Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Los Lunas Schools hires athletic coordinators

Tiger football coach Bobby Campos adds to duties at LLHS, Ed Johnson replaces Nelson Smith at Valencia High

T.S. Last News-Bulletin Sports Editor; tslast@news-bulletin.com

Los Lunas Los Lunas Schools has hired athletic coordinators at Los Lunas and Valencia high schools.

Superintendent Walter Gibson said Tuesday that Los Lunas High School football coach Bobby Campos will serve as coordinator at that school while retaining his coaching duties. He will be assisted in his role as coordinator by Tiger boys basketball coach Albert Aragon.

At Valencia High School, Ed Johnson will function as the Jaguar football team's head coach and serve as athletic coordinator, replacing Nelson Smith, who was hired for those positions at the upstart school a year ago.

Gibson said the decision to hire two coordinators may be temporary. Los Lunas Schools originally advertised for an athletic director, who would oversee athletics at both schools, and for coordinators at each school.

"Right now, the decision I made is that we'll have athletic coordinators at both schools, and we'll take a look at it again next year," he said. "The people on the screening committee thought that at some time in the future we'll probably need a district athletic director."

Campos was hired as the head football coach at Los Lunas High in 2003, He came to town from Las Cruces where he spent 10 years as an assistant coach at Oñate High School. The Knights won Class 4A championships in 2001 and 2002 while Campos served as defensive coordinator and first assistant to head coach Kelly McKee.

A Dexter native, Campos attended New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Education.

Campos began coaching as soon as began his teaching career at Mesa Alta Junior High in Bloomfield. He returned to Las Cruces in 1991 to teach physical eduation at Vista Middle School. Two years later he was hired as a general science teacher at Oñate and began his decade-long stint with the Knights football team.

While back in Las Cruces, Campos pursued a master's degree in Educational Administration at NMSU, which he accomplished in 2003.

Campos currently teaches science in the gifted program at LLHS.

Campos could not be reached for comment prior to News-Bulletin deadline Tuesday.

Gibson said Aragon will serve as Campos' assistant and handle the day-to-day duties of coordinator during the football season.

Aragon has been the Tigers' boys basketball coach since 2003. During that time he also served as a health instructor.

Aragon came to Los Lunas from his hometown of Roswell, where he was an assistant coach in the Coyotes boys basketball program for five years.

Aragon attended Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, where earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education.

Johnson, a former Belen High School football coach, come to Valencia High after serving the past two years as athletic director at Moriarty High School. He is a 1977 graduate of Albuquerque's Sandia High School. He played football at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales and later earned a bachelor's degree in physical education at New Mexico State University.

Johnson served 10 years in the U.S. Army. He was a tank officier before getting his wings as a Cobra attack helicopter pilot during the Persian Gulf War.

After returning to the mainland, Johnson was an assistant football coach at Eastern Kentucky University, where he earned a master's degree in sports administration in 1995.

After moving back to New Mexico, he was an assistant coach at Estancia, Sandia and Rio Grande high schools. He was hired as head coach in Belen in 1999, posting a 3-8 record in one season.

Johnson then moved to Florin High School in Sacramento, Calif., where he spent four seasons. Upon returning to New Mexico, he spent one year as football coach at Santa Fe High, leading the perennial cellar dwellers to a 4-6 overall record, 1-3 in District 2-5A.

"He brings a really good background and experience," Gibson said. "He's got an incredible resume and range of experience. He was not at all daunted by the idea of building an athletic program. In fact, he was excited about the challenge."

Johnson did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Johnson takes over a program that will compete at the junior varsity level next season. Valencia High opened this school year with a freshmen class. It will formally compete at the varsity level during the 2008-09 school year.

Under the latest NMAA realignment proposal, the Jaguars would compete in District 5-4A, the same district as Belen.

When asked whether Smith resigned or was not rehired as the Jaguars' football coach and athletic coordinator, Gibson said, "I'm not at liberty to say."

Attempts to reach Smith before News-Bulletin press time were unsuccessful.

Others who interviewed with the screening committee last Friday were: