Cavemen Comeback Sinks Lovington 31-28

By Don Eskins

The Carlsbad Cavemen (Or should we call them the Cardiac Kids?) defeated the Lovington Wildcats 31-28 in yet another barn burner on Friday night, September 5, in Lovington.

It was the 2-1 Cavemen’s second straight victory to come in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.

As for the game, it couldn’t have been more exciting. CHS shocked the Wildcats with two kickoff returns for touchdowns during second-quarter action.

Down 14-3 in the frame, Eaven Leos took the ensuing kickoff back from 96 yards out to close the score, with the aid of a Lennon Ananins kick, to 14-10.

Down once again, 21-10, Ty Young ran a Wildcat kick back for 65 yards and another score. With an Ananins’ extra-point kick, CHS closed to within four of Lovington, 21-17.

But CHS wasn’t finished yet. Running back Brock Wright ran in from one yard out to give, following another Ananins kick, the Cavemen a 24-21 lead at the half.

However, the Wildcats, ranked third in Class 5A football, weren’t ready to throw in the towel either. During third-quarter play, they hit pay dirt once again. Scoring on a 20-yard touchdown pass play, the Wildcats regained the lead at 28-24 as time ran out in the third quarter.

Behind 28-24 in the fourth, running back Brock Wright roared in once again, this time from 27 yards out, with 2:55 remaining on the clock, to put the Cavemen out in front, following another Ananins kick, 31-28. The three-point lead would prove to be all CHS needed as they held on to record their second victory of the season.

Carlsbad’s offense put up 373 yards on the night, while its defense held the normally potent Wildcats to just 296 total yards.

Big Games: Offense: Brock Wright, 143 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries; QB Eloy Lopez, five of seven completions for 83 yards; Robert Castenada, four catches for 90 yards; Eaven Leos, 96 yd. kickoff return for a TD; Ty Young 65-yard kickoff return for a TD. Defense: Robert Castaneda, five tackles; Lennon Ananins, four tackles, seven assists, and an interception; Zayland Pesante, three tackles, five assists, a sack, and a tackle for loss; Trey Barta, three tackles, an assist, and a tackle for loss; Isaiah Gaitan, two tackles, eight assists, and two tackles for loss; and Sean Cruz, a tackle and an interception.

Cavemen @ Cibola

The Cavemen squared off against the Cibola Cougars on Thursday night, September 11, in Albuquerque. Cibola, at 2-1, entered the game ranked 13th in Class 6A football.

En route to their 2-1 record, they’d posted victories over Sandia 46-24 and Eldorado 35-14. Their lone loss came via Albuquerque High, 24-21.

The Cavemen also entered the game at 2-1. Their victories came against Goddard 16-14 and Lovington 31-28. Their lone loss came against Artesia, 48-24. Carlsbad has been ranked 11th in Class 6A football this week.

The Local will post the results of the Cavemen @ Cibola football game on Friday, September 19.

The following are game stats for Carlsbad’s 31-28 victory over Lovington.

Cavemen vs Wildcat

Stats - September 5, 2025

CHS 03--21--00--07---31

LHS 00--21--07--00---28

Team Totals CHS LHS

Total Plays 57 61

Total Yards 373 296

Passing Yards 154 145

Rushing Yards 219 151

First Downs 16 12

Turnovers 2 2

Fumbles Lost 2 1

Intercepts Thrown 0 1

Penalties 4 9

Yards 10 93

Scoring Summary

1st Qt: FG- Lennon Ananins

20 yds.

2nd Qt: TD- Eaven Leos 96 yd. kickoff return, L. Ananins kick; Ty Young 65 yd. kickoff return, L. Ananins kick; TD- Brock Wright 1 yd. run, L. Ananins kick.

4th Qt: TD- 27 yd. run, L. Ananins kick.

Offensive Stats

Passing: E. Lopez 5-7 -83 yds; M. Munoz 6-10-71 yds.

Rushing: B. Wright 21-143 yds-2TD; M. Munoz 10-88 yds; E. Lopez 4-8 yds; R. Castaneda 1/-11;

Receiving: R. Castaneda 4-90yds; B. Wright 4-29yds; B. Florez 1-16yds; R. Hernandez 1-15yds; E. Leos 14.

Defensive Stats

R. Castenada 5T; L. Ananins 4T-7A-Int; Z. Pesante 3T-5A-Sack-TFL; T. Barta 3T-A-TFL; C. Roberson 2T-TFL; I. Gaitan 2T-8A-2TFL; T. Young 2T-A; C. McKibben 2T-5A; R. Sanchez T-A: D. Escamilla T-A; D. Cabezuela T; D. Valencia T; A. Venegas T-3A; I. Solorzano 3A; S. Cruz A-Fum rec; I. Rubio 2A.

CHS Stats by Coach Charles Millar