Running back duo powers No. 1 Hawks
Chavez, Gallegos have combined for 1,936 yards and 21 touchdowns
As running back combos go, Volcano Vista’s elite duo has no equal in New Mexico.
Isaac Chavez and Jimmy Gallegos, the fantastic tandem for the No. 1-ranked team in the state, have, in the football sense, been inseparable since they were thirdgraders and playing in the YAFL’s Pee Wee division.
They are 18 now and have been running rampant through — and away from — defenses all year for Volcano Vista. “We have that chemistry,” said Gallegos. “We used to look alike (when we were little kids). We’d wear the same shirt, the same shorts, the same shoes. We’d always look exactly the same.”
They remain extremely close in this, the final days of their high school careers.
They won’t be mistaken for twins, nor will
their running styles be confused with each other, but no Class 6A team this season has received more quality production out of its backfield than has Volcano Vista. The Hawks (11-0) take on No. 4 seed Rio Rancho (7-4) in the state semifinals at Nusenda Community Stadium at 1 p.m. Saturday.
“I think what they bring is the attitude of competitiveness,” said Volcano Vista coach Chad Wallin. “But they’re so close. They pull for each other. Which is kind of a weird deal. Isaac will go off and have a great run, and Jimmy is cheering and excited for Isaac — but then he wants to go out and try to top it. How humble they both are is crazy.”
They have combined for 1,936 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns. The 5-foot9, 170-pound Chavez, the team’s fastest player, has run for 1,130 yards and a dozen scores with a peraverage run of 11.5 yards, and with half a step, his breakaway speed is daunting for any defense. Gallegos, the more physical of the two backs at 5-10 and 200 pounds, had added 806 yards and nine TDs and is extremely effective in short yardage situations even as he also occasionally breaks a long run.
Chavez’s assessment was simple.
“I’m more the fast guy,” he said, smiling. “Jimmy is more the big guy. We just push each other.”
The Volcano Vista ground game has been fearsome all year. In the first Rio Rancho game, the Hawks rushed for 340 yards, led by 143 by Chavez, in a 51-43 victory that cemented Volcano Vista as the playoff No. 1 seed.
“It’s always harder to beat a team a second time,” said Gallegos. “Last year (against Cleveland), we were that much closer (in the semifinals) than we were (in the regular season). But I think we are all ready.”
And they’ll be happy to share any and all glory.
“We’re always trying to get more yards than each other. It’s like a battle,” said the easygoing Chavez. “But when we’re both on the field, it makes us so deadly. They can’t cover the whole field at once, and they don’t know who’s getting the ball.”
And these two like to riff off one another, too. They have been teammates for just about half their lives.
Both have just about the same number of carries, and defenses must account for both of them at all times.
“They both deserve D-I offers,” said their quarterback, Diego Pavia. “They’re the best in the state.”
Chavez is one of the most explosive runners in the state. He’s proven that he only needs half a step of separation to turn something modest into a big play.
“I’m fast, but I can be slow to the hole, and then read it, and then take off,” he said.
Said Wallin: “He’s got that natural speed, but he’s also as strong as an ox.”
Volcano Vista averages a shade under 250 rushing yards per game. Chavez and Gallegos — and Pavia — get the notices, but the Hawks also have an all-senior offensive line, and between the five of them, they’ve only missed one game all year, last week against Mayfield in the quarterfinals. That translates into big numbers no matter who has the ball.
“As long as people want to pick and choose … ” Wallin said.