Amaro is New Mexico football player of the year

The numbers are impressive, but what made Daniel Amaro a top performer for the Las Cruces High football team went far beyond the statistics.

“I think that the biggest thing about him is his selflessness,” said Las Cruces head coach Mark Lopez. “He wasn't in it for himself, he wasn't in it for stats, he was in it to try to be the best team we could be. He was a great leader for us, carried himself really humble in everything that he did. We’re really blessed to have him.”

Each year since 2006, MaxPreps has recognized outstanding performers in high school football. It closed out the 2025 season by naming the top player in each state with criteria based on team success and individual excellence in addition to local and state accolades. 

Amaro was named the 2025 MaxPreps New Mexico High School Football Player of the Year. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound senior running back led the Bulldawgs to an undefeated regular season and a 12-1 overall record. The team lost its only game of the campaign to Cleveland in the Class 6A state championship game.

Amaro ran for 1,931 yards and 42 touchdowns and caught 23 passes for 418 yards and three scores. He saved his best for the biggest moments, running for 234 yards on 19 carries in a 44-7 victory over La Cueva in the state semifinal.

“He was an incredible player for us,” Lopez said. “One of the things that made him special was his versatility. He did it all for us. He’s obviously a great running back, ran with speed, ran with power, ran with elusiveness, but he's also a great receiver out of the backfield, a great blocker, just really did it all, the complete package.”

During the regular season meeting against Cleveland, Amaro led the Bulldawgs to a 38-34 win – their first over the Storm since 2016 – with 179 yards and two touchdowns. His running style delivered a powerful combination.

“Ultimately, he's an elite athlete,” Lopez said. “He runs with that power and elusiveness, and that makes it really tough because if you start focusing on his shiftiness, then he'll run you over. And he did embarrass a few guys, guys that were trying to just secure tackles, and he ends up trucking them and making them look bad. That combination, along with his vision, and everything else that he did was special without a doubt.”

Each state's MaxPreps Player of the Year will be considered for inclusion in the MaxPreps All-America Team.