James Barron
Santa Fe New Mexican, Aug 24, 2026

As far as statements go, Pojoaque Valley football issued a strong one in its 41-17 win over Taos on Friday.

And Josh Gonzales added to it with a performance worthy of being The New Mexican’s athlete of the week for Aug. 17-21. The senior quarterback guided an offense that churned out 424 rushing yard, gaining 254 of them on 19 carries with two touchdowns. Gonzales also went 3-for-9 passing for 70 yards and a touchdowns, to boot.

Gonzales scored on a 2-yard plunge and a 69-yard scamper as the Elks scored 27 points in the second half. The longer run extended the lead to 34-17 late in the third quarter. He also did his part on the defensive side, recording five tackles that was tied for second-most on the team.

Honorable mentions:

St. Michael’s running backs

C.J. Valdez and

Roman Barrera combined for 198 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-6 win over Capital Aug. 21. Valdez had a team-high 127 yards on just 11 carries, while Barrera ran for 71 yards and two scores on just six carries. He also had 30 yards in receiving yards, too.

West Las Vegas quarterback Cayden Encinias threw for 123 yards and two touchdowns, while also leading the Dons with 64 yards on the ground in a 25-23 come-from-behind win over Portales on Aug. 22

Capital junior striker Carlos Solis was explosive in the first week of the boys soccer season. He had 10 goals in three matches, with six coming in a 10-0 drubbing of Pojoaque Valley on Aug. 18. He added another pair of goals in a 2-all tie at Las Cruces Organ Mountain on Aug. 20 and two more in a 6-2 win over Albuquerque Hope Christian on Aug. 22.

Santa Fe High junior midfielder Jasper Wiltenberg had a goal and three assists across four matches as the Demons started the season 3-1.