It's funny now that prep sports are done for the 2007-08 season, people are already excited about the 2008-09 campaign, particularly the start of football.
Just to give readers out there a quick taste, here's my preseason Top 5 in Class 5A.
1. Las Cruces High
2. Mayfield
3. Clovis
4. La Cueva
5. Cibola
Yes, I know Mayfield is the defending champion and has won three straight 5A titles. But I'm putting LCHS No.1 based on what the Bulldawgs have coming back and what Mayfield doesn't. Las Cruces High has a great deal coming back, i.e. running back James Hall Jr. and QB Dante Caro, and will be super talented. Mayfield has returnees back, but also loses big-time players such as Yani Suter, Freddy Young, Matt Sandoval and Nathan Enriquez.
Clovis is tradtion-rich, La Cueva should be solid with offensive stalwarts Ronnie Daniels and Gus Bowe and Cibola has been one of the state's best the past couple of years under head coach Judge Chavez.
- Felix
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23 comments:
Mayfield at two are you kidding me. They return three starters and their JV was average at best. They lost way to much to put them that high. My top five is 1.Las Cruces, .2 La Cueva, .3 Cibola, .4 Manzano, .5 Onate, and Mayfield .7 at best.
My guess is Las Cruces, Cibola, Onate, Manzano, La Cueva. Mayfield will be in the top ten, but not in the top 5.
You can never count out Mayfield. They will be in the top five just because of coaching. The coaches down here in Cruces do way more with less talent than those guys in Albuquerque. 1.Cruces
2.Mayfield
3.La Cueva
4.Clovis
5.Onate
Cruces Is number one because of the talent returning and coaching. Mayfield number 2 because they don't rebuild they reload. La Cueva number 3 because they have young talent coming back in danielsand the younger Bowe and always have size on the o-line and d-line.Their shortcomings are Fred Romero and staff. Clovis number four because they are Clovis and they had a very good J.V team last year and a Man By the name of Roanhause runs the team. Onate number five because they have loads of young talent and they mirror the Cruces team of last year.Coach Mckee always gets the best out of his teams. Lets see if they can overcome having a new staff.
These are just early pics. We'll just have to wait and see how the season progreses. I believe that these are probablly the top 5 teams in the state. As for some of you picking Onate in the top 5, I don't think it's goin to happen. They don't play a tough enough schedule to begin with, and their offensive line is not very good. They have a QB that can throw, but when you average 5-6 interceptions a game, it's not going to help. He rushes his passes to much. They need an offensive line that can help their QB control these interceptions. Besides, LCHS and MHS have beaten up on their Fresh. and JV teams in the last 4 years, so it dosen't help them much.
anonymous at 7:36 said "Besides, LCHS and MHS have beaten up on their Fresh. and JV teams in the last 4 years, so it dosen't help them much."
OK I've got to call you out on this one.
The Onate juniors-to-be went undefeated 2 years ago as freshmen beating both Mayfield and Las Cruces (and all other comers). They are a pretty talented group.
Obviously you don't keep up with the younger teams much...
Many of Onate's sophmores last season were 2nd team all district selections.
Their JV wasn't great last year because their sophmores were playing (and starting) varsity ball.
Look for the Knights to surprise a few people.
And to those who are claiming coaching will get Mayfield to the top, their top 3 assistants are now Head Coaches elsewhere, and the second coming of Carillo isn't happening.
Mayfield will be pretty good, but they won't be the same team as they've been the last three years.
Instead of talking about how Onate's younger programs have not been successful talk about what you know, and give us an intelligent top five. Onate has not been to successful at the J.V level for a couple of years because they need their top young players to step in right away to play varsity.Case in point C.J Oakley was a freshman starter as well as a couple of guys from that senior class who started as sophmores. Then last years sophmores started varsity. The seniors to be were pretty good at the freshman level and as already mentioned before the juniors to be went undefeated as freshman. Onate will surpise people like they did a couple of years back when they beat Cruces and lost to the eventual state champs by a touchdown, and then lost to eventual runner-up Clovis in the semis. All three Cruces teams are going to be good this coming year instead of bashing show some pride about the level of football that is played down here in Cruces. Yes I do know that Mayfield lost three coaches, and so did Onate but that does not mean the head coaches cannot still gameplan and teach their assistants. Proud Southern football fan, Go Knights
Go Dawgs
Thats the problem right there. Mayfields success has come not because of their coaching but because of the talent they have had. Now they lost a bunch of coaches this year lets see if that makes a diffence. I don't think it will. They will be good but not nowhere near what they've been. They lost way to much and the talent pool has dried up. Look for Cruces To win it all. And look for Onate to surprise some people.
Yes, I am not a Mayfield fan but if it were to come down to Mayfield and a team from Albuquerque i'll take Mayfield. I do feel the same way about the talent pool drying up a little, but at the end of the day they will be very competitive maybe not win the state title but have at least 6 or 7 victories and make a run for the district title. They have been very talented in the past but talent alone doesn't win the state title ask Alamogordo from a couple of years ago that question. They were probably the most talented team to never win a state title that I have ever seen. 3 all state running backs huge offensive and defensive lines that were athletic and a defensive backfield that was the fastest in the state. Don't tell me coaching was not a factor for that team they should have not lost a game that year. Cruces I feel should win state, but they have to play better defense. Onate will surprise and fly under the radar, but they gotta get passed the youth of their team. Yes I know they have a year under their belts, but youth is still youth. Wouldn't that be great to have another Cruces school Vs Cruces school state title game but this time with Onate in the mix. Don't know but I am excited for this upcoming season keep the title here were it belongs.
Onate has a running back/receiver that was out with an acl tear last season. He is supposed to be a heck of a player. Lets see if Onate can suprise teams this year.
Who is the RB/reciever you speak of?
Zach Hernandez will be back at RB, the Sandoval twins will be in there helping run the ball, Eric Flores will have a much better grasp on the new passing offense, and will have a bunch of recievers to throw to.
Zach Daugherty will anchor the defense, with big Roger Flores, John Cachora, and Johnathan Sanchez all playing vital roles. The coaching issue won't hurt Onate like it will Mayfield.
Onate gets back Jeff Johnson (ex Gadsden HC) as DC. I hear they also picked up some decent position coaches.
You need to check the new line up for this year. Its different than what you think. Changes are in the works for Onate. I guess you will have to wait and see.
Changes... yes.
Drastic changes... yet to be seen.
More kids going both ways? (at least part-time) I would hope that is the case.
I think if Onate got out of their two platoon system then they would probably go farther than expected. I already feel as though Onate will surprise but if they were to play players both ways it would greatly increase their shot at going far into the playoffs.I hope this is the change we are talking about. Mckee has brought up playing guys both ways in the past but he has not followed all the way through on this. I hope he does because they are very talented.
Onate does not usually play players both ways. One reason for this is your better with fresh legs on both sides of the ball. In past years maybe they needed to play players both ways only because their talent level wasn't that good and yet they didn't. I don't see them changing this year with the exception of one or two kids. They have the talent this year so don't look for them to change their ways. Now Mayfield on the other hand has always believed in putting the best atheletes out on the field at all times even though they have the numbers to play a platoon style game. So what happens to those who don't play? Well they're on the meat squad at pratice. They roll around in the grass after their games to get their uniforms dirty so they can feel as though they've played. And if Mommy and Daddy kick in some money to the booster club well then Jr. should aleast make the travel squad. But the coaches there will tell you "hey they got a ring didn't they". I guess the best way to look at this is College football uses a platoon system and so doesn't the NFL. Now chances that any of these local kids making it to the next level are very slim. Case in point all these kids regardless at what high school they attend just want to play. Because this is probaly the last chance they'll ever get to play on Friday nights. Winning is fun but at what cost?
To the person who wrote that last post good job. Now that you mentioned playing Let me tell you about the darkside to this. A friend of mine was telling me about an assistant coach who just left Mayfield after coaching there this past year. And what he told me was very sad and upsetting to me. He said this assistant coach left to take a head job elsewhere. And one of the biggest reasons he left was because they had a kid on the freshman team last year that was denied equipment because he was handicap. In truth he was playing with a prosthetic leg. He said as much as he loved coaching he could not stay there anymore knowing what he knew. Although this kid had made all the summer workouts he was still treated like this. When this Assitant coach talked to the head freshman coach about getting this young man equipment. He was told that he did want to talk about it and he didn't know what they were going to do with this kid. Another coach said he did want the player playng on the side he was in charge of and that it was in the players best interest that he not be allowed to play. Their hope was that without a position and by not giving him equipment that this young man would quit. The assistant coach talked to Mike Bradley about this and was shocked at the outcome of their conversation seems the head man sided with the other coaches and said he to thought it was in the best interest of the player that he was not allowed to play. Now here's the most upsetting part he told this assistant that he hoped that this kid didn't go out next year because he cuoldn't help them. Now state champions or not that's just plain wrong The head man said also that the young man could work film for them if he wanted to be part of the team like the kid who was denied his chance to play snd was made film boy for three years because the coach did't see him fit to play. Well the only good side to this is that the young man never quit. He stuck it out the whole season and got to go in on a few games because the assistant coach who took interest in this player was in charge of special teams and would sneak the young man in because he was told not to play him but he went ahead and played him anyway. When the season ended the young man went up to this coach and thanked him for giving him a chance to play. This assistant coach said just that thank you was worth more than any state championship and that he would never forget the young man as long as he lived. And you wonder why all those coaches left Mayfield maybe their the only ones who really knew what coaching was all about. Lucky that young mans parents never hired a lawyer.
Yes great points taken. But in years past when Onate was very talented but limited in numbers, if they would have played some players both ways maybe they would have a couple more titles to show for it. Two platoon system is great when you have a bunch of talent. The only team in the state that consistently two platoons and wins is Artesia.Their is mre tradition in Artesia than any other school in state so they get the numbers.Other great teams like Clovis,Cruces Or Mayfield Have a philosophy of putting the best talent out their at all times look at how many state titles they have won.At what cost is it to win? In this day and age it is everything. Mckee has done more with less than anyone in this state. If he doesn't change his two platoon system soon he will be gone.Go Onate!!
While I agree that Coach McKee would be more successful record-wise if he would play more kids both ways, I do think that he is truly a "coach" and a mentor to his players.
He is a man of character, and strives to do right by his players both on and off the field of play.
The episode in the 2006 season with the ineligible player was very telling. Coach McKee self reported as soon as he learned that a player was academically ineligible.
He took his medicine, and believe me when those players learned about it brought them to tears. BUT the bottom line is he did the right thing, and I think his players learned a powerful lesson that day.
Last year with the assistant coach fiasco, it was no different. He did what he had to do to maintain HIS integrity.
I know for a fact that it is a long held tradition among assistant coaches (at all the local schools) who are riding in the school van to pick up a six-pack or whatever on the way home after an away game. As a matter of fact, the bottlecaps found in the van weren't even the same brand as what the assistant coaches had purchased...
But again, the bottom line is that you must do the right thing, even if it hurts.
He leads by example, and nothing greater can be said of a coach.
Whether or not he keeps his job may be at stake this year, and for his and his players' sakes, I hope he does what he needs to do in a positive way to win!
GO KNIGHTS!!!!
That's what sold his new freshman coach to come over from Mayfield was Coach Mckee's integrity and honesty. He said that was the biggest selling point in making his mind up to leave.
onates new freshman coach was only the get back coach at mayfield. Someone should check his background and see why he was fired from cobre.
That Freshman Coach was fired for allegations of sexually molesting a student.
Previous sophmore/junior years are telling, but I can remember the 2002 season when the Onate Knights were 4A champs that year, earlier when those same Onate seniors were sophmores and juniors they beat up on 5A LC and Mayfield teams pretty bad, but when they all became seniors in 2002 Onate lost both to LC and Mayfield teams, the score for Mayfield was 40 Onate 0 during the regular 2002 season game. By the way that was the year all three teams played for state titles...I believe the players matured from LC and Mayfield & caught up with Onate early speed and size, add good coaching that shaped them into a formidable team and that created the turnaround. But I agree I look forward and hope for all LC football teams to do well as they did in 2002.
And I guess some have forgotten Mayfield had only 4 returning starters after the 2005 championship team and went on to win state twice more.
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