LLHS football coach ousted

LOS LUNAS — Greg Henington, the only coach to lead Los Lunas to a state football championship, has been ousted as the Tigers head coach.

Henington met on Monday with Bill Hays, Los Lunas Schools athletic coordinator and another district administrator.

“I was told they would like to go in a different direction,” without giving a specific reason, Henington said Wednesday afternoon. “They gave me the opportunity to resign. It’s not something I wanted to do.”

In a news release Wednesday, the district repeated what Henington told the News-Bulletin, that it is “moving in a different direction regarding the leadership of the Los Lunas High School Tigers football program,” but didn’t give a reason why.

LLS Superintendent Susan Chavez did not respond Wednesday or Thursday to several requests from the News-Bulletin for comment. Hays said Thursday he would have “no further comments at this time.”

Sidney Olivas, the district’s marketing and media design specialist, who was made available to the News-Bulletin for comment, said she was unable to give details about Henington’s resignation. When asked why the district wanted to go in a different direction, Olivas said, “That is definitely a question for our superintendent.”

Olivas was also asked if there were any problems or legal issues within the program.

“Not that I’m aware of,” she said, again referring the question to Chavez.

The LLS news release stated the district wants to extend “appreciation to Coach Greg Henington for his contributions to the program over the past four seasons,” adding the district will ensure a smooth transition, support and resources for the student athletes and that a search for a new coach will begin quickly.

LLHS went 13-0 in 2021, winning the 5A State Championship in Henington’s first season at the helm. In his five years leading the Tigers, Henington compiled a 43-16 record while making the playoffs each season. Under Henington, the Tigers were 4-0 against arch rival Belen before the series was discontinued because of dominance by LLHS.

The first head coaching job for Henington was at Belen High School, where he spent three seasons. During that span, the Eagles qualified for the postseason every year, reaching the 5A title game in 2017. Henington’s record was 27-9, making his combined head coaching mark 70-25.

The Henington family is well known in Valencia County. Henington’s father, Rex, was a standout athlete and coach in Belen, recently named to the BHS Athletic Hall of Fame. He was also principal and athletic director at LLHS.

Between stints at BHS and LLHS, Greg Henington was the offensive coordinator for two seasons at Eldorado.

While Henington’s teams enjoyed success every season, winning became more difficult when the Tigers were moved to 6A. There, LLHS faced the largest schools in New Mexico, facing powerhouses like Cleveland, La Cueva and Las Cruces.

For next season, the New Mexico Activities Association has dropped Los Lunas down to 5A, where a new coach will take up the challenge.

“We were very excited about getting down to our correct classification level,” Henington said, adding that the goal was to “bring another blue trophy (championship) to Valencia County.

Henington, who will remain as a physical education teacher at LLHS, thanked the community of Los Lunas, his staff, parents and student-athletes. Still, coaching remains in his blood.

“I always treated the kids the right way and I have sincere care and love for them,” he said. “I’m not done coaching.”