The Times' football lineman of the year: Braiden McKenna of Los Alamitos

From the first practice to the last, Braiden McKenna was the true leader of Los Alamitos' offensive live. It was his job to help a young group in its first season of starting to develop with each game.

McKenna led the way, playing center and helping guide a line that consistently opened lanes for running backs Lenny Ibarra and Kamden Tillis, both of whom reached 1,000 yards rushing during a 12-3 season. It was a key part for the Griffins winning the Southern Section Division 2 championship, their first title since 2002.

The 6-foot-2, 290-pound senior has been selected The Times' lineman of the year.

These guys man. Brothers. Champions @LosAlFootball@ocvarsityguy@latsondheimer@SteveFryer@GregBiggins@BrandonHuffmanpic.twitter.com/JYjbmjgLZk— Braiden McKenna (@MckennaBraiden) November 30, 2025

He was a three-year starter who was asked to make calls up front with his intelligence, vision and instincts.

Coach Ray Fenton said he graded out at 93% from a coaching staff that keeps high expectations for its blockers.

Here are some quick highlights from the season. CIFSS Champion Center, 3.8 GPA. Battle tested. 2400 yards rushing. @LosAlFootball@GregBiggins@adamgorney@BrandonHuffman@coachsnyder66@coachcobes@ocvarsityguy@latsondheimer@RepMax_iohttps://t.co/YegCBWdosNpic.twitter.com/1CDDsBDK5M— Braiden McKenna (@MckennaBraiden) December 13, 2025

"He physically dominated the line of scrimmage," Fenton said.

There was one opponent who said of McKenna: "You are crazy strong."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.