Cavemen Battle Alamogordo

By Don Eskins

Riding a boatload of confidence and momentum, following victories over Clovis and Organ Mountain, the 12th-ranked Carlsbad Cavemen will take on the 11th-ranked Alamogordo Tigers in Alamogordo on Friday night, October 10.

Kickoff for the District 4/5A clash is set for 7 p.m.

After posting back-to-back conference wins, the Cavemen, who have been up and down throughout most of the season, continue to show improved play on both sides of the ball.

Carlsbad High, hitting on all cylinders, dominated the Organ Mountain Knights, 35-7, in Las Cruces on Saturday, October 4. The victory upped their seasonal record to 4-3 and 2-1 in District 4/5A.

In a mammoth performance against Organ Mt., CHS quarterback Marley Munoz connected on 15 of his 21 passing attempts for 225 yards and three TDs with no interceptions. He also ran for 149 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries. A combined total of 374 yards.

Also putting up big numbers was wide-out Robert Castenada. The senior receiver hauled in seven of Munoz’s passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns.

“This was a big game for Marley. I hope it will serve as a springboard for him, for bigger things, as we move on through our schedule,” said Cavemen head coach Cale Sanders. “As for Robert, he just did Robert things. When we can get him the ball, he most always makes a big play for us.”

On an afternoon that saw CHS roll to 454 total yards of offense, the defense, highlighted by Ty Young, Lennon Ananins, and Rio Sanchez interceptions, along with an Isaiah Gaitan sack, held Organ Mt. to 269.

With Organ Mt. now behind them, CHS is focusing solely on the Alamogordo Tigers—a game Sanders said Carlsbad needs to win.

“The road to state could very well go through Alamogordo for us,” said Sanders. “A win against the Tigers would go a long way in determining whether or not we get a bid to this year’s state playoffs.

“Alamogordo is worrisome, though. They have a really good team. They put up 32 points against Centennial, and that’s not an easy thing to do,” said the Cavemen coach. “But I think we match up well with the Tigers, so it should be a good test for us.” A Look at the Tigers

The Alamogordo Tigers, also 4-3 on the year, are 1-2 in conference play. Both of their conference losses have come against District 3/6A frontrunners Centennial, 42-32, and Hobbs, 47-26. Their lone win came via the Organ Mt. Knights, 34-14.

En route to their 4-3 record, the Tigers have also knocked off Deming, 29-16, Roswell, 27-13, and Albuquerque High, 31-20. Their only non-conference loss came via Piedra Vista, 21-14.

Leading the Tigers will be quarterback Nathan Best, who has hit 35 of 60 passes for 347 yards and six touchdowns with three interceptions. He also has rushed for 867 yards on 113 carries and scored nine touchdowns.

Also carrying the ball well for the Tigers is Bryson Bloom. He has run for 681 yards on 97 carries and scored seven touchdowns.

Top Tiger receivers are Tristan Bowman, 11 receptions for 114 yards and two touchdowns, and Keaton Orona, 10 catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns.

Cavemen 35, Organ Mt. 7

Carlsbad’s 35-7 victory over Organ Mt. has them sitting at 2-1 in conference play. In the seven-team District 3/6A league, they’re in third place.

The following are the District 3/6A standings

District 3/6A Standings

Team Yr. D3/6A

Las Cruces 7-0 3-0

Centennial 5-1 2-0

Carlsbad 4-3 2-1

Hobbs 4-2 1-1

Alamo 4-3 1-2

Clovis 1-5 0-2

Org. Mt. 2-5 0-3

Cavemen signal caller Marley Munoz, No. 14, hands off to running back Brock Wright. Blocking is offensive lineman Makai Yorgesen. Wright picked up 66 yards on nine carries in CHS’s 35-7 win over Organ Mt. (Sax Shot Photo File photo)