The Top 10 Teams In The 5A Standings So Far This Season!

As we head into the new year, several teams in the 5A Class have gotten off to a great start as we head into the mid way point of the regular season. These 10 teams have the best win-loss records in the 5A Class. Las Cruces 12-0 (District 3 Leader) The Las Cruces Bulldawgs have started the 2021-22 season off strong after coming off two straight seasons of going to the 5A championship and winning back in 2020. They are currently in the middle of a tournament and play in the championship game Wednesday December 29th. They have been led by Coach Benjamin who has two state championships from 2013 and 2020. This team is also led by William Benjamin Jr. who is averaging 25.1 points per game and big man [player_tooltip player_id="1076667" first="Isaiah" last="Carr"] who is averaging a double double of 16.6 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per game this season. They also have other key contributors like [player_tooltip player_id="1276347" first="David" last="Cruz"] who is one of the best three point shooters in NM and [player_tooltip player_id="1076681" first="Kaden" last="Self"] who is averaging 10.2 points per game. Volcano Vista 9-0 (District 1 Leader) The Volcano Vista Hawks are currently undefeated and are one of the scariest teams in NM right now. They’ve had some statement wins against some of the other top 5A teams on this list. Tuesday December 7th, they defeated La Cueva 60-59 on the road from a game winning shot by [player_tooltip player_id="1076675" first="Jakwon" last="Hill"]. Than they won the Phil Griego Tournament championship 81-70 vs Cleveland Saturday December 11th. They are led by leader [player_tooltip player_id="1076675" first="Jakwon" last="Hill"] who is one of the states top two way players from both sides of the ball. This team is loaded with depth at every position. [player_tooltip player_id="1225473" first="Oscar" last="McCoy"] is one of the top floor generals at the point guard position who is also a deadly shooter. They also have [player_tooltip player_id="1128605" first="Kaden" last="Valdez"] and Jaden Malone who space the floor with their shooting and they both can create their own shot off the dribble. Big man [player_tooltip player_id="1124213" first="Sean" last="Alter"] is also having his best season in high school and is a tough matchup for any big man in New Mexico. This team is contending for the 5A Championship and building for the future with freshman players [player_tooltip player_id="1176305" first="Hudson" last="Brown"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1176300" first="Kenyon" last="Aguino"]. Hobbs 11-1 (District 4 Leader) The Hobbs Eagles are one of the states most underrated teams in New Mexico. They have 10 of their 11 wins winning by double digits and their only loss came from a team in Texas earlier this season. They are also in a tournament championship late tonight vs Cleveland. They are led by [player_tooltip player_id="1076669" first="Jalen" last="Goar"] who is averaging 18.9 points per game which is among the best in New Mexico. They also have balanced scoring from [player_tooltip player_id="1076695" first="Aaron" last="Mora"] who is the teams second leading scorer at 17.4 per game. Michael Mackey is their third leading scorer at 11.4 points per game. [player_tooltip player_id="1208585" first="Jesus" last="Ramos"] is also a consistent contributor providing 9.4 points per game this season. Santa Fe 10-1 (District 5 Leader) The Santa Fe Demons are one again in the mix as one of the top teams in the 5A Class this season. They started the season off with 9 straight wins and their only loss came to Cleveland Tuesday December 21st in a 66-63 defeat on the road. They are also in the middle of the Rio Rancho Holiday Hoops Classic Tournament. This is a experienced group that is led by seven seniors this year. They are led by Carlos Quintana, Isaiah Madril, Elefio Benavidez, Elijah Apodaca, Deigo Ortiz and [player_tooltip player_id="1280490" first="Paul" last="Lovato"]. Atrisco Heritage Academy 8-1 (District 1) The Atrisco Heritage Academy Jaguars are coming off reaching the 5A semifinals last season and was one win away from playing Las Cruces in the championship game last year. They have picked up where they left off last year as one of the hottest teams in New Mexico. They are led by seniors [player_tooltip player_id="1128606" first="Javier" last="Mendoza"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1076691" first="Colby" last="Wade"]. [player_tooltip player_id="1128606" first="Javier" last="Mendoza"] is the teams most all around player that does everything at a high level that contributes to Atrisco’s success. [player_tooltip player_id="1076691" first="Colby" last="Wade"] is one of the states top big men and has emerged as one of the top three point shooting big’s in the game. They also are led by true point guard Chris Parra Jr. who is one of the top play-makers in the game and is deadly shooting from long range. Lorenzo Pacheco is the piece that holds this team together with his leadership and unselfishness. This teams only loss this season was against La Cueva who is 6-1 and we could possibly get a potential rematch in the metro tournament that starts January 4th. This team also has talent for the future with players like Marquise Renfro and [player_tooltip player_id="1176301" first="Latavious" last="Morris"]. Farmington 8-1 (District 2 Leader) The Farmington Scorpions started the season undefeated with 8 straight wins and their only loss this season has come against Carlsbad who is 9-2. Farmington currently has the best record in their District and has several good wins vs the best teams in the 4A Class. This team is led by their leaders [player_tooltip player_id="1295242" first="Trel" last="Griego"], Marcos Araiza and Gustavo Rodriguez. This team is in a competitive district and expect them to be in the mix for the district title this season. La Cueva- 6-1 (District 2) The La Cueva Bears have had an excellent season for far with a 6-1 record. Their only loss came against the 9-0 undefeated Volcano Vista Hawks off a buzzer beater. They started the season off with a statement win on the road vs Atrisco Heritage November 30th and beat Del Norte the defending 4A champions Tuesday December 21st. They are led by [player_tooltip player_id="1076700" first="Exodus" last="Ayers"] who is averaging 19.1 points per game and is one of the state tops players. Gabriel Trujillo is also consistently giving you 13.9 points per game and Cedarius Yates 10.6 points per game. This team also has nice depth with players like Josiah Guliford a nice point gaurd who can also shoot the ball, Deven Dyer a tough big man inside the paint on both sides of the ball and [player_tooltip player_id="1076711" first="Isaiah" last="Denetclaw"] who can space the floor with his long range shooting. Carlsbad 9-2 (District 4) The Carlsbad Cavemen currently sit this season at 9-2 and are currently in a tournament before the start of the new year. Their only losses this season have came to Rio Rancho in a 44-43 loss and to the undefeated Las Cruces Bulldawgs. This roster has 13 juniors on this and they are having a lot of success already. This district looks like it will come down between them and the 11-1 Hobbs for the district title later this season. Cleveland 8-2 (District 1) The defending 5A state champions are picking up where they left off last spring. Despite having six seniors graduate this past summer, the Cleveland Storm is still contending for another championship this season and building for the future at the same time. They are led by Coach Sean Jimenez and their only losses this season have come against two teams still currently undefeated, Volcano Vista and Las Cruces. The teams leading scorer is sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id="1158654" first="Daniel" last="Steverson"] and he’s averaging 14 points per game. This team has some of the most depth in New Mexico and have six players averaging at least 7 points per game. [player_tooltip player_id="1208589" first="Cole" last="Savage"] is averaging 11.7 points per game, [player_tooltip player_id="1208584" first="Antonio" last="Avila"] is averaging 10.5 points per game, [player_tooltip player_id="1124238" first="Elijah" last="Brody"] is averaging 9.7 points per game, Josiah Ortiz is averaging 8.7 points per game and Nic Trujillo averaging 7.3 points per game. West Mesa 5-3 (District 2) The West Mesa Mustangs are having a solid and underrated start to the season. They only lost to Valley by 7 who is 6-2 this season and their two other losses came against two undefeated teams, Volcano Vista and Las Cruces. They are led by big man [player_tooltip player_id="1280498" first="Ty" last="Barlow"] who is having a solid season so far. This team also has several juniors who have made an impact this season. They are also led by captain Brandon Lagunas who is their best scorer that can create his own shot and shoot at a high level. Point Guard Donovan Cruz is a true floor general who makes others around him better with his play-making and vision. They also have [player_tooltip player_id="1076703" first="Sonny" last="Ortiz"] who is one of the states top marksman from three and once he gets in rhythm is impossible to stop when he gets in the zone.