Cavemen Come Together in Artesia

By Don Eskins                                                  

Playing solidly on both sides of the football has been a goal Cale Sanders has been pursuing since his selection as Carlsbad's new head football coach in 2022.

On Friday night, August 21, in Artesia, against the Class 5A's No. 1 ranked Bulldogs, the Cavemen looked like they were well on their way to doing just that.

The Cavemen offense, with 315 total yards against the Bulldogs, 220 of it on the ground, looked impressive. So impressive were they that running back Brock Wright raced for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Wideout Jaden Harper's 59-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Marley Munoz also turned a lot of heads.

But equally impressive was Carlsbad's defense. While holding the Bulldogs to just 184 total yards, several Cavemen stepped up to make big plays.

Players like safety Damian Valencia, who sprinted over to drive an Artesia Bulldog out of bounds on a fourth-and-five play during second-quarter action at the stick on CHS's 24-yard line; linebacker Trey Barta, who shot up the middle to record a sack during third-quarter play at the CHS 18-yard line; and Valencia once again, as he picked off an Artesia pass in the fourth.

And then, lest we forget, the Cavemen front seven, who held the Dogs to just 43 rushing yards.

However, as much success as the Cavemen experienced in Artesia, Sanders said his Cavemen still have a lot of work ahead of them.

"We did see some great efforts on the field in Artesia," he said. "And although we did sputter some in the third quarter, our staff was really proud of the way our kids ground things out to get the win.

"But even in winning, we did make a lot of mistakes, mistakes we're going to have to get right if we're to keep moving forward in the direction we want to go," added the Cavemen head coach. "As a team, we have room for a lot of improvement. But our staff has a lot of confidence in our kids. They're not afraid of hard work, so I think we'll be alright."

Next up for CHS: the Goddard Rockets on Friday night, August 28, in Roswell.

Cavemen @ ArtesiaAugust 21, 2026Game Summary:CHS        Stats                      AHS220        Rushing                4395           Passing  141315        Total Yds.             18418           1st Downs           110             TOs                        10             Fumble Lost        10             Intercepts.          13/6         Penalties              9/61

OFFENSE:Passing: M. Munoz 6-12-95/TDRushing: B. Wright 25-139-2TD; M. Munoz 15-81Receiving: J. Harper 2-67-TD; I. Wilson 2-18; J. Duarte 2-10Kicking: L. Ananins 2PAT

DEFENSE:C. McKibben 5T-3A; B. King 4T-1A; T. Barta 3T-3A-1Sck-2TFL; I. Gaitan 2T-2A-1Scl-2TFL; J. Perez 2T-2A-1TFL; J. Duarte 1T; D. Valencia 1T-3A-Int; N. Gonzalez 1A; B. Granger 1A; S. Cruz 6A; J. Lynch 2A; L. Ananins 3A; J. Rubio 2A; L. White 1A