside linebacker Gavin McPherson and senior safety Robert Garcia.
Volcano Vista exited in the quarterfinals last year, to Cleveland. The Hawks figure to be prominently back in the mix once again.
Some of the faces to watch on the offensive side include junior quarterback Jude Herrera (the Hawks had multiple injury issues at this position last year); a healthy Herrera allows Volcano to keep talented standout Aurelius Wiley in the slot.
Although D’Angelo Mitchell transferred to Cleveland, Hawks coach Chad Wallin is all-in on sophomore running back Jude Gonzales, who will have a solid O-Line to run behind.
The defense is sparked by 6-foot, 180-pound junior linebacker Aiden Gonzales, one of the top ‘backers in 6A.
“He’s a special ballplayer,” Wallin said. “He finds ways to impact the game.”
Eldorado snuck into the 6A playoff field as a 12 seed last season, but nobody expects the Eagles to have to sweat it out this season, despite a grueling schedule that includes La Cueva and Sandia even before they get started with league contests.
“It’s gonna be a long haul,” Eldorado coach Charlie Dotson said, “trying to keep the kids healthy. Make no mistake, this district is noticeably tougher than the other.”
Senior athlete Jahari Morehead is one of the most versatile and dangerous offensive talents in 6A football, and he’ll be active on special teams and also within the framework of the Eldorado offense. Dotson compared Morehead’s skill set to former Manzano star Jordan Byrd.
Junior running back Nolan Romero-Williams was over 1,000 yards with eight touchdowns last season. Albuquerque High transfer Juan Carlos Landeros gives the Eagles additional depth at receiver, and the offensive line is anchored by dominant senior tackle Isaic Alderman.
Sophomore Landon Smith steps in at QB, and Dotson said “that will be an ‘X’ factor.”
Senior Isaiah Quintana at middle linebacker will be one of the top playmakers on that side of the ball. Leading tackler Matthew Rodriguez also is back. For Dotson, being undersized along both lines is a concern.
Carlsbad was a state quarterfinalist last November, and the Cavemen feature what most people believe is New Mexico’s most elite defensive player, senior linebacker Colton McKibben, who has committed to UCLA.
This could be one of 6A’s top overall defensive units (built around McKibben), a fast group operating with a new coordinator and multiple-look scheme.
The offense is QB’d by dual-threat senior Marley Munoz, who combined for more than 2,300 passing and rushing yards a year ago. Running back Brock Wright was over 1,100 yards with 12 scores last season and he, too, returns. But the majority of the offensive line graduated.
“For the most part,” Cavemen coach Cale Sanders said, “I think we’re solid across the board.”
Carlsbad’s top three receivers graduated, so they’ll be leaning on new faces at that position.
There are multiple coaches who believe that Organ Mountain might be the most overall athletic team in the district. The Knights are beginning anew with a new head coach in Gregory Mallory, who was promoted after many years serving as an assistant within the program. Organ Mountain won just two games last season.
Senior Zeke Weir caught 10 touchdown passes last year for the Knights.
Clovis finished 3-7 last year, including an upset win over Alamogordo on the final day of the season that kept the Tigers out of the playoffs. This offense was rolling at the end of the year, averaging close to 35 points over the final month. But the Wildcats did lose a couple of key players who transferred out of the program.
James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at @JamesDYodice.
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