Youth Spotlight: Reserve senior blends grit and grace on the field and in the arena

Seated against the Gila Wilderness and the San Francisco River, Reserve has become the place where high school senior Leandra Estrada has become something of a hometown legend, wearing many hats, from cowboy to football helmet. Whether it’s under the Friday night lights, in the rodeo arena, or at the high school homecoming ceremony, Estrada stands out.

At 17, Estrada is one of the few girls in New Mexico high school football — and the only one on Reserve High School’s six-man team. After the school went without a football program for nearly four years, she joined the effort to bring it back. “We had to petition for it, and there weren’t many kids joining,” she said. So, not knowing anything about the sport she bravely stepped onto the field and learned quickly.

“There’s not many of us on the field, so the learning process was fast,” she said. “I started as a running back, but later they moved me to the line because I was small enough to get under people and trip them up. I’m definitely a defensive player.”

Her favorite part? “Definitely hitting people,” she said. “They don’t expect it from me.”

Estrada’s proudest moment came when she accidentally scored her first touchdown against the Animas Panthers.

“Our quarterback was getting trapped, and I was the only one open,” Estrada said. “I caught the ball and ran straight into the end zone. I didn’t even know what was going on, but it was awesome.”

Off the field, Estrada is just as fearless. She’s been training horses for two years and is an accomplished rodeo competitor, drawn to the adrenaline of bronc riding and barrel racing. She first tried bronc riding at age 13 at the Catron County Fair — and won first place her very first time. Since then, she’s competed across New Mexico and Arizona, from Magdalena to Show Low, AZ, and this December she’ll head to Las Vegas, Nevada, to compete in the Junior NFR for barrel racing.

“I’m usually the only girl who shows up for bronc riding,” she said. “But I’ve always had more guy friends, so it’s not hard for me. I feel at home there.”

Her grandmother, Peggy Carabajal, said that drive has always been part of her.

“Leandra’s very humble, but she’s been exceptional since she was little,” Carabajal said. “She was in karate as a kid and won over a hundred trophies. She’s always loved horses, and her grandpa, Pat Lucero, got her into riding when she could barely walk.”

This fall, Estrada added another title to her growing list — Reserve High’s Homecoming Queen, crowned in her football uniform, cleats and all.

“I’m not a girly girl, so I didn’t expect that,” she said. “It was interesting, but fun.”

Alongside her athletic achievements, Estrada maintains strong academics, recently being inducted into the National Honor Society. After graduation, she plans to attend Oklahoma State University in Stillwater to study animal science, with dreams of becoming an equine veterinarian.

From karate to football, bronc riding to barrel racing, Estrada’s path has been anything but traditional — and that’s exactly how she likes it.

“I just do what I love,” she said. “Even if I’m the only girl doing it.”