By MIKE COTE
Sports Writer
Los Alamos Daily Post
The Los Alamos Hilltopper football team earned a No. 3 seed for the upcoming state Class 5A playoffs and will get a week to rest and recuperate before its first postseason contest.
The Hilltoppers will take on either the sixth-ranked Gadsden Panthers or 11th-ranked Capital Jaguars on the weekend of Nov. 14. Schedules beyond the first week of the playoffs won’t be determined until the conclusion of first round contests.
As a top-four seed, Los Alamos earned the privilege of a week off for the start of the playoffs.
Los Alamos was given the 3 seed by the seeding and selection committee thanks to its undefeated regular season. Los Alamos went a perfect 10-0, capped by a 42-10 victory Halloween night on the road against Miyamura.
The Hilltoppers have history with both of their potential opponents in the second round of the playoffs. Capital (4-6), of course, is a longtime rival of the Hilltoppers and the Hilltoppers defeated the Jaguars 41-7 in mid-September.
Gadsden (6-4), meanwhile, knocked Los Alamos out of the playoffs last season, winning 43-14. Gadsden scored 22 points in the final quarter to win that second-round contest going away.
The other top seeds in the playoffs besides the Hilltoppers include top-seed Artesia, second-seed Roswell and fourth-seed Lovington.
Here is the schedule for the first two rounds of the Class 5A playoffs. The semifinal round will be played the weekend of Nov. 21, and the championship will be played Nov. 29.
First Round
- (9) Mayfield vs. (8) Highland, Nov. 7, Milne Stadium, 7 p.m.
- (12) Deming vs. (5) Goddard, Nov. 8, Wool Bowl, 1 p.m.
- (11) Capital vs. (6) Gadsden, Nov. 7, Gadsden High School, 7 p.m.
- (10) Valley vs. (7) Belen, Nov. 7, Belen High School, 7 p.m.
Second Round (Nov. 14-15)
- Mayfield-Highland winner vs. (1) Artesia
- Deming-Goddard winner vs. (4) Lovington
- Capital-Gadsden winner vs. (3) Los Alamos
- Valley-Belen winner vs. (2) Roswell