2022 Team Preview: Deming Wildcats

<strong>Deming 2022 Preview</strong> <strong>Head Coach</strong>: Greg Simmons <strong>Mascot</strong>: Wildcats <strong>Twitter</strong>: @DemingWildcat; @IanOrtiz57; <span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">@EzraHensley5; </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">@Fabiannr_88</span> <strong>Colors</strong>: Cardinal, Navy Blue <strong>2021 Record</strong>: 5-6 (Class 5A 1^st Round) <strong>Overview</strong>: Deming must replace its biggest offensive threat from a season ago – running back Joey Reza, who signed with New Mexico Highlands. Sophomore <strong>Ryan Alfaro</strong> will compete with junior <strong>A.J. Flores</strong> for the starting job with the loser moving to wide receiver. In short, they’ll play regardless. Both Alfaro and Flores are dual threat signal callers and either one will give Deming a greater run threat from the QB spot than what the Wildcats have had in the past few seasons. But both can throw the ball pretty well, too. Who replaces Reza at RB? The Wildcats are planning a running back-by-committee approach when the season starts and wait to see if somebody emerges. Senior <strong>Julian Perez</strong> will get a good percentage of the carries with junior <strong>Aiden Jaquez</strong> getting his share as well. Senior <strong>Fabian Reyna</strong> will see action at both running back and wide receiver. Deming runs the ball about 80 percent of the time under head coach Greg Simmons with play action serving as the foundation of the passing game. Simmons also likes to utilize a tight end. The offensive line is anchored by <strong>Timothy Sanchez</strong> and <strong>Xavier Gutierrez</strong>. Six-foot-2, 255-pound sophomore <strong>Ezra Hensley</strong> is a rising star. Depth along the offensive line should be improved this season. Any discussion about the Deming defense must begin with 6-foot-3, 235-pound DE <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138095" first="Ian" last="Ortiz"]</strong>, a two-time First-Team All-State performer. Ortiz is being courted by Div. 1 programs as FCS Idaho State (Big Sky Conference) extended an offer three weeks ago following his MVP-winning performance at an ISU camp. Eastern New Mexico and Western New Mexico have offered as well. Hensley will likely join Ortiz on the Deming defensive line. At linebacker, senior <strong>Troy Baker</strong> returns while <strong>Alexis Gutierrez</strong> is a promising sophomore. High motor senior <strong>Gabyno Perez</strong> could switch between DL and LB. Simmons plans to move him around depending on the situation. Another sophomore, <strong>Isaiah Pizarro</strong>, moves from the JV to varsity to play LB. Both cornerbacks – seniors <strong>Fabian Reyna</strong> and <strong>Gabriel Villegas</strong> – are back. Flores is involved in the mix at safety. <strong>Schedule</strong>: Deming makes two long trips to Del Norte (Albuquerque) and Belen during non-district play along with a trip to Artesia. They also host Organ Mountain, Goddard and Mayfield before district play begins in October. Aug. 19 at Del Norte Aug. 26 ORGAN MOUNTA IN Sept. 2 GODDARD Sept. 9 at Artesia Sept. 16 at Belen Sept. 23 at Silver Sept. 30 MAYFIELD Oct. 7 Bye Oct. 14 SANTA TERESA* Oct. 21 at Chaparral* Oct. 28 GADSDEN* * District Game <strong>Top Storyline</strong>: Already blessed with one of the state’s top defensive players, how will Deming fare with a new offensive backfield as they seek to move up the Class 5A ladder? <strong>Final Thoughts</strong>: If Deming is going to improve its record over last season, the Wildcats must learn how to win close games. They lost to Artesia, Santa Teresa, Mayfield (OT) and Belen (5A playoffs) by  combined 22 points. That’s less than a touchdown per game. Simmons expects to have only about 25 players on the varsity, so everybody will likely get a chance to play. The key to Deming’s season is surviving the five-game gauntlet extending from Week 3 against Goddard to Week 7 against Mayfield. After that, Deming gets a bye before the district opener at home against Santa Teresa. Football might be the ultimate team sport but many eyes will be on Ortiz this season. <strong>Coach’s Comments</strong>: “We were a bit young and inexperienced last year but the kids played hard. We were in every game except for Goddard. We were right there. We just didn’t finish or make the plays when we needed to. [player_tooltip player_id="138095" first="Ian" last="Ortiz"] works his tail off. He has been living in the weight room here since he was in eighth grade. He’s very coachable. He’s a team-first guy. He leads by example and he’s very positive with the other guys. Nothing he does surprises me. He told me in the ninth grade he wanted to earn a football scholarship. He’s put the work in. He will have a lot of options if he has the type of senior year we expect him to have. He’s a game changer. Ezra Hensley has a lot of potential. He’s a big, strong kid who is developing a good work ethic. He started for us as a freshman last year and he’s only going to get better. He works with Ian a lot.” – Deming Coach Greg Simmons. https://twitter.com/DemingWildcat/status/1536722184227258368 https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1538719974914523136 https://twitter.com/EzraHensley5/status/1534741148995969024 https://twitter.com/DemingWildcat/status/1528732375848570889 https://twitter.com/DemingWildcat/status/1526180275239063552