2025 Team Preview: Los Alamos Hilltoppers

2025 LOS ALAMOS HILLTOPPERS PREVIEW   OVERVIEW   Los Alamos has quietly been one of the top football programs in northern New Mexico over the past three seasons, compiling a record of 23-12 and reaching the Class 5A playoff quarterfinals in each of the last two years. They won the District 5A-1 title in 2024. But many of the players that lifted the Hilltoppers to those heights have graduated and a new crop of players is set to take their place.   “We're just trying to keep moving forward,” Los Alamos head coach Garett Williams told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “Keep getting better. We talk all the time with our guys about not being satisfied about where we're at. We want to defend the district championship. We believe we have a great opportunity to do that. We had a great team last year. We lost a fantastic senior class, but we have a lot of young skill guys coming back. We're reloading.”   One thing won't change for Los Alamos: the team speed will still be impressive. Two years ago, the Hilltoppers had Melaki Gutierrez, one of the fastest players in the state and currently a member of the New Mexico football and track teams. Los Alamos will possess plenty of team speed in 2025 and they look to take advantage.   “Our guys can run,” <a>Williams said.</a> “All these scientists (at the National Lab) like to be outside running. They pass on that love for running to their kids. We have some kids up here who can run. They can fly. They spend a lot of time on the track. A lot of our guys also run track in the spring. That speed has really helped us tremendously the past several seasons.”   OFFENSE   Former Los Alamos QB Kyle Evenhus signed with New Mexico Highlands after throwing for over 4,500 yards and 53 TD in three seasons for the Hilltoppers. Evenhus will play baseball for the Cowboys. Who is his successor? Rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1751662' first='Hayden' last='Watkins'] appears to be the logical choice after serving as the backup QB last season. Rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1826103' first='Caleb' last='Taylor'], who has good size, will challenge for the job. He quarterbacked the JV team in 2024.     “Hayden got quite a bit of time behind Kyle last season,” Williams said. “He has played in our program for a long time. Hayden is a very good athlete. We're expecting him to take the reins and run with it. He's a senior. He's the head guy right now. He knows the system. He has a good arm and can throw and move. He's a smart kid. We're just seeing who will take the reins. Caleb will probably see some time too.”         Rising junior RB [player_tooltip player_id='1604744' first='Jordan' last='Herrera'] reached workhorse status as a sophomore last season, carrying 196 times for 1,388 yards and 19 TD despite seeing limited action in the first three games. By Week 4, Herrera had emerged as ‘the guy'. Williams described Herrera as a ‘stud.'   “Jordan is as tough a kid as we've ever had,” Williams said. “He loves contact and he loves playing running back. He had a great spring. We're going to put a lot on him. He exploded last season after Week 4. He took over and never slowed down. That's what we expected because he's been that way growing up. He's intense.”   Rising senior scatback Jesses Perez is the favorite to claim the No. 2 RB role. He'll get some carries in order to keep Herrera as fresh as possible.   Rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1751672' first='Dylan' last='Baca'] ascends to No. 1 WR after finishing third on the Hilltoppers last season in receptions behind a pair of graduated seniors. Rising junior speedster [player_tooltip player_id='1606095' first='Ben' last='Brousseau'] should see a major leap in his production after focusing mainly on defensive back in 2024. Another speedster, rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1787566' first='Carlo' last='Baca'], will fill one of the slot WR positions. Rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1751680' first='Tyler' last='Jones'] looks to boost his production as well.           ”We have some young receivers that have seen a ton of playing time,” Williams said. “They will be even better. Guys like Ben and Carlo have been state champs in track. They have great speed. I don't see any drop off at wide receiver because there aren't many guys who can run with Brousseau and Baca. We're definitely not losing any speed.”         Most of the Hilltoppers' offensive line returns. They only lose OT Matthew Brousseau (Ben's older brother). Key returners are 5A First-Team All-State selection [player_tooltip player_id='1599532' first='Diego' last='Garcia'] (6-3, 270 pounds) and Second-Team All-State center [player_tooltip player_id='1599531' first='Emmanuel' last='Ortega']. Rising junior [player_tooltip player_id='1790813' first='Evan' last='Beveridge'] is back at guard after starting as a sophomore. Two-way standout [player_tooltip player_id='1599565' first='Frank' last='Sheppard'] returns at offensive tackle.   “With four of five offensive line starters coming back and a stud running back, we're going to ride those guys,” Williams said.                           DEFENSE   [player_tooltip player_id='1599565' first='Frank' last='Sheppard'] (see above)headlines the Los Alamos defense after making a staggering 152 tackles and 5.0 TFL in 2024. He was named 5A Second-Team All-State. Sheppard never came off the field and that scenario will likely repeat itself in 2025.   “Frank is all over the field,” Williams said. “He calls our defense and is very smart. He's a tackling machine. He flows to the football and refuses to get blocked. We've been fortunate the last several years to have some pretty good linebackers and he's one more.”   Rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1751677' first='Robert' last='Thomas'], who missed the latter part of last season with an injury, will join Sheppard at ILB. [player_tooltip player_id='1604744' first='Jordan' last='Herrera'] (see above) will play some outside linebacker along with rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1751683' first='Koji' last='Park'].      The defensive line will see several new faces. [player_tooltip player_id='1790813' first='Evan' last='Beveridge'] usually lined up at DT last season but will likely move to DE this season. [player_tooltip player_id='1268759' first='Diego' last='Ortega'] should return at nose tackle.     [player_tooltip player_id='1606095' first='Ben' last='Brousseau'] leads the secondary after finishing as the Hilltoppers' second leading tackler in 2024 with 60. He also had 6 interceptions and earned Second-Team All-State honors. Rising seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1751680' first='Tyler' last='Jones'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1751672' first='Dylan' last='Baca'] (see above) are also back. Promising rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1826108' first='Jonathan' last='Vigil'] should make an impact somewhere (probably CB) after excelling on the JV team in 2024. Rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1826111' first='Sebastian' last='Primero'] is another up-and-comer at hybrid safety/LB.          2025 Los Alamos Football Schedule:   Aug. 22 at Espanola Valley (7 p.m.)        Aug. 28 TAOS (Thur., 7 p.m.)       Sept. 5 POJOAQUE VALLEY (7 p.m.)        Sept. 12 at Highland (7 p.m.)*       Sept. 19 CAPITAL (7 p.m.)*          Sept. 25 at Del Norte (7 p.m.)*          Oct. 3 BELEN (7 p.m.)*        Oct. 10 Bye      Oct. 17 RIO GRANDE (7 p.m.)*       Oct. 25 at Valley (Sat., 11 a.m.)*        Oct. 31 at Miyamura*     * District 5A-1 Game   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Check out my highlight - <a href="https://t.co/kUpdxSR3DQ">https://t.co/kUpdxSR3DQ</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='1604744' first='Jordan' last='Herrera'] (@JordanHerrera27) <a href="https://twitter.com/JordanHerrera27/status/1897136220909572115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2025</a></blockquote>

2025 LOS ALAMOS HILLTOPPERS PREVIEW