2026 Team Preview: Los Lunas Tigers

OVERVIEW   The Stephen Johnston Era begins in Los Lunas. Johnston was hired from Manzano in late February and started his new duties with the Tigers in late March. He has quickly discovered the passion for football within the Los Lunas community.   “We've met kids and built relationships in a short amount of time,' Johnston said. “It's been a whirlwind. But it's been a wonderful transition because the players have been fantastic. There are already a lot of pieces in place to be successful. The community and school district have high expectations. They love football and value athletics. They will provide all the tools to be successful. It's our job as coaches to do it.”   Another change for Los Lunas: Per the NMAA's comprehensive realignment in December, the The Tigers move from Class 6A to 5A and into District 5A-1 along with Capital, Cibola, Highland, Los Alamos, Miyamura, Pedra Vista and Santa Fe. Los Lunas won the Class 5A state championship in 2021 before moving to Class 6A for four seasons.   “Dropping down a classification helps,” Johnston said. “Our new district isn't going to be a cakewalk by any stretch of the imagination.”                 OFFENSE   Rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1787301' first='Luke' last='Cieremans'] – younger brother of former Los Lunas standout QB Paul Cieremans – took over as the Tigers quarterbacks about halfway through last season due to an injury and threw for over 1,400 yards and 16 TD. He enters the summer as the No. 1 QB.   “Luke did a really good job,” Johnston said. “He has a high football IQ. He throws a good ball. He has sneaky athleticism. He makes good decisions. He has a very good relationship with his teammates. His teammates believe in him. He has worked with me this offseason along with the other quarterbacks to implement our offense. He has done a good job adapting to what we want to do, which is more of a spread offense.”   While Cieremans is regarded as the No. 1 QB right now, he'll face competition from promising rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2178840' first='Rohan' last='Patel'], who stands 6-foot-3 and possesses a rocket arm and pinpoint accuracy that he showed off at the PRZ Exposure Series and UNM camps last weekend. Patel was impressive both days.   “Rohan is a stud,” Johnston said. “He throws a good ball. At most schools, he would be the starter. But I have a senior quarterback. We're going to have to find some unique packages to put him on the field. He's a good athlete. We have to figure out the best spot to put him on the field. Sometimes, that may be at quarterback depending on the package. He's going to be a great one. When I first met him, I couldn't believe he's only going to be a sophomore.”   Rising senior Jagger Casillas is the top returning rusher after dividing duties last season with a graduated senior. Casillias rushed for 775 yards and a team-leading 11 TD on 111 carries in 2025. He has 1,000-yard potential. Casillias finished third in his weight class (148 pounds) at the state power lifting championships. Rising junior Ruben Rosas is the top contender for the backup RB.   “We're going to use Jagger quite a bit,” Johnston said. “He's going to be our guy. He's very strong. He's not a big guy, but he has a ton of strength. Pound-for-pound, he's one of the strongest guys on our team. He also has very good speed and great vision. Ruben is a great athlete too. He can give Jagger some reprieve and we can use him on special teams.”   While some receivers from last season are deciding if they want to play football, rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='2104452' first='Andres' last='Cordova'], described by Johnston as an ‘athletic freak,' returns to lead the WR corps. Cordova averaged close to 20 yards per reception in 2025, an indication of his ability to run crisp routes and make plays in space. Six-foot-3, 255-pound rising senior Anthony Castillo will be the tight end and H-Back with speedy rising senior Nick Fuentes and rising senior Daniel Medina slated for the slot. Rising junior Alexjandro Bachicha has promise.   Former Los Lunas standout Christian Griego, an all-conference player at Eastern New Mexico, is the new offensive line coach for the Tigers. Rising senior center Santiago Hurbina anchors the O-Line. Rising junior [player_tooltip player_id='2174893' first='Kage' last='Bell'], a 265+ pounder who finished second in the Super Heavyweight class at the state powerlifting championships in April, will be one of the guards. Twins Joseph Trujillo and Jessie Trujillo are vying for a pair of spots at guard and tackle.                             Key Players: [player_tooltip player_id='1787301' first='Luke' last='Cieremans'] (QB), Jagger Casillias (RB), [player_tooltip player_id='2104452' first='Andres' last='Cordova'] (WR), Santiago Hurbina (OL).     DEFENSE   The Tigers' defense begins in the middle with top-notch linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1606069' first='Brad' last='Mallory'], who had 150 tackles, 16.0 TFL and 10 QB hurries as a junior in 2025. He's one of the best linebackers in the state and definitely a next level prospect.   “Brad is as good as anybody I've been around,” Johnston said. “He's very intelligent. He's a workhorse in the weight room and he has good speed with good lateral agility. He'll make some calls and make some adjustments for us on the defensive side. He has good sideline-to-sideline mechanics. He's a really good open field tackler. He's physical. He's the whole package.”   Alongside Mallory at LB will be rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1788672' first='Bryant' last='Baca'], who had 91 tackles last season. Rising senior Daniel Baca (no relation) will also contribute at linebacker.   Anthony Castillo (see above) will headline the defensive line along with 6-foot-2 rising junior Esteban Medina. In the secondary, rising senior strong safety Malaki Maestas will be the leader and make the calls. Rising seniors Ayden Pruitt and Havyk Tanoya will see significant action. Joaquin Trujillo, who had 44 tackles in 2025, is another experienced defender.                          Key Players: [player_tooltip player_id='1606069' first='Brad' last='Mallory'] (LB), [player_tooltip player_id='1788672' first='Bryant' last='Baca'] (LB), Anthony Castillo (DL), Malaki Maestas (DB).       2026 LOS LUNAS SCHEDULE   Aug. 21 at Mayfield         Aug. 28 at Rio Rancho          Sept. 4 GODDARD (6 p.m.)        Sept. 11 CAPITAL (6 p.m.)*        Sept. 18 at Santa Fe*        Sept. 25 MIYAMURA (6 p.m.)*        Oct. 2 Bye Week        Oct. 9 at Los Alamos*        Oct. 16 at Piedra Vista*       Oct. 22 at Cibola (Thur.)*        Oct. 30 HIGHLAND (6 p.m.)*      * District 5A-1 Game   All kickoffs at 7 p.m. unless indicated otherwise.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/cYJ2fIv63y">https://t.co/cYJ2fIv63y</a> End of season highlights/stats: -150 total tackles -16 TFLS - 3.0 SACKS -1 INT -2 PD'S -2 FF'S *1st Team All district Linebacker *1st Team All Metro Linebacker *2nd Team all State Linebacker *All district Defensive Player of the Year— [player_tooltip player_id='1606069' first='Brad' last='Mallory'] (@bradamallory) <a href="https://x.com/bradamallory/status/1998520913508315251?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2025</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Blessed to be named a Top Performer at the <a href="https://x.com/PrepRedzone?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzone</a> Exposure Series: Albuquerque. Excited to keep developing my game and competing at a high level. 📍Los Lunas HS (NM) 🎓 Class of 2029 🏈 QB<a href="https://x.com/PrepRedzoneNM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneNM</a> <a href="https://x.com/LosLunasTigerFb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LosLunasTigerFb</a> <a href="https://x.com/NCSA_Football?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NCSA_Football</a> <a href="https://x.com/coachjohnNCSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coachjohnNCSA</a> <a href="https://t.co/KOc3kgYA4e">pic.twitter.com/KOc3kgYA4e</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='2178840' first='Rohan' last='Patel'] (@RohanPatel_3) <a href="https://x.com/RohanPatel_3/status/2060884310173848018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2026</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Junior Year Highlights Class of 2027 Los Lunas New Mexico 6'3 255 TE-HB-DL<a href="https://t.co/YlqGfnjGbT">https://t.co/YlqGfnjGbT</a>— Anthony Castillo (@33CastilloLL) <a href="https://x.com/33CastilloLL/status/1998532260467978739?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2025</a></blockquote>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-03-at-20-30-13-DmFSgFsz_400x400.jpg-JPEG-Image-399-×-399-pixels.png?w=513" alt="" class="wp-image-2222413" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Twitter</figcaption></figure>

OVERVIEW