District 4-6A is a football free-for-all
That District 4-6A was going to be a one-bid playoff league was never in question. But suddenly, and surprisingly, this has become, in its own twisted way, one of the most entertaining football districts — and free-for-alls — in New Mexico. With two weeks remaining, the quartet of Albuquerque High, Atrisco Heritage, Valley and West Mesa are tied for first place. Quite obviously, the possibilities are far too numerous to detail here (we’ll delve more into that next week), but this can be said with almost total certainty: three of those four teams — the Valley-West Mesa winner, along with AHS and Atrisco, will probably be tied with 3-1 records headed into the season’s final week. Except for an offensive pass interference penalty against Valley that erased a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute, AHS would be leading this district outright. And that penalty, unfortunately, has the potential later on to knock the Bulldogs from the playoffs. Still, it’s hard not to be rooting for AHS right about now given what that program has endured in recent years. CLOSE TO FINISHED: Unless Sandia somehow summons an extraordinary performance in Week 11, Manzano appears a lock to win the District 2-6A championship. The Monarchs (6-2) are through the tough portion of their district slate, having beaten La Cueva, Clovis and Eldorado. Next up is 0-8 Santa Fe, then the Matadors to end the regular season. If Manzano finishes 8-2, will it have done enough to earn a topfour seed and first-round playoff bye? The Monarchs are right on the edge. Two of the top three are Rio Rancho and Cleveland, and there are three Las Cruces schools — Las Cruces, Centennial and Oñate — also in the mix. Much will depend on the order of those three; Manzano probably would benefit from Centennial winning its district, since the Monarchs lost to the Hawks back in Week 2. That could allow Manzano to perhaps earn a No. 4 seed. SEE THIS: Del Norte tailback Avery See ran for an easylooking 326 yards Saturday at Albuquerque Academy, and if he appears to be a different runner, that’s because he is. See shed 50 pounds between last year and this year, largely the result of a season-ending knee (ACL) injury he sustained early in the 2015 season. He is running now at 205 pounds. He remains a power back, only now with some wheels. “It really changed my quickness,” See said. “I can get to the holes better. Before, I could see them, but I couldn’t get to them because I wasn’t fast enough.” SYSTEMIC: “People think we’re this spread-it-out, chuckthe-ball team. But we’re really not.” This was Cleveland coach Heath Ridenour, after the Storm won last year’s Class 6A state championship. For all the brilliance we’ve seen from recent Storm quarterbacks like Cole Gautsche and Gabe Ortega, Cleveland has developed a well-earned reputation for cultivating running backs. The latest in a line of talented RBs is senior Niko Papadopoulos. He wasn’t the primary back when this season began — that was Shawn Nieto — but Papadopoulos excelled when he became the top carrier for the Storm about a month ago. The 5-foot-7, 170-pounder had six touchdowns in a win at Artesia and three TDs in last week’s victory over Cibola. He’s got 15 touchdowns and was averaging close to 100 yards a game before Friday’s contest against Piedra Vista. Cleveland has a knack for finding the right guy. Think back to Landry Hayes, who was only an occasional offensive player last season, then rushed for over 200 yards and four touchdowns in that state final against Eldorado. “The kids are talented,” Ridenour said, “but the system plays into it. It’s the reps the kids get, the way we teach all the running backs. We teach them as if they are all the starter.” THIS AND THAT: Bernalillo finally ended its 19-game losing streak, whipping Santa Fe Indian 34-7 on the road Friday night. The Spartans (1-8) had only scored 40 points total in their first eight games. … Cleveland tight end Adam Cook suffered a knee injury early Friday night and didn’t return. He was on crutches in the second half. The Storm is off this week and closes the regular season at Volcano Vista on Nov. 4.