2022 Team Preview: Alamogordo Tigers
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Alamogordo 2022 Preview Head Coach: A.J. Cisco Mascot: Tigers Twitter: @AlamoFootball; @AlamogordoTiger (Recruiting); @CoachCiscoAHS Colors: Black, Gold & White 2021 Record: 2-8 Overview: Alamogordo’s gift from the NMAA after a frustrating 2021 season was a reclassification…
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Continue ReadingAlamogordo 2022 Preview
Head Coach: A.J. Cisco
Mascot: Tigers
Twitter: @AlamoFootball; @AlamogordoTiger (Recruiting); @CoachCiscoAHS
Colors: Black, Gold & White
2021 Record: 2-8
Overview: Alamogordo’s gift from the NMAA after a frustrating 2021 season was a reclassification to Class 6A, and placement into one of the toughest districts in the state. The new quarterback is 6-foot-2, 180-pound junior Elijah Montoya Elijah Montoya 6'1" | 175 lbs | QB Alamogordo | 2024 State NM , who started last season’s opener at QB as a sophomore when covid struck the Tigers before moving to wide receiver and outside linebacker. Montoya is well regarded by his coaches and teammates for his leadership skills, competitiveness and how his manages the offense.
Most of Alamogordo’s top running backs last season were seniors. Defensive standouts Damon Mayberry Damon Mayberry 5'10" | 190 lbs | LB Alamogordo | 2023 State NM and Ryan Stovall Ryan Stovall 6'2" | 195 lbs | LB Alamogordo | 2023 State NM combined for 69 carries a season ago and will likely play both ways again. The Tigers also have Mason Pittman, R.J. Pollack and Devaun Herrera-Hamilton ready to carry the football as well. In short, the Tigers are going to share the wealth at RB. They had a run-dominated offense – mostly by necessity- but plan to throw the football a little more this season and be better balanced in terms of run-pass ratio.
Senior Joseph Marquez is back at wide receiver after leading the Tigers in receptions in 2021, along with several other expected contributors: A’veion Valdez, basketball standout Christian Surpris, Elias Matta and Michael Cook. The Alamogordo coaches believe the Tigers will be more explosive throwing the football this season compared to 2021. The Tigers don’t return any offensive line starters from 2021, but the Tigers staff believes they could be improved. Some of the potential starters gained valuable experience last season due to covid and contact tracing, so they have played at the varsity level. Senior Avrian Mirabal started on the O-Line as a sophomore in the spring of 2020 and returns to the Tigers after missing last season due to an injury.
Defensively, most of Alamogordo’s starters from last season return, giving the Tigers a very experienced unit. Inside linebackers Ryan Stovall Ryan Stovall 6'2" | 195 lbs | LB Alamogordo | 2023 State NM (59 tackles in 9 games in 2021) and Damon Mayberry Damon Mayberry 5'10" | 190 lbs | LB Alamogordo | 2023 State NM (55 tackles) are both third-year starters, and both rank among the top players at the LB position in southern New Mexico. Stovall and Mayberry essentially run the defense and make sure everybody is lined up properly. Herrera-Hamilton and Elijah Lee are the outside linebackers.
Maison Tripp anchors the defensive line from his DT spot. Rusty Davidson, Isaiah Venegas and Aiden Coyazo, back from an injury, provide support. The Tigers have nice depth on the defensive line, allowing them to single platoon in the trenches and keep everybody fresh. Tristin Beres was moved to safety last season and he enjoyed a solid campaign. He’ll combine with Mahki Gonzales at safety. Both cornerbacks are juniors: Anthony Audette Anthony Audette 5'10" | 170 lbs | RB Alamogordo | 2024 State NM started at corner last season, while D´Andre Martin begins his first season with the varsity.
Schedule: Alamogordo opens the season with a road contest at Valencia High in Los Lunas. The following week they host Los Lunas. Home games against Capital and El Paso (TX) Riverside precede the bye and the start of conference play. Alamogordo was placed in arguably the second toughest district in the state. A three-game stretch against Las Cruces, Hobbs and Centennial beckons.
Aug. 19 at Valencia
Aug. 26 LOS LUNAS
Sept. 2 at Gadsden
Sept. 9 CAPITAL
Sept. 16 El PASO (TX) RIVERSIDE
Sept. 23 Bye
Sept. 30 at Carlsbad*
Oct. 7 at Las Cruces*
Oct. 14 HOBBS*
Oct. 22 at Centennial*
Oct. 28 ORGAN MOUNTAIN*
* District Game
Top Storyline: With a more experienced roster, how will Alamogordo fare after moving to Class 6A?
Final Thoughts: A new era – and possibly a fresh start – begins for Alamogordo football. And the schedule reflects it with games against Los Lunas, Las Cruces, Centennial, Hobbs and an El Paso opponent that made a deep run in the Texas playoffs. Like many other schools, the Tigers are getting back to normal after the pandemic caused a major disruption.
Coach’s Comments: “I don’t know if there really is a transition (to 6A). We go about our business day-to-day. We’re not going to change who we are, what we do or how we prepare to get to that level. Playing at the 6A level definitely puts a chip on our kids’ shoulders to want to perform at the highest level in the state. We only graduated 10 or 11 seniors, so we were relatively young last season. The development of our young guys was evident. We’ve had our first true off-season since 2019. The growth in the weight room has been tremendous. We’re excited for the upcoming season because the senior class has been through the grind and our incoming junior class is pretty talented. ” – Alamogordo coach AJ Cisco.