Player Profile: Lovington’s Fantastic Four

Hollywood have given us The Fantastic Four, a fictional team of superheros first introduced to the public in Marvel comic books in the early 1960s. New Mexico High school football has its own version of the Fantastic Four – a quartet of wide receivers from Lovington that together constitute the state’s top pass catching unit – <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26233" first="Isaac" last="Hinson"]</strong> (#1 WR in 2022 rankings), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134985" first="Tayten" last="Hilliard"]</strong> (#2), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26256" first="Adam" last="Aguilera"]</strong> (#4) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134977" first="Javier" last="Corrales"]</strong>. In five games this spring, those four receivers had 43 of Lovington’s 60 receptions. Their combined talents make the Wildcats a legitimate Class 4A championship contender going into the fall season, as long as Lovington develops a quarterback able to distribute the football to all of his weapons. “They’re talented, all four of them,” Lovington coach Anthony Gonzales told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “They’re phenomenal football players. What truly makes them special is what kind of players they are when the ball is not in their hands. “They’re very unselfish. They understand we’re a spread offense and it’s difficult to get the ball to everybody all the time. There’s only one football. They all want to touch it. But they know they have to earn the right to touch it. So, they have to take care of their buddies.” Gonzales credits Lovington wide receivers coach Caden Bailey, a former Wildcats player before playing for Wayland Baptist University, for turning his unit into one of the state’s best. “He’s done a very good job with those guys on the details and the finer points of playing receiver,” Gonzales said. Aguilera, the Wildcats’ top intermediate range receiver, led Lovington with 15 receptions for 179 yards (11.9 yards per catch) and two touchdowns in the spring season. Hilliard had a team high 274 receiving yards and 4 TD on 14 receptions. Hinson, arguably the top two-way player in the state, caught 10 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Hilliard and Hinson (54 tackles; 4 INT)  are both outstanding defensive backs as well. Corrales was a lockdown cornerback, effectively shutting down half the field. “Our guys had an awesome spring season,” Gonzales said. “They took advantage when they got their hands on the football. But as productive as they are offensively, all four of those guys have an impact on all three phases of the game. Isaac and Tayten are on the field for the entire game. We can’t pull them off the field. They want to be on the field all the time.” Gonzales believes all four players could succeed in college. “I’m excited to see what they can do at the next level when they play just one position,” Gonzales said. “It will be special to see.” https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1405344634885185541 https://twitter.com/lvtwildcatsfb/status/1380950328997244928 https://twitter.com/lvtwildcatsfb/status/1380144372205895681 https://twitter.com/lvtwildcatsfb/status/1379997809265479688 https://twitter.com/lvtwildcatsfb/status/1379940837879070720