Brandon Baeza of Las Cruces High wins Gatorade N.M. Football Player of the Year
He did a bit of everything for the Las Cruces Bulldawgs, and now Brandon Baeza has been honored as the 2017 Gatorade New Mexico Football Player of the Year.
Baeza recorded more than 1,000 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns to go along with 496 rushing yards and six scores on the ground. But he also added two passing touchdowns, two punt return touchdowns, and two interceptions to help lead the Bulldawgs to an appearance in the state semifinals.
Only one other Las Cruces player had ever won this award – Franklin Hamilton in 2001.
The award recognizes not only outstanding play on-the-field but high standards of academic excellence and character. Baeza has a 3.54 GPA, according to the Gatorade Player of the Year Program.
He has also volunteered locally for the Special Olympics and served as a youth football coach.
The Las Cruces star is now a finalist for the Gatorade Football National Player of the Year award to be announced later this month.
Previous winners of Gatorade’s national awards include Emmitt Smith and Peyton Manning in football, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in basketball, and Clayton Kershaw and Alex Rodriguez in baseball.
