Video: Ezekiel Tapia's highlights vs. Texico High School
Watch the Estancia senior running back in action.
Two players from mid-sized school are dominating New Mexico football this year in rushing and scoring, according to MaxPreps Computer Statistics. And they aren't very big individuals, either.
The No. 1 rusher is Estancia senior Ezekiel Tapia, who is a mere 5-foot-5 and 156 pounds. He has rushed for 2,194 yards (averages of 219.4 per game and 10.3 per carry). He also is the No. 2 scorer with 220 points for the 9-1 Class 3A Bears.
In flip-flop fashion, the No. 1 scorer with 259 points (23.5 per game) is Hatch Valley junior Saul Trujillo, not much bigger at 5-9 and 160. He also ranks second in rushing with 1,890 yards (averages of 171.8 per game and 8.8 per carry) for the 9-2 Class 4A Bears.
Albuquerque, Hobbs and Aztec all rank prominently in passing and receiving.
Albuquerque's Santiago Williams, a 6-3, 190-pound senior, is the No. 1 receiver with 1,046 yards. He has 54 receptions and 17 touchdowns. Teammate Roel Pavia, a 5-9, 140-pound senior, is the No. 5 passer with 2,032 yards. He has thrown just eight interceptions.
Hobbs has the No. 1 passer, 6-3, 185-pound junior Gavin Hardison, who has completed 203 of 358 attempts for 2,842 yards and 31 touchdowns. Senior Cason Clay (6-1, 185) is his favorite target, ranking third in the state with 953 yards. Junior teammate Alec Finney is No. 9 with 683 yards.
Aztec has the No. 2 passer, plus the No. 4 and 5 receivers. And they are all juniors, which bodes well for next year. Quarterback Cody Smith (6-1, 195) has passed for 2,472 yards, while Justin Black (5-11, 160) and Sebastian Mcneal (5-10, 155) have accounted for 942 and 931 yards, respectively, for the 7-4 Tigers.
Rio Rancho (10-0) continues to dominate the team rankings with a strong running game, led by senior Josh Foley (5-11, 190), who is No. 3 with 188 points and No. 5 with 1,549 yards.
Following are the top 10 in four major offensive categories:
RUSHING1.
Ezekiel Tapia,
Estancia, 2,194
2.
Saul Trujillo,
Hatch Valley (Hatch), 1,890
3.
Jr Vargas,
Capital (Santa Fe), 1,665
4.
Micah Gray,
Clovis, 1,648
5.
Josh Foley,
Rio Rancho, 1,549
6.
Dominick Dozal,
Santa Teresa, 1,437
7.
Elijah Tapia,
Moriarty, 1,368
8.
Darion Williams,
West Las Vegas (Las Vegas), 1,341
9.
Chris Streetz,
Volcano Vista (Albuquerque), 1,318
10.
Darion Ontiveros,
Portales, 1,195
PASSING1.
Gavin Hardison,
Hobbs, 2,842
2.
Cody Smith,
Aztec, 2,472
3.
Kyle Hooper,
Alamogordo, 2,414
4.
Dillon Gassoway, Volcano Vista (Albuquerque), 2,318
5.
Roel Pavia,
Albuquerque, 2,032
6.
Johnny Plowman,
Lordsburg, 1,861
7.
Matt Chavez,
Miyamura (Gallup), 1,777
8.
Andru Sanchez,
Cobre (Bayard), 1,728
9.
Angelo Trujillo,
Cleveland (Rio Rancho), 1,677
10.
Nic Little, Rio Rancho, 1,662
RECEIVING1.
Santiago Williams, Albuquerque, 1,046
2.
Isaiah Otero,
Ruidoso, 989
3.
Cason Clay, Hobbs, 953
4.
Justin Black, Aztec, 942
5.
Sebastian Mcneal, Aztec, 931
6.
David Cormier, Volcano Vista (Albuquerque), 878
7.
Isaiah Escajeda,
Hope Christian (Albuquerque), 853
8.
Cade Hackey, Hatch Valley (Hatch), 706
9.
Alec Finney, Hobbs, 683
10.
Jordan Savell,
Lovington, 674
SCORING1. Saul Trujillo, Hatch Valley (Hatch), 259
Hatch Valley's Saul Trujillo leads New Mexico in scoring and is second in rushing yards.
Photo by Steven Charte
2. Ezekiel Tapia, Estancia, 220
3. Josh Foley, Rio Rancho, 188
4. Micah Gray, Clovis, 186
5.
Zarek Joe,
Laguna Acoma (New Laguna), 158
6. Darion Williams, West Las Vegas (Las Vegas), 152
7.
Jonathan Cabriales,
Raton, 148
8.
Nicholas Quartieri,
Los Alamos, 128
9.
Darion Ontiveros,
Portales, 122
10.
Danilan "Dee" Smith, Alamogordo, 120
