Class 3A: First Round Preview and 5 Players To Know

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The brackets for the 2025 New Mexico boys state basketball tournament were announced by the NMAA on Sunday night. Here is a preview of all eight first-round matchups in Class 3A + 5 Players You Need to Know. All 8 first-round games will be played on Saturday, March 8 (weather permitting).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Santa Fe Prep (16) at St. Michael's (1)</strong>: St. Michael's (21-6) head coach Dakota Montoya's first season at the Horsemen's helm has gone swimmingly. They kicked things into gear following a hard-fought loss to 5A Albuquerque High in late December. Since then, the Horsemen have lost just three times by a combined seven points. St. Michael's secret sauce? Everybody contributes. There are no passengers on this team. Santa Fe Prep (11-15) was rewarded for competing in 3A's toughest district with the No. 16 seed. Five of the six teams made the state tournament. They've been thumped twice by St. Michael's by a combined 58 points, so they'll need to rethink their strategy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hot Springs (9) at Navajo Prep (8)</strong>: Hot Springs (21-7) could be under-seeded at No. 9. The Tigers swept their regular season and district tourney titles, and will carry an 8-game winning streak into the state tournament. Navajo Prep (23-6) is the defending 3A champions and they enjoyed another fabulous season, finishing second during the regular season in their district behind Tohatchi before prevailing in the district tournament. They'll carry their own 8-game winning streak into Saturday's contest, so something must give. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NMMI (12) at Bosque (5)</strong>: Bosque (20-7) swept the District 3A-5 regular season and tourney titles on its way to a third consecutive 20-win season. Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2309741' first='Josiah' last='Wilson']</strong> is one of the top young players in the Albuquerque Metro Region, capturing District Player of the Year honors. He is averaging 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. NMMI (16-12) finished a game behind Tularosa in the District 3A-4 standings and have proven at times this season they can be a dangerous basketball team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>East Mountain (13) at Tularosa (4)</strong>: Tularosa (21-6) has won seven of eight games heading into the state tournament and swept the regular season and district tournament titles in District 3A-4. <strong>Estevan Barraza, Eluciano Gonzales</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2819752' first='Zaine' last='Hodges']</strong> are three of Tularosa's top scorers. East Mountain (19-9) has quietly put together a solid season and they're the third team from District 3A-5 to make the state tourney. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ruidoso (14) at Tohatchi (3)</strong>: Tohatchi (24-3) is one of the most under-the-radar teams in the state. The Cougars went undefeated in district play before seeing their 16-game winning streak snapped by Navajo Prep in the District 3A-1 tourney championship game. Tohatchi is led by the dynamic duo of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2684834' first='Josh' last='Dawes']</strong> (18.1 ppg) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2684829' first='Kyle' last='Yazzie']</strong> (16.6), who have combined for 34.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Ruidoso (16-12) finished third in Distsrict 3A-4 with senior <strong>Augustine Saiz</strong> leading the way. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cobre (11) at Santa Fe Indian (6)</strong>: An intriguing matchup featuring two of the top players in Class 3A. Cobre (17-11) junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2693613' first='Zavin' last='Guck']</strong> is the state's second leading scorer at 24.3 points per game and he recently surpassed the career 1,300-point plateau, putting him squarely on track to reach 2,000 career points in 2025-26. Santa Fe Indian (17-10) senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2818740' first='Kenyen' last='Callado']</strong> recently scored his 1,000^th career point for the Braves. In a district tournament game, he nailed five 3-pointers in less than 3 minutes, so he can shoot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sandia Prep (10) at West Las Vegas (7)</strong>: According to MaxPreps, who's currently the state's top scorer for 2024-25? West Las Vegas (17-11) junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2300003' first='Devaughn' last='Kensey']</strong>, who is averaging 24.4 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, and connecting on 58 percent of his shots. Sandia Prep (15-13) engaged in a season-long battle with Bosque for bragging rights in District 3A-5. The Sundevils eventually finished second in both the regular season and district tourney.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Thoreau (15) at Robertson (2)</strong>: Nobody has overcome more adversity this season than Robertson (24-4), whose head coach sits in jail accused of criminal sexual contact with a minor. At first, Robertson struggled with their coach's absence, but have surged in recent weeks, beating top-seeded St. Michael's twice, including the district tournament championship game on the Horsemen's home floor. Dynamic freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2714561' first='George' last='Smith']</strong> (16.2 ppg) and senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2818687' first='Jesse' last='James Gonzales']</strong> (15.6) highlight a balanced Cardinals offensive attack. Thoreau (14-13) is one of three teams from District 3A-1 to make the state tournament. The Hawks are led by senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2819890' first='Stetson' last='Perry']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>5 Players You Need To Know</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1687822' first='Xavier' last='Nez'], Navajo Prep</strong>: Nez helped lead Navajo Prep to the state championship last season and he remained one of the Eagles' top players in 2024-25. Scored 19 points in the district tourney championship win over Tohatchi.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tavian Callado, Santa Fe Indian</strong>: Just a freshman, Tavian is the younger brother of SFIS standout [player_tooltip player_id='2818740' first='Kenyen' last='Callado']. He scored 28 points in a district tourney game against West Las Vegas. One of the top young players in Northern New Mexico.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2714599' first='Izon' last='Guck'], Cobre</strong>: Another sibling connection. Guck, a freshman, is the younger brother of Cobre star [player_tooltip player_id='2693613' first='Zavin' last='Guck']. He's averaging 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, second on the Indians behind his brother in both categories.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2216707' first='Nathan' last='Gonzales'], Robertson</strong>: A sophomore, the 6-foot-5 Gonzales has been one of Robertson's top contributors all season long. He is averaging 12.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game, so he's been exceptional on both ends of the floor. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2706580' first='Ryan' last='Hunt'], St. Michael's</strong>: In addition to being a standout defensive end on St. Michael's 3A state championship winning football team, Hunt is also an outstanding hoops player. He leads the hard-nosed Horsemen in scoring and rebounding.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sandia prep gave us a run for our money but we came out on top, district champs! Blessed to receive District Player of the Year. Next up, State Tournament <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepHoops_NM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepHoops_NM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KJ_Ford4?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KJ_Ford4</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Run_Way_Jets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Run_Way_Jets</a> <a href="https://t.co/mslwLak2Lv">pic.twitter.com/mslwLak2Lv</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='2309741' first='Josiah' last='Wilson'] (@JosiahWilson54) <a href="https://twitter.com/JosiahWilson54/status/1895678038127624265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Though loss the other night on the road. Despite the loss I still finished with 16 pts, 5 reb, and 2 ast. <a href="https://twitter.com/coachrickncsa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coachrickncsa</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/_CoachFord?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_CoachFord</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachRMoody?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachRMoody</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/coachBryce19?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coachBryce19</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/xavwebb22?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@xavwebb22</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JimmyBoxSmith?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JimmyBoxSmith</a> <a href="https://t.co/9H9QpNhIUP">pic.twitter.com/9H9QpNhIUP</a></p>&mdash; Augustine Saiz (@AugustineSaiz) <a href="https://twitter.com/AugustineSaiz/status/1894908628945322361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">As the Socorro crowd chanted “Over-Rated” aimed at Cobre Junior, [player_tooltip player_id='2693613' first='Zavin' last='Guck']. He dropped 42 points on them in a district win. <a href="https://twitter.com/nmaa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nmaa</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nmpreps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nmpreps</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepHoops_NM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepHoops_NM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesDYodice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JamesDYodice</a> <a href="https://t.co/4tIaF8XL7F">pic.twitter.com/4tIaF8XL7F</a></p>&mdash; CobreSports (@CobreSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/CobreSports/status/1887769410406105196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->