I first want to thank you for being so kind to Keegan and myself. You are a dream come true in our life (ok maybe my life), it is so hard to find a person who does what you do and understands that sometimes we can afford to pay alot for your kind of training. I know that Keegan is special and has special talents, we just needed someone who can bring out more from him. And I truly believe that we have found that person and it is YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

I just hope that we can get Keegan completely healed for the start of Varsity this year. And I would like to take this time to invite you to one of Keegan’s home game. If it is possible I would very much appreciated.

Thank you for your time in reading this e-mail and for getting to know you

Suzette Whipkey
aka whipsmom

“I wanted to sign with NMSU and I’m glad to be joining the program,” Hall said. “I believe the future is bright and new coach DeWayne Walker and his staff have a good idea of what they want to do and it’s an exciting time over there. I’ve only been here three years, but I feel like this is home and I owe a lot to my high school coaches and teammates.”

Hall visited the Air Force Academy last weekend, but before he went on his trip, he talked to Walker again about going to NMSU. During his visit to NMSU in mid-January, there were was talk of Hall going to NMSU and grayshirting and delaying his arrival at NMSU until after the 2009 campaign.

During his recent talk with Walker, he was offered a scholarship to go to NMSU beginning this fall.

“The visit to Air Force was great and it has so much to offer,” said Hall, who rushed for over 4,700 yards and scored 76 touchdowns during his high school career. “I’m looking forward to starting my career at New Mexico State, I’ll work hard and do my best.”

Las Cruces High head coach Jim Miller has had several good players go through the program, but on Wednesday he was excited about three of his kids signing to play at the next level. Caro, Bernal and Hall helped lead the Bulldawgs to the Class 5A state football title last December.

“We have three good players signing and I believe we could have had more,” Miller told a group of friends, family and media prior to the three players signing their national letters of intent. “These three guys are great kids, hard workers and deserve what they get.”

James Hall Jr. – Las Cruces

Our selection for the offensive player of the year in the state of New Mexico for the 2008 season is James Hall Jr. from Las Cruces high school.

Going into the year, Hall was by far the top offensive prospect in the state in the skill position area. He burst on the scene as a sophomore and became a household name with a big showing against Artesia. His junior year was sensational as he rushed for over 1700 yards and was one of the most explosive runners in the state. Than, his senior year took the cake. Not only did he rush for over 2000 yards but he also was good out of the backfield and played solid as a corner on the defensive side of the ball.

Statistically he is one of five or six players that deserve this award. However, what really sets him apart for this award is the fact that he led his team to a state title. We ranked Las Cruces as the #1 team from the beginning of the season. We felt that their overall talent at the skill position was second to none. That ended up being true and they ran away with the title. Hall was the focal point of the offensive attack. He and QB Dante Caro formed one of the best one two punches in the history of the state. The state title they won also puts their name among the all time greatest players to ever tie their laces in New Mexico.

Congratulations to James on a fantastic senior season and one of the greatest careers we have seen. On the recruiting front, Hall has offers from New Mexico State, Army and Air Force. The 4.0 student is also still hearing from New Mexico and may end up getting a few more offers before he has to make his decision. Stay tuned to PrepNewMexico.com this offseason for all the latest with James Hall’s recruitment.

“This was the perfect finish,” said LCHS running back James Hall Jr., who finished with 109 yards rushing on 23 carries. “We beat Mayfield twice, we came on the road to Albuquerque and beat an unbeaten team and we finished with a perfect record. Some people underestimated us, but the scoreboard shows that we won. All the hard work paid off.”

The Bulldawgs finish a perfect 13-0, EHS finishes 12-1. The Bulldawgs and Eagles both had big offensive plays on the day and both wasted some opportunities to score. But it was a game that was entertaining and competitive, a scenario many expected between the two teams. Las Cruces High got two huge second-half field goals from senior place-kicker Zac Diaz in the third quarter when the offense stalled in prime scoring position. Diaz’s field goals of 25 and 31 yards put LCHS up 26-14 going into the fourth quarter. “Eldorado made some key plays on defense, we could have been up more, but we’ll take the win any way we can,” LCHS head coach Jim Miller said. “Zac’s two kicks were big and our defense came up with some key stops.”

The Eagles cut the lead to 26-21 on a 51-yard pass from quarterback Armin Day to running back Gary Maestas with 6:17. Day threw for 371 yards on the day, while Maestas and receiver Ross Williams combined for 340 yards receiving. Williams was the recipient of 177 of those yards. But LCHS got the ball back with 6:09 remaining and ran out the rest of the clock by using an effective run game. The Bulldawgs ran 10 plays and converted on a fourth and 1 at the EHS 26 with 1:04 left to finish off the Eagles. Quarterback Dante Caro gained two yards on the play to earn the first down.

“Our offensive line did a great job on that final drive,” Miller said. “We have the ability to come up with big drives like that. To go unbeaten this year like we did says a great deal about our kids and staff. There are a lot of good teams and coaches and we came up big in the big games when we needed to.”

While, the LCHS defense gave up some big plays, the unit did come up with some critical stops as well. The Bulldawgs held EHS on downs in the second half on a drive inside the Bulldawgs’ 10-yard line and linebacker Will Bruce forced a fumble to set up Diaz’s first field goal. The Bulldawgs also recorded four sacks and the Eagles had just 28 yards rushing. “Eldorado passes and runs about the same amount and we had to take away something,” LCHS defensive coordinator Brent Jaquess said. “We gave up some big plays, but we also did a good job and made some key stops when we needed to.”

In a wild first half, the Bulldawgs took a 20-14 lead into the halftime break. The Bulldawgs took a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter after a 7-yard touchdown run by Hall and a fumble recovery in the end zone by Jose Garcia on a blocked punt. Las Cruces High’s first score was set up by a 41-yard screen pass from Dante Caro to tight end Patrick Jaquess. Jaquess did most of the damage with his legs, breaking a tackle and rumbling down to the Eldorado 14. Two plays later, Hall scored. The second score was set up when Jaquess blocked Shane Smith’s punt inside Eldorado’s own 10-yard line and Garcia fell on the ball in the end zone.

“We saw on tape that we could get some penetration up the middle and Patrick did a great job of getting to the kicker and making a play,” Garcia said. “That play was huge for us, it got us some separation from them. In games like this, special teams can be big.” The Bulldawgs missed on a golden opportunity in the first quarter to add another score when they were stopped at the Eldorado 7. Eldorado stormed back behind its passing game. Day hit Williams with touchdown passes of 41 and 66 yards to put EHS up 14-13. Day threw for 221 yards in the first half, while Williams had 120 yards receiving.

But the Bulldawgs came back to go up before the half, going 69 yards on five plays, capped by a 37-yard halfback pass from Hall to wide receiver Jacob Lilley, who beat Jami Abdullah on the play. Abdullah had good coverage on the play, but Lilley came back on the pass and outran Abdullah into the end zone. Caro ran for 115 yards and threw for 72 more while Hall had 74 yards of total offense in the opening 24 minutes. “Getting off to a good start was a key,” said Caro, who had 238 yards of total offense on the day. “We had some good drives to start the game and we got some big plays to set up our scores. This win means so much to us as a team. We were prepared for this game and we executed at key times. We weren’t going to be denied, it meant to much for us.”

Felix Chavez can be reached at fchavez@lcsun-news.com; (575) 541-5444

LCHS 6 14 6 0 ÷26

Eldorado 0 14 0 7 ÷21

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

Las Cruces High – James Hall Jr. 7 run (kicked blocked) 6:07

Second Quarter

Las Cruces High – Jose Garcia recovers blocked punt in end zone (Zac Diaz kick) 11:48

Eldorado – Ross Williams 41 pass from Armin Day (Jason Day kick) 11:00

Eldorado – Williams 66 pass from Armin Day (Day kick) 7:27

Las Cruces High – Jacob Lilley 37 pass from Hall (Diaz kick) 5:32

Third Quarter

Las Cruces High – Diaz 31 field goal 8:15

Las Cruces High – Diaz 25 field goal 3:25

Fourth Quarter

Eldorado – Gary Maestas 51 pass from Armin Day (Day kick) 6:17

Congratulations to Cullen Mahoney of Brophy College Prep High School in Phoenix, AZ. After attending the At&t Park Division I Showcase Camp this past July, Cullen’s intensity and passion for the game garnered him attention from many of the top programs. After receiving offers from several of the schools in attendance at the Showball event, Cullen recently committed to the Wolfpack of Nevada, Reno.

As Cullen wraps up his senior year, we wish him a successful season and a prosperous career at Nevada. With his unwaivering desire to achieve greatness, we are confident that Cullen Mahoney will become a household name in college baseball over the next 4 years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26axJdDKYWw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwM6uQYwhHk

First and foremost, Little J continues to be extremely impressive in the classroom as he maintains his 4.00 grade point average J

The Bulldawgs are #1 in the state, 90th in the country, and take a 10-0 record into the playoffs this week after last weeks bye.

James Jr. has accomplished a great deal as a team player on both sides of the ball this year while only playing a full game in 3 of the Bulldawgs 10 regular season victories because the Bulldawgs where up 35 -0 by halftime in the other 7 games.

STATS TO DATE:

OFFENSE

In addition to his 150 carries for 1,522 yards (22 TD’s) & third straight year rushing for more then 1,000 yards on offense he has:

: 14 receptions for 226 yards & 2 TD’s

DEFENSE

His first year playing defensive back is a major reason for Las Cruces success on the defensive side of the ball and why opposing teams have adjusted their game plan. Very few teams have thrown his way and when they have, he has taken advantage of the situation. He has played left defensive back the entire season and has racked up very good numbers for 3 full games and 7 half games:

: 32 solo tackles

: 28 assist

: 3 tackles for loss

: 1 sack

: 3 interceptions (1 return = 84 yard return for TD)

: 1 blocked field goal

: 2 forced fumbles

: 2 fumble recoveries

SPECIAL TEAMS

James Jr. also added the duties of Punter on this years team and gave the Bulldawgs the opportunity to pin teams back on their own side of the field when the Bulldawgs were forced to punt.

: 7 punts for an average of 36 yards a punt

He also utilized his skills in the area of kick-off return & punt return

: 11 kickoff returns for 233 yards

: 3 punt returns for 78 yards (1 return = 74 yard return for TD)

The new season is upon the Bulldawgs and its time to deliver on their motto “ALL OR NOTHING” The State Championship is in sight, now its time to go and grab it. I’ll keep you posted.

End of the season awards are approaching and here is what Little J is up for:

: Mr. Football Award – New Mexico

: Gatorade Player of the Year – New Mexico

Hope all is blessed,

James D. Hall, M.S. Ed

Associate Athletics Director

Sport Administrator & Student Development

New Mexico State University