El Dorado native continues with his football career

Christopher Lowry
Student Sports Media

From time to time, a former El Dorado High School athlete makes a mark at Butler. Such is the case with sophomore Hunter Armijo, the starting long snapper for the football team.

A long snapper is responsible for snapping the ball on kicking and punt plays. Off the field, Armijo is majoring in pre-veterinarian studies here at Butler and would not be opposed to attending Kansas State to long snap and attend their highly acclaimed veterinary program, if all things work out.

Armijo played running back, linebacker and long snapper for the El Dorado Wildcats. As a senior, he recorded 87 tackles, 18 assists, four sacks, two interceptions and caused four fumbles on the defensive side of the ball. He also rushed for 80 yards and caught five passes for 54 yards and two touchdowns.

“It felt amazing, it was a great win today, and we showed them what we could do,” Armijo said after Butler’s 42-10 season-opening win over Iowa Central on Saturday Aug. 24.

As of Monday, Sept. 9, the Grizzlies are now ranked second in the nation.
Armijo was born in Fort Walton Beach, Florida and then moved to El Dorado in the first grade. He started playing football in the third grade and participated all the way through high school.

Hunter first got into long snapping through his father, who was his little league baseball coach growing up and a former long snapper as well. Armijo’s father wanted him to long snap because he knew it was an easy position to excel at once he learned it. Armijo would like to take his talents to the next level, but it would all depend on how his last year of eligibility goes as a Grizzly. The NFL remains in the distance.

“Yes and no, because I’m not all that experienced as opposed to others who have gone to camps,” Armijo said as for his aspirations to play at the next level.

Ryan Hull, a football assistant at El Dorado High School, coached Armijo for all four years of Armijo’s high school career.

“As a freshman he was not big, but he was the hardest working (player),” Hull said. “He also worked hard in the classroom.”
Hull said Armijo was a real leader in the weight room and became the team’s leading tackler his senior year. Another assistant from those years, Brad Raine, echoes those comments.

“He was a multi-sport athlete,” Raine said, pointing out Armijo participated in baseball, wrestling, basketball and track as well, during his EHS years.

“He was very charismatic and an all-in kind of guy. He never took plays off and loves the game.”

In the weight room, Raine said Armijo never took a repetition off and would actually push other people to become better.

“He’s one of those good kids,” Raine said. “Hunter can do whatever he wants to do.”
Armijo is on the field a lot during pre-game, getting the long snaps down.