ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The Valley High School football team is coming off a district championship and a third consecutive postseason berth. Now heading into year three under head coach Billy Cobos, the Vikings are not only confident in another district title, but a deep run into the postseason.
As class 5A is now split into two districts (northern New Mexico teams in District 1 and southern teams in district 2), Valley enters the season as one of the clear favorites to be at the top of its district. Of all the District 1 teams, only three out of eight, including Valley, finished with a winning record in 2023.
This season, Valley returns multiple key pieces on both sides of the ball, including in skill positions like quarterback with three-year-starter Julian Bukavich. Despite the firepower, the team believes the wins will come through the trenches.
“We have a pretty good young offensive line, but our strength is at the defensive line with Dylan Anderson, Julian Lopez, Christian Powell, and Juan Vigil,” Coach Cobos said.
“We are coming to take everyone’s head off,” said Vigil. “We are coming out here to show everyone that we are the most dominant D-line here. We want to go up against the best people possible and we want to show that we are the most dominant team in 5A.”
Valley opens the season on the road against Bernalillo on August 23.