What Happened Saturday in New Mexico High School Football
New Mexico high school football from every corner of the state and championship brackets finalizing from 6A to 2A. Cleveland unleashed a storm like no other, Artesia survived a 5A classic on the blue turf, St. Pius X punched its ticket behind a dominating defensive effort, and Bloomfield, St. Michael’s and Eunice all rolled into title games with statement wins.
Here’s how Saturday unfolded, class by class, with the standout players and moments that defined Semifinal Saturday.
6A Football The Storm Arrives in Full Force
FINAL: No. 2 Cleveland 67, No. 3 Hobbs 16
After a sluggish 3–0 first quarter, Cleveland unleashed one of the most overwhelming playoff avalanches the state has seen in years. The Storm forced six turnovers, smothered a Hobbs offense that hadn’t been held under 30 since mid-September, and rode an offensive explosion led by Evan Nanez, Jacob Maldonado, and a defense that seemed to take the ball away at will.
Nanez ran wild, scoring six touchdowns, including a back-breaking third-quarter burst that sent the Storm into full runaway mode. Maldonado added a long touchdown catch from Jordan Hatch, while running back Troy Logan forced a fumble and ripped off chunk plays all afternoon.
Defensively, Derick Sanchez’s interception punctuated the complete shutdown, and Adrian Mora delivered one of the hits of the postseason, an explosion in the hole that drew roars from the Rio Rancho crowd. Hobbs’ bright moment came on a near kickoff-return score from Mora, but Cleveland simply swallowed everything else.
The score was 3–0 after one. It was 67–16 when the clock mercifully stopped. Cleveland now heads back to the state championship.
5A Football: Artesia Survives, Roswell Rumbles, and a Re-Rematch Is Set
FINAL: No. 1 Artesia 35, No. 4 Lovington 30
The 5A semifinal in Lovington lived up to everything you’d expect from rivals meeting for the third time in 14 months. No. 4 Lovington punched, clawed, and nearly rallied late behind Jayden Gutierrez, who caught a one-yard touchdown with :55 remaining to make it 35–30.
But No. 1 Artesia survived thanks to timely plays from Derrick Warren, whose 46-yard bomb to Jack Byers put the Bulldogs back in control after trailing early. Artesia’s defense, gashed early, stiffened when it mattered most, stopping the final Lovington surge and smothering the desperate onside kick attempt.
The Bulldogs return to the title game at 11–1, riding their trademark offense and championship DNA.
FINAL: No. 2 Roswell 35, No. 6 Gadsden 17
Over at Wool Bowl, No. 2 Roswell leaned on a bruising ground game powered by sophomore sensation Luis Rodriguez (2028), who repeatedly tore through the Panthers, even if several big runs were wiped out by flags. He rushed for over 220-yards on the day.
Luis Rodriguez (2028) got the Coyotes started with a 15-yard touchdown run off a pitch for a 7–0 lead, but Gadsden answered immediately with a big kickoff return from Anthony Palomares to set up great field position. Quarterback Ethan Morales (2026) then hit Juan Rios (2026) out of the backfield for a 20-yard touchdown to tie it 7–7.
Gadsden added a field goal and went into halftime up 10–7, behind a strong running game that chewed clock and kept Roswell’s offense off the field.
The second half belonged to Roswell.
A 30-yard run by Rodriguez set up a short touchdown pass from Luke Lynn (2026) to Olin Ingram (2026) from five yards out to put the Coyotes back in front 14–10. Nathan Lujan (2026) then punched in a four-yard touchdown for a 21–10 lead.
Gadsden wasn’t done. Morales dropped in a beautiful 25-yard throw late in the third quarter to set up a touchdown to Michael Hernandez (2027), and Rios scored from five yards out to make it 21–17 at the end of the third.
Early in the fourth, Lujan scored again from two yards out for a 28–17 Roswell lead. Rodriguez then ripped off a 41-yard run—pushing him over 200 rushing yards (219 at that point)—and Lynn capped the day with a 10-yard rushing touchdown for the final 35–17 margin.
But Roswell’s combination of Lynn, Rodriguez, and Lujan was too much.
4A Football: St. Pius X Rolls, Bloomfield Sends a Message
FINAL: No. 2 St. Pius X 41, No. 3 Chaparral 0
St. Pius X wasted no time showing they are every bit the contender they were projected to be. Hershul Olloway opened the game with an 18-yard touchdown run to cap a six-play opening march. Then quarterback Isaiah Carpenter went to work, hitting Cayl Cox-Liggins on a low-scooped touchdown grab to double the lead.
The Sartan defense, ferocious, fast, and fully locked-in, never let Chaparral breathe. St. Pius pitched a 41-0 semifinal shutout and heads back to the 4A title game for the first time since the realignment.
FINAL: No. 1 Bloomfield 62, No. 4 Taos 20
Taos stunned the stadium with a pick-six on the first play of the game. Bloomfield responded with 41 straight points. Quarterback Manuel Chavarria delivered one of the best playoff performances of the day, 200 yards passing, three touchdowns, 90 yards rushing and two more scores. Every time Taos tried to rally, Chavarria answered.
Bloomfield, now 11–1, returns to the 4A final looking to defend its state crown.
3A Football: Dominguez Dominates Again
FINAL: No. 1 St. Michael’s 54, No. 5 NMMI 8
St. Michael’s wasted no time taking control of Saturday’s Class 3A semifinal in Santa Fe, rolling past New Mexico Military Institute 54–8 to advance to its fifth straight state championship game.
The Horsemen were led by senior running back Isaiah Dominguez, who had one of the best performances of the entire state on Saturday, cementing his Horseman legacy. Dominguez rushed for 272 yards and four touchdowns on just eight carries, breaking long runs throughout the first half and putting the game out of reach before halftime. He also caught a touchdown pass to give him five total scores on the day.
Quarterback Kamal Stith added two touchdown passes and nearly 100 rushing yards, giving St. Michael’s a balanced and explosive offense that NMMI struggled to contain. The Horsemen scored early and often, building a big lead behind long touchdown runs, efficient drives, and strong blocking up front.
The Horsemen will now play for a third straight blue trophy next weekend.
2A Football: Eunice and Texico Set a Massive Rematch
FINAL: No. 3 Eunice 62, No. 2 Legacy Academy 18
This was pure offensive firepower from the Cardinals. Quarterback Elijah Melancon accounted for six touchdowns, four rushing, two passing, while totaling 317 yards of offense. Running back Greyson Meek added 145 yards and two touchdowns of his own, including one through the air. Legacy’s Lorenzo Sedillo-Ubari threw for 242 yards, with Bryant Scales hauling in 126 of those, but four interceptions doomed the Hawks.
FINAL: No. 1 Texico 49, No. 4 Hozho Academy 7
The Wolverines controlled from start to finish and now get a long-awaited rematch with Eunice in the title game, a repeat of the 2023 final Texico dominated 44–7.
The Week
Semifinal Saturday gave us explosive offenses, dominant defenses, emerging stars, and veteran legends. Cleveland and Artesia once again head to championship week. Roswell continues to roll. Bloomfield and St. Michael’s look every bit like repeat champions. Eunice and Texico set up a marquee small-school rematch.