‘PUMPED’ TO PASS
With a new enthusiasm for spread offense, Los Alamos aims to leave plodding ways in the dust
Anew day has dawned in the place affectionately called the Hill.
No longer will the Los Alamos Hilltoppers be the plodding, physical squad that played football by a three-yardsin-a-cloud-of-dust edict. A style that began with Bob Scott and continued under 12th-year head coach Garett Williams underwent an overhaul that began in the fall of 2020.
Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic upset those plans.
Williams and his coaching staff didn’t have the time or the means to get players up to speed with the run-pass option spread attack. Outside of a two-week workout window in the fall, the Hilltoppers did not get much in the way of a tutorial on the new offense. When the season began abruptly in February, Los Alamos had about a week’s worth of time to get used to the new look before taking the field.
The spring season was a time to give seniors their chance to play while indoctrinating the rest of the team to the offense.
“We got a lot of reps, but it was like, ‘Here, run these plays,’ ” Williams said of the spring season. “We got, literally, four days to look at the whole deal — teaching them the ins and outs and switching things up. Some of these guys have been running triple option since the seventh grade.”
Hence, an 0-3 season commenced in which opponents outscored Los Alamos 137-7, but the seeds of a new direction were planted. Only time will tell what fruit they will bear. Senior quarterback Jacob Green, who missed the spring after suffering a compound fracture to his left leg, said the Hilltoppers are still learning the nuances of the offense, but any hiccups won’t be on account of a lack of effort.
“It was a little bit of a struggle [learning the offense in the
offseason], but these guys are working,” Green said. “As long as we’re working together, we can figure out how it’s supposed to go. Right off the bat, get the ball to people, and if they know what they’re doing, I think we can have a successful season.”
Success will be determined partly in how Green or junior Luke Gonzales, who ran the offense in Green’s absence last year, handle the offense. The two are competing for the starting signal-caller spot, but they will be key in determining how the offense will flow.
Green recovered from his injury but said he has a steel rod in his leg. However, he showed he is capable of getting out of the pocket and keeping defenses on their heels with his ability to run or throw. He credited an offseason in the weight room in helping him get back into shape.
“It was very, very difficult, but I know everybody here has my back,” Green said. “I’ve been putting in the work, and if you don’t put in the work, you’re not going to go anywhere. It’s a mental and a physical game, but there is a lot to it.”
Los Alamos will not completely turn away from its physical roots, not with fullback Teke Nieto around. The 6-foot, 205pound fullback has the strength to hit a crowded hole, but he also is quick enough to take advantage of mismatches with undersized cornerbacks or slow linebackers.
Nieto said it will be nice not to see defensive fronts of eight, nine or sometimes 10 defenders standing at the line of scrimmage, waiting for the incoming ball carrier.
“It’s amazing some of the plays that go to me,” Nieto said. “We’re going to have a really fun time. At least, I am.”
In addition, Gonzales can be a useful tool as a back and a receiver, and senior Cayden Thornton brings some experience out of the receiver slot as well.
A new approach also seems to have breathed life into the program. The level of enthusiasm and intensity at practice appeared to be a notch higher than in years past. Williams added that the return of about 20 players who sat out the spring, as well as newcomers like 6-7, 245pound senior offensive tackle Mark Cleland, showed him the program would not slide back to the days in which he could count on a varsity roster of about 25-28 players. Williams said the program has about 60 players for the varsity and C-team, which is a far cry from previous seasons.
A few more players might mean the difference between a healthy team and a moribund one playing out the string in late October. Williams remembers playing Capital in 2017 with the District 2-5A title in the balance with several starters on the sidelines injured, watching the Jaguars roll to a 47-9 win. He got a taste of that in the spring, when he was down to his fourth-string quarterback because of injuries.
“I know every team we played against was the same way,” Williams said. “There were eight dudes out the second week. It was whatever it was. But these guys, hopefully, they got themselves to where they need to be [physically]. They put in a lot of work, and we had a great group of young kids who came out and put in some work. You can kinda tell they’re pumped.”
But the Hilltoppers’ success will be determined by how quickly they can latch on to a new style of offense.
The pass isn’t a dirty word anymore on the Hill.