He thought he would top the hill for a year, then maybe scoot off in manifest destiny to a sunny spot in California.

That year in Los Alamos passed, but movers never became necessary. Then the next year drifted by. Then five more. Ten.

By then, Bob Scott had become part of the community, and it, a part of him.

"Good town, good kids, I just kind of stuck," Scott says.

It's been more than 22 years since Scott joined the coaching staff at Los Alamos High School, and this is his 20th as the head coach.

"It's weird, but I never even thought of it until a couple days ago," says Scott who is among an elite club of elder statesmen, including Eric Roanhaus at Clovis, Sam Jernigan at Roswell Goddard and Cooper Henderson at Artesia. All have been in their positions for more than a decade and half — an eternity for coaches — and in the case of Roanhaus, more like three decades.

"You watch kids grow up and leave and then come back," says Scott. "This summer, a young man come back from (serving in) Iraq and he talked about how it was over there. He talked about the heat and the grind. He looked at me and said, 'Thank God I played high school football.'

"It's things like that that make you almost cry — to know that you helped someone grow and they remember."

Scott says that's a lot of the reason he has stayed. He's stayed for the people he works with. He's been a pea in a pod with assistant Don Reid since he joined the Hilltoppers. The two have built a successful program — they wouldn't be there still if they hadn't — but it's fallen just short of the ultimate goal. Los Alamos has no state championships under Scott. That is the lone departure from Roanhaus, Jernigan and Henderson who have all won at least one state title.

Not that the 'Toppers haven't been close. They are regulars in the state playoffs and were last represented in a semifinal in 2006. It's just been hard to get over the hump when Artesia has ruled the class in a dynastic fashion (five championships in the last eight seasons alone.)

But Los Alamos plunges forward still. Quite literally. The Hilltoppers offense has existed in an almost run-only format (the double-wing) since Scott's arrival. They are still run-heavy, but have incorporated a spread formation this season that features both the run and pass. It was quite effective in a 28-6 win over reigning Class AAA state champion St. Michael's on Saturday.

The program is as healthy as it's ever been. Scott said there are 72 kids in the program, a high since he's been there. Coaches in Class AAAA voted Los Alamos No. 5 in the latest rankings without having seen the Hilltoppers play a single game.

It's a testament to what Scott has built, even though it was seemingly done with reluctance. Scott has threatened to retire multiple times over the years, so many times that it has become sort of a running joke on the hill.

It fits the pattern of a man who planned to coach for one season, but has stayed for 23 and counting.