Aug. 19—In the state's largest high school football classification, the power elite, of late, can be found in the north.

The reverse is mostly true in the second-largest class. The power in Class 5A can be found in abundance in the southern half.

The state is down to two 5A districts, one in the north, the other in the south. But there is near unanimous agreement that virtually all of the top 2024 challengers in this class reside in the south.

In the MaxPreps preseason rankings, the top six schools on that 5A rankings list are based in the south, to illustrate this perception.

Artesia opens as the two-time defending state champion. The last two seasons, the Final Four has been composed of Artesia, Roswell, Deming and Piedra Vista.

Lovington (last year's 4A state champion), Capital and Rio Grande are newcomers in the 5A class. Piedra Vista, Manzano and Chaparral have departed.

Here is a preview of the two eight-team 5A districts.

Southern district

Artesia beat Roswell for the 5A title last November. And while several key players graduated from that squad, the Bulldogs do have a handful of crucial pieces returning as they chase a third consecutive championship.

"This team is excited," Bulldogs coach Jeremy Maupin said. "They're poised to make another title run this year."

On offense, running back Frankie Galindo, who rushed for 25 touchdowns last year, and Ethan Conn, who led the Bulldogs with 14 TD receptions, both are back.

But Artesia will be new at quarterback with 6-foot-1, 190-pound Izac Cazares taking over, a player Maupin described as "probably the best athlete we've had at quarterback going all the way back to (former UNM Lobo) Kole McKamey."

Cazares presents a real running threat, on top of his strong arm, Maupin said.

Grant Johnson will be an anchor at middle linebacker on that Artesia defense.

Roswell romped through a magnificent 2023 regular season, particularly on defense, but it all came apart in the championship game under the weight of numerous big plays Artesia converted in a 35-21 setback in the final.

There are five starters back on that defense, and all of them have college offers: That includes three from the front in Aiden Rutley, Noah Lynn and the versatile Mason Greathouse.

"I think it will be hard to run on us," Coyotes coach Jeff Lynn said.

Roswell has a new defensive coordinator; Art Bolanos left in the offseason to become the head coach at Goddard. Joe Forchtner, a former college coach at New Mexico Military Institute, will call the Roswell defense this fall.

But Roswell doesn't return a single starter on offense. The Coyotes are going to feature a supremely quick group of skill-position athletes, led by senior quarterback Jacob Palomino — "as good an athlete as we've had at Roswell High," Lynn said — and speedy senior running back Jaylon Cloud.

"We didn't win that 13th game last year, so we put a lot of focus on that (in the offseason)," Lynn said. "We have to finish things."

Unlike other teams in this district (Artesia, Roswell, Lovington), Deming will have experience at quarterback in senior Ryan Alfaro, a strong dual-threat QB for the Wildcats, who lost to Roswell in last year's state semifinals. Alfaro rushed for 19 scores and nearly 1,000 yards last season, and threw for almost 1,000 yards.

"He's been starting at quarterback since his freshman year for us," Deming coach Richard Pereles said. "He makes our offense go."

Said Mayfield coach Gary Bradley of Alfaro: "That quarterback is second to none. He's legit."

Deming's offensive line returns intact, as well, although the Wildcats — a team Maupin said is a top-four caliber group — will be largely new at receiver. But Pereles said Deming has solid young talent ready to step in at that position. Senior Isaiah Pizarro was the team's top running back a year ago.

Deming returns seven starters on defense, which should be especially stingy against the run, Pereles said, led by senior middle linebacker Sebastian Acuna. "He makes us go," Pereles said.

Lovington moves up into 5A after its 4A title run nine months ago, and it's been an offseason full of change for the Wildcats. New classification, new district — both significantly more difficult than what they left behind — plus a new head coach in Josh Bailey.

"These kids are raised and they're taught, the goal is to win state and do it the right way," Bailey said. "I feel like this team is as deep as we've been in a long time. This team is ready for the challenge."

Some stellar athletes, including outstanding QB Wyatt Gomez, have graduated from an offense that scored 154 points in three playoff victories last November. But the cupboard is not bare. The Wildcats' top running back, Camon Ochoa, and the No. 3 receiver, Elijah Rivero, give Lovington two weapons, and Bailey has a new quarterback in senior Mathew Prudencio. Bailey described him as "very poised, lengthy, throws the ball well. Because of his demeanor, his poise, it'll come a little quicker to him than most expect."

And Lovington is loaded with players, like Prudencio, who have been patiently waiting their turn to shine. (O-Line is not one of those areas; four starters return.)

This offense will need to be sharp, as the defense will be facing a new set of district challenges. But Bailey said the line has depth and size, and the secondary is anchored by plenty of talent and experience.

"I like our chances," Bailey said. "Like I told our kids, our motto is 'Faith Over Fear.' It's gonna be a fearless group."

Mayfield, like Deming, does have a returning QB in senior Luke Linnan, one of 11 overall starters who return for the Trojans, who were in the state quarterfinals a season ago.

"The expectations are definitely high in our fieldhouse," Bradley said of a group that has 27 seniors.

Skill positions on offense are a strength, Bradley said, led by running backs Anthony Nevarez and Justin Madrid.

Gadsden is shooting for a third straight playoff bid, and the Panthers, who had a home game last season as an 8 seed, should be fairly diverse with numerous skill-position athletes back in the fold. The Panthers' lines, coach Dino Facio said, both are solid, and there are 24 seniors on this roster.

The key for this program's growth, Facio said, "is we've got to win those games that people don't give us a chance to win. Gotta be able to take the next step."

Senior two-way lineman Francisco Filerio, a 6-4, 270-pound senior, is the team's best player, Facio said.

Santa Teresa is the outlier in the southern district. The Desert Warriors won just a single game last year.

Northern district

At least four and maybe five teams from this district — which now includes Valley, Highland, Los Alamos, Capital, Rio Grande, Del Norte, Belen and Miyamura — will make the playoffs, so there are definite carrots out there to grab.

Valley was the second-best team from the northern part of the state last year; the team that was the best, Piedra Vista, has exited, moving up into Class 6A after reaching at least the 5A semis in each of the last two playoffs.

Valley was a 6 seed at state, losing in the quarterfinals to Piedra Vista. But the Vikings are possibly the favorite in this northern league. Valley will be involved in the only real game of note between the two districts, in Week 3 at home versus Goddard.

"I think we have a pretty good opportunity to compete and be one of the top teams in the district," Vikings coach Billy Cobos said.

Senior quarterback Julian Butkivich is back in the North Valley. He moved briefly to Arizona earlier this year but moved back in July, and his presence gives the Vikings' hopes a boost, Cobos said.

"He wanted to finish off what he started here," Cobos said.

But Valley will be new at running back; their top two backs, both seniors, combined for about 2,700 yards on the ground last fall.

Stepping in is sophomore Zachary Perez-Verdeja and also Zach Toledo, a transfer from Menaul.

The defense is led by tackle Juan Vigil, end Christian Powell (a "Swiss army knife," Cobos said) and lineman Dylan Anderson. All are seniors.

Highland running back Amiri Mumba could be more important to the Hornets' eventual success than any other individual player in 5A is to his team.

The 5-10, 205-pound Mumba rushed for 1,827 yards and 16 scores (behind a relatively small line) in his junior season. But Highland, coach Phillip Lovato said, must find a way to get other players seriously involved in order to relieve some of the pressure on Mumba, who is sure to be a target of every defense Highland faces.

"Everyone knows he can't do it all," Lovato said. The return of quarterback Alex Lopez, a shifty runner, adds to Highland's chances, as does slot receiver Jose Tapia.

"We have a strong belief we're going back to the playoffs," Lovato said. Keeping his team healthy is a huge intangible, since Highland's depth is a question mark.

Los Alamos was a 7 seed at state last November and won nine games in making it to the quarterfinals. The Hilltoppers graduated some of their best (and quickest) athletes, including a majority of their receivers, as they look to challenge Valley for supremacy in the district. But they do return senior quarterback Kyle Evenus, who enjoyed a solid junior season.

Del Norte has struggled to get things going of late, with only two wins combined over the last three seasons. But new head coach Dallas Petersen said improved participation numbers have him believing the Knights "are going to shock a lot of people. I think we'll win a lot more games than people think."

Senior Ben Jareno is moving from receiver to quarterback for Del Norte.

Rio Grande has competed as an independent since 2018, but the Ravens feel they're ready to rejoin a district. "We have certain things we have to overcome, such as ourselves," coach Christopher Smalls said. But, he added, "I expect us to be very competitive."

Athletes to watch for the Ravens include fullback Diego Quintana and wide receiver Isaac Toledo.

Belen won just a single game last season, against Miyamura, and the Eagles will have to overcome a lack of depth if they hope to make some improvements this fall.

Capital drops into 5A from 6A this season, and the Jaguars, who were 1-9 last season, figure to be significantly more competitive (and pass happy) in the smaller class under new head coach John Salazar. He was Capital's offensive coordinator and assistant head coach the last three years.

Miyamura is hoping to build off a 3-7 season.