PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW: VALENCIA JAGUARS
Coach: Wes Shank (1st year; 54-51 in 10 seasons at Miyamura) Last season: 1-9 Key players: Robbie Jaramillo, sr. (6-2, 195, WR); Andres Lucero, sr. (5-11, 160, QB); Nayati Harris, sr. (6-0, 185, RB); Adam Aragon, sr. (6-3, 275, LT); Devon Martinez, sr. (5-7, 135, slot); Alex Romero, sr. (6-1, 245, RT); Ryan Thompson, jr. (5-10, 165, RB); Sergio Mejia, sr. (6-0, 220, DT); Carlos Bustamante, sr. (6-2, 260, DT); Austin Nagy, sr. (6-3, 180, FS); Damacio Barela, sr. (6-1, 180, OLB/WR).
Outlook: Shank put together some compelling teams and fashioned a complex — but high-functioning — offense at Miyamura, which made the playoffs three of the last four years before he left for Valencia in February. Chief among the unanswered questions is how quickly the Jaguars will take to Shank and absorb his schemes and philosophies. Martinez has been moved from running back to the slot, Jaramillo (also a state champion wrestler) will be a load for any defensive back, and Shank believes Valencia has at its disposal several potent offensive weapons, sparked by Lucero at QB, and Harris, the team’s strongest player. On the defense, Bustamante and Mejia give the Jags two big bodies in the middle. Valencia has a sizable, athletic group with about two dozen seniors, and this will be a far more wideopen attack than in the last few seasons. Moreover, the Jaguars plan to two-platoon as Shank praised this team’s depth. “I think I have a talented group, and I think we’ll catch people off guard,” said Shank.
2018 schedule (x-denotes District 5-5A game)
Aug. 24, Alamogordo, 7 p.m.
Aug. 31, Highland, 7 p.m.
Sept. 6, at Rio Grande (M), 7 p.m.
Sept. 14, Moriarty, 7 p.m.
Sept. 21, Santa Teresa, 7 p.m.
Sept. 28, at Bloomfield, 7 p.m.
Oct. 4, at Los Alamos, 7 p.m.
Oct. 12, IDLE x-Oct. 19, at Los Lunas, 7 p.m.
x-Oct. 26, Belen, 7 p.m.
x-Nov. 2, at Valley (M), 7 p.m.
Circle the date: With Valencia having fallen behind the progress of their county neighbors, Los Lunas and Belen, it should be interesting to see how the Jaguars fare when they finally get to Week 9 and a matchup with the crosstown Tigers.