Los Lunas introduces new football coach Johnston at community event

About two dozen Los Lunas High School football players gathered at a first-of-its-kind community introduction April 15 to meet Stephen Johnston, the coach now guiding the Tigers through a major reset after a championship-era transition.

Johnston, hired Feb. 25, arrived at Los Lunas after five seasons as head coach at Manzano High School and seven years as an assistant at Artesia High School, where he served in multiple roles including defensive coordinator. He replaced Greg Henington, whose contract was not renewed after a five-year run that included a state championship, as the program also moved down to Class 5A in the latest realignment.

For a team with high expectations and a new classification, the timing of the event mattered as much as the introduction itself. Los Lunas Schools said the gathering was designed to be the first of its kind and plans to hold similar events in the future, a sign the district wants football to feel more visible and more connected to families as the Tigers rebuild under a new staff.

Johnston said the program has already begun installing offensive and defensive concepts. He also told the crowd that players are lifting weights three days a week and working on agility drills on the practice field, early offseason work that gives the Tigers a structure beyond simply learning a playbook.

The gathering also offered an early look at the culture Johnston wants at Los Lunas. He has framed that approach around The Tiger Way and three expectations for players: do their best, do what is right and treat others the way they want to be treated. That message, paired with the public introduction, suggests the staff is trying to define the program’s identity before fall practices bring the pace up again.

Most of Johnston’s staff has already been assembled. Joaquin Garcia is serving as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, while other assistants are handling the line, defensive ends, receivers, running backs and secondary. The rapid staffing gives the Tigers a clearer path into the season, even as the roster and coaching transition continue to settle.

Two seniors, Nick Fuentes and Anthony Castillo, attended the event and said the change has helped keep the program’s energy up. Johnston also stressed respect for what came before, saying a coaching change should acknowledge prior success rather than erase it, an approach that could matter in a community still adjusting to life after a title run.