From unlikely circumstances, Ishmael Aceves Jr. has emerged as Mullen’s guiding light.

The school’s football and basketball standout, who recently signed his letter of intent to play linebacker at New Mexico State, lost his mother to a car accident when he was one year old. That was the start of growing up quickly for Aceves, who also helped his father raise two younger siblings.

Precocious and possessing a relentless drive, Aceves transformed into a leader at Mullen while turning a financial hardship scholarship into a Division I football scholarship.“While he’s helped raise siblings, while there have been times he’s not sure where his meal is coming from that night — none of that fazed him,” Mullen football coach Jeremy Bennett said. “He bought in and he worked hard. And now a lot of kids who look up to him are kids who were in similar scenarios coming in. What he’s shown a lot of younger kids is how to take an opportunity and not squander it.”

Aceves’ athletic talent has been evident since he walked through the doors on Lowell Boulevard as a freshman from southwest Denver.

A four-year starter in football, the 18-year-old was first-team all-conference as a senior at both inside linebacker and tight end. He had 122 tackles (66 solo) in 10 games, plus 28 catches for 595 yards and four touchdowns while helping lead the Mustangs to the Class 5A playoffs. Aceves chose New Mexico State over offers from Kansas and Nevada, citing the Aggies’ family feel and program momentum as deciding factors. He will be the first member of his family to attend college.

This winter Aceves is Mullen’s starting center under first-year head coach Roosevelt Leslie and is averaging 8.3 rebounds per game. Leslie’s son, junior point guard Jordan Leslie, is third in Class 6A in scoring at 24.9 points per game.

Jordan Leslie, who also played football with Aceves, said teammates in both sports follow Aceves’ lead.

“The way he comes in every day, willing to work, with his energy — it really is infectious,” Jordan Leslie said. “If you didn’t know anything about Ish outside of sports, you wouldn’t know any of that (childhood adversity) would’ve happened to him, because he always comes in as the loudest in the room, and as that bright light, too.”

His first couple years at Mullen were a struggle as Aceves adjusted to the school’s academic rigors, while also learning how to balance that with his burgeoning athletic career. Away from school, there was babysitting, cooking, homework assistance and other responsibilities that came with helping oversee his siblings.

“The first few years here it was tough with my grades and it was hard to focus,” Aceves said. “Coming here from DPS, it was a shock academically. My first two years, my grades were bad. Ask anyone, and no one probably thought I was going to go to college, much less could get a Division I scholarship to play football somewhere. I was eligible, but it was scraping by.”

But entering his junior year, Aceves said “everything just clicked.” He started to realize his prowess on the football field was about to open doors if he got his grades in order. His close bond with his dad, Ishmael Aceves Sr., accelerated that change as the two “grew up together.” Aceves Sr. was only 18 years old when his son was born.

“I didn’t want to let my coaches down, or let my dad and my grandma and my aunties down because they all sacrificed a lot for me to be here,” the younger Aceves said. “I didn’t want to let my mom down. It was a growing-up moment… When I started getting offers, that was crazy, because it was the moment I was like, “Wow, if I keep doing this and keep focusing, I can really change my life, and even maybe the lives of those around me.’”

Aceves is intent on helping the Mustangs (5-4) make noise on the court. Mullen played a rigorous December non-conference schedule, starting 1-4 before reeling off four consecutive wins heading into winter break.

The Mustangs don’t have much height — at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Aceves is their undersized center — but they are hoping Jordan Leslie’s scoring and overall team chemistry can help the team reach the Great 8 at the Denver Coliseum in March. Leslie already has a handful of Division I offers.

Roosevelt Leslie said community service projects are helping to build the team’s bond this season. In December, the team participated in Operation Christmas Child, wrapping gifts and loading them up on trucks. The Mustangs also teamed up with Faith Christian High School basketball for Denver Hoops for Hope — a camp and mentorship program involving inner-city kids at Ball Arena.

“Our goal in this program is developing character and leadership, and these transferrable skills like Ish (has) is already showing outside of basketball,” Roosevelt Leslie said. “That will prepare them for life. The byproduct will be building character, but I think you’ll see these intangibles start to show up for us on the court as well.”