Hilltoppers run over Demons in win
The Los Alamos Hilltoppers needed this.
They needed the bye week to rest and recover leading into their District 2-5A football opener at Santa Fe High.
They needed Walker Eaton to take over at quarterback to diversify Los Alamos’ tripleoption attack.
Most important, the Hilltoppers needed a win.
It all worked out, as the Hilltoppers ran for 250 yards and used their defense to make big contributions in a 22-13 win over the Demons in a rare Saturday afternoon game at Ivan Head Stadium. Los Alamos (5-3 overall, 1-0 in 2-5A) is tied for first place in the district with Albuquerque Del Norte, which hammered Capital 54-2 on Friday.
The feeling in the Hilltoppers locker room was 180 degrees different than what it had been during a disturbing two-game losing streak, as they lost to Albuquerque Hope Christian and Valencia by a combined 93-9 score. Los Alamos head coach Garrett Williams said the Hilltoppers were without several key starters, including senior offensive lineman Justin Gilbert an quarterback/wingback Dylan Irish, to injuries. Taking last week off to heal was imperative.
“Having those two weeks to get healthy again made a big difference,” Williams said. “It gave us some depth back and got us some kids back. We’re not losing one kid and having to move people and put them out of position like we did the couple of weeks before.”
Even though Gilbert didn’t play, the return of Irish, who missed most of the Valencia game Oct. 5 because of concussion symptoms, diversified the Hilltoppers’ ground game. Five players carried the ball, and the result was 248 rushing yards on the day. Irish, who played primarily fro the wingback position, had 11 carries for a team-high 80 yards. Although he did not have a touchdown, Irish’s presence opened the pathway for others to find paydirt.
Fullback Lawrence Armenta scored two touchdowns while gaining 40 yards, and said finding running lanes — especially on the perimeter — were far easier to find than they had been in the previous two games.
“Honestly, Dylan Irish is a hell of a runner,” Armenta said. “As a wing, he can run the ball up the field super fast — faster than any of our guys. Puting him there amplified our outside runs.”
That was clear on the opening play of the second quarter, as he took a sweep toss down the right sideline for 31 yards to ignite a three-play, 56-yard drive that culminated in Armenta’s second touchdown run. His 8-yard run to paydirt followed a similar path: down the right sideline and Armenta punctuated the run with a dive into the end zone to make it 16-0, Los Alamos, with 11:20 left in the first half.
The first quarter saw the Demons (2-6, 0-1) run just five plays, and the first two plays were the reason for that. After Los Alamos punted on its opening drive and pinned Santa Fe High at its own 1-yard line, the defense swarmed over Sammy Martinez in the end zone on the first play for a safety.
The next time the Demons had the ball, freshman quarterback Luc Jaramillo threw an interception to Cade Yost, who returned it to the Santa Fe High 14. That drive resulted in Armenta’s 1-yard touchdown run for a 9-0 lead. But there was more to come. For the fourth time this season, Santa Fe High came up empty in a goal-to-go situation after taking the opening kickoff and driving to the Los Alamos 1. One second-and-goal at the 1, Jaramillo fumbled a snap he wasn’t expecting, recovering it for a 4-yard loss. He was then sacked for a 4-yard loss, then Jackson Cary missed a 26-yard field goal that could have cut the margin to 16-10.
“Those kinds of things, we have to make sure we’re locked in,” Demons head coach Andrew Martinez said. “If it was our first go-round, I get it. But it’s not our first go-round. Those are ones where … We gotta score.”
Despite that, Los Alamos gave Santa Fe High a second chance when Irish, at quarterback, threw an interception Davee Montoya at the Hilltoppers 27. The Demons were equally generous, though, as Jaramillo had a pass to tight end Trent Jones bounce off his left hand and to Los Alamos safety Jacob Dunwoody.
There was still one more mistake for the Demons to make, and it came in early in the fourth quarter, as they decided to fake a punt on fourth-and-2 at the Santa Fe High 33. But the planned Jaramillo run was stuffed by the Hilltoppers for a 7-yard loss, and they responded with a three-play drive that ended with an Eaton 1-yard touchdown run for 22-7.