To put in Biblical terms, Hector Salgado II has “been to the mountain,” but happily settles for life here on the hill.

In football terms, Salgado has experienced the best of Friday Night Lights — life in Odessa, Texas — but now is content to watch his son, Hector III, number 62 on your Rio Rancho Rams program, play out his junior season.

The elder Salgado just missed being a part of H.G. Bissinger’s epic “Friday Night Lights,” published in 1990, because his father’s job took the family to California.

Hector Salgado could have been a part of 'Friday Night Lights' book, but the family left Texas and headed to Illinois when his father got tramsferred.

Odessa’s Panthers had “Mojo” before Austin Powers and Salgado wanted to be a part of it.

Salgado fondly recalled blocking for the star — until he was injured — of Odessa Permian’s team, James “Boobie” Miles, before the Panthers gained national fame, thanks to Bissinger’s book, which was turned into a movie (2004) and later a TV show (2006).

“I grew up playing Pop Warner there since third grade. I played with those guys (in the book) from fourth grade all the way to eighth grade,” he said. “I used to block for Boobie Miles, Chris Comer. I was always on the (offensive) line and (defensive) line. We went to Bonham Junior High together and went to Ross Elementary School.

“We were supposed to graduate that same year, after ’89. I was supposed to graduate in ’90. But those guys that won state went undefeated — I left there in eighth grade and went to high school in California,” he said. “My dad transferred; he worked with the Disabled American Veterans, got transferred to California, so I played high school football, and for Cerrillos College.”

Salgado had the opportunity to play against a few household NFL names: Eric Bienemy, later of the University of Colorado and three NFL teams, and Marshall Faulk, who was with San Diego State when his Aztecs would scrimmage Cerrillos and gained notoriety with the St. Louis Rams.

“Another buddy of mine, Rico Smith, was one of our receivers and a kick returner. He ended up playing with the Jets; he ended up playing at Colorado with Eric Bienemy when they won the (championship).” (Smith played four seasons with the Cleveland Browns.)

Despite being several states away — and without an Internet to rely on — Salgado kept up with the Permian Panthers.

“Absolutely; we talked on the phone. A lot of those high school games that were in Texas were televised on ESPN,” Salgado said. “So the two state championship games that were televised were on ESPN.”

Salgado said he enjoyed reading Bissinger’s book.

“It was kind of awesome seeing the guy I used to block for for three years, Chris Comer, and there used to be another running back that was awesome that wasn’t featured. It was like a two-punch combo when they won state in the movie. His name was Adrian Villa,” Salgado recalled. “It was pretty cool blocking for Boobie Miles those years.”

The book, he said, “was pretty accurate. The score actually was 9-6 (the book said 14-9), in the state semifinal game (the book had the game as the state championship). That team (Carter High from Dallas) ended up forfeiting that championship game because they had 19- and 20-year-olds on that team.

“It’s an honor showing my kids yearbooks with (Panthers) Chris Comer and Brian Chavez and Don Billingsley, that we all went to school together,” he said. “It kind of feels good to be special, part of that program and the movie.”

Friday Night Lights in Texas are quite different than those Friday night games Salgado now watches in the metro area.

There, he said, “If you’re not at a football game, you don’t know what you’re doing.

“The playoff games … are more like pro-type style. They hype it up, play at a neutral site.

“The way you can really compare it is with the south schools — I mean, like the Las Cruces schools, Hobbs, Alamogordo, Clovis. They kind of run their programs like the Texas programs,” he said, calling Texas football and New Mexico football as different as black and white.

“Texas football is an all-year thing,” he added. “Every high school, whether it’s 1A or 5A — they’re adding 6A next year — the stands are packed. Ratliff Stadium in Odessa, Texas, holds roughly about 45,000 people, and that’s packed every Friday night.”

Salgado’s father went from Texas to Arlington Heights, Ill., (where his kids were born), and my dad got transferred here in December of 1995. So we’ve been in Rio Rancho ever since,” he explained. “So both my kids have grown up in the YAFL program since they started playing football.”

His other son, Robert, is on the freshman football team. Varsity-playing Hector III also wrestles for the Rams’ varsity.

Salgado’s wife, Marie, works at Rio Rancho Middle School as a secretary.

“Right now, I’m unemployed,” Salgado said. “I’m a free-lance man. But I’m helping out with the boosters.”

He’s also a free-lance fan: He was at Cleveland High’s “home opener” last Friday at Rio Rancho Stadium.

It’s easy to see football’s one of his greatest loves, along with his family.

“Just staying involved. I read a lot of magazines. I read ‘Texas Football.’ I read about New Mexico football. A lot of Direct TV — they show a lot of high school games,” he said. “I have a lot of family members in Texas — Odessa, El Paso, the Dallas area.

“I’m a Dallas Cowboys fan. (Hector III) is a Philadelphia Eagles fan. My younger son is a Dallas Cowboys fan,” he said. “But we’re all University of Texas fans.”

And, yes, they came out to meet former Longhorns great Vince Young this summer.

“Rio Rancho High School has an awesome athletics program,” he lauded. “They’ve won state championships year after year in multiple sports.”

As for his football-playing sons, he said, “I just want them to get their high school diplomas and have the Lord first, in their heart, first of all, and to have fun. They need to take school serious and take it to the next level, go to college, and if it’s playing football or wrestling or if it’s something else, that they had a lot of fun here at Rio Rancho High School. Make sure that they have God first in their life and everything else will take care of itself.”