By Eric Butler
MaxPreps.com
For the last five years, the Aztec Tigers have got used to waiting in the wings. Always good with its potent offensive attack, the Tigers' football squad has twice reached the Class 4A championship game – falling in 2003 to Artesia and in 2005 to Silver.
Even when the Tigers didn't make it to the title contest, they threatened the traditional southern powers.
This year? Well, this just might be the year that Aztec makes the jump.
Averaging 52 points a game, the Tigers had their lowest output of the season last Friday (Oct. 24) in beating Kirtland Central 38-20.
But the win put Aztec at 8-0 on the season and, in the subsequent poll conducted by the New Mexico Coaches Association, the Tigers were moved up into a tie at the top with Goddard.
In a year when defending champ Artesia seems somewhat vulnerable, it would be natural for a team like Aztec to be licking its chops. Artesia, winner of four of the last five 4A championships, is 5-3 on the season.
Aztec coach Brad Hirsch, however, dismisses any idea of looking past his next opponent on the schedule. This week, it'll be Farmington High – where Hirsch first entered the coaching ranks as an assistant.
"It's going well. But we look at it like there's a long way to go. We don't think about (state titles) or talk about it, we just leave it as it is," Hirsch said. "Artesia is Artesia and they're state champs. And they're still state champs until someone knocks them off. You've got to give them respect."
Aztec employs the same kind of wide-open aerial attack that's been so successful for Artesia over the years.
This season, it's sophomore Brycson King who quarterbacks the multi-receiver formation at Aztec. Among his top weapons to go to are senior wide receivers Ben Livingston and Derrick Williamson.
King has another potent threat on his side in running back Mike Hathcock. The Tigers senior has rushed for over 1,300 yards.
It's not completely unusual for Aztec to start such a young quarterback. Former signal caller Ryley Hegarty, now at Brown University, got a few starts when he was only a freshman.
"He's grabbing the learning curve pretty well," Hirsch said of King. "He's just young though, so we've got to take things in stride."
In Class 3A, Portales had been riding high with the top-ranking in that division. But the Rams ran into a stubborn old buzzsaw in the form of Lovington last Friday.
The Wildcats, looking for their first state title since winning back-to-back honors in 2000 and 2001, beat Portales 17-14 to take temporary command of District 4-3A.
Lovington (5-3) had lost two of its three previous meetings, including a loss to 2A Dexter, before bouncing back against the visiting Rams. The 'Cats moved up to No. 1 in the Coaches Association poll for 3A as a result, just ahead of Bloomfield.
"Our front line and linebackers did a good job. We tackled well," said Lovington coach Jaime Quinones of his defense containing the productive Portales offensive unit. "We were able to keep the big runs that they've had down to a minimum. We were able to get some pressure on the quarterback; our kids just played really hard."
Senior defensive tackle Westin Trammel and junior linebacker Zach Kann were keys in the Wildcats' win.
In 2007, Lovington was shocked by Albuquerque Academy in a quarterfinal state playoff game. The 'Cats actually went into the postseason a year ago as the top-seeded team in Class 3A.
But, in the hometown of the Chicago Bears' Brian Urlacher, those kinds of honors mean little compared to actual championships
"We've been down the last couple of years. But, hopefully, we'll get rolling a little bit," Quinones said. "We've just got to be more consistent."
