Jose Castillo is the first athlete from Española Valley to get a football scholarship in quite some time.
But looking at the crop of younger players he played with, he plans to make sure that he will not be the last.
Castillo will attend New Mexico Highlands University to join the football program in the fall as a defensive lineman. He officially signed with the University in a ceremony at the football field on April 18.
Castillo’s life has been a love of football. He was thrilled for the opportunity to get to continue playing.
“It just gave me one more shot, to do something great,” Castillo said.
His father, Jose Castillo Sr., credited his son’s hard work on and off the field, and his strong academics that will carry over into college.
“I told him since he was a freshman, if he put in the hard work, and he was dedicated, that there could be a chance,” Castillo Sr. said of his son playing in college.
Castillo Sr., described his son as quiet and shy off the field. But he can be anything but shy rushing the quarterback.
Older sister Corrine Castillo, 21, said that she was bigger in size until about eighth grade; then Jose shot up and is now a much bigger defensive tackle.
Early in Castillo’s high-school career, a college scholarship seemed like a very long shot. The team was winless for two consecutive years, and every player looked overmatched on the field.
But the team famously found a way to turn things around, to go 14-8 over the next two years. The hard work of players like Castillo, who grinded daily on the field for four years to grow stronger and tougher.
“My sophomore year, we had no hope of getting any players out for college ball,” Castillo said. “Now, since we’ve been winning games. Bringing the community together.”
Castillo had been pursuing scholarship opportunities for much of the last two years.
“Luckily, (Highlands Coach) Ron Hudson hit me back, and I’m grateful,” he said.
Growing up, Castillo rotated between offense and defense. But defense was always what he loved.
“I knew that I wanted to be a defensive player, so I worked to continue my craft at it,” Castillo said. “You get to hit people. You get to be nasty.”
Castillo’s career in many ways coincides with how Española’s has been in recent years. He remembers a 2022 game against McCurdy — Española’s first non-forfeit win in three years — as one that turned around the program.
Specifically, he remembers laying out a blocker on a kick return, as his “best hit ever.”
At Española’s height, Castillo was right there. In a stunning 50-0 beatdown against Moriarty that clinched the district championship, Castillo along with fellow tackle Nick Sandoval were the stars. The two were constantly in the backfield, disrupting seemingly every play the Pintos tried to run.
“Me and Nick were dynamic duo,” Castillo said.
At Highlands, Castillo plans to study computer science and become a programmer.
The history of Española football scholarships is scant. Joey Branch attended Arizona in the early 1990s and is credited with two rushing attempts and one reception. Isaac Martinez reportedly joined New Mexico State in the late 1970s. Zion Serrano played for New Mexico Highlands in 2007.
But Castillo sees a remarkable group of younger players and knows he could be just the first in a line of Española college athletes produced by coach Tylon Wilder. Sandoval and Cru Wilder were among those that recently attended a scouting camp in Grants. (Fellow senior Adrick DeLeon also had received an offer from New Mexico Military Institute.)
“From now on, it should be pretty common,” he said. “It’s a privilege to be the first. Now, other players can see, hey, it’s possible. It’s very possible.”