Cavemen Open State Playoffs vs. Hobbs Eagles

By Don Eskins

Following a historic 41-40 comeback victory over the Hobbs Eagles on Friday night, October 30, in Carlsbad (Story on page xxx), the Cavemen closed out the 2026 gridiron season at 7-3 and ranked seventh in Class 6A football by MaxPreps, a statistical tool used by the New Mexico Activities Association.

As New Mexico’s seventh-ranked team, they also received a seventh seed for this year’s state tournament by the NMAA Selection Committee.

Earning a seventh seed allowed the Cavemen to realize their ultimate goal for 2026 regular season play. That goal: to land a first-round state tournament game in Carlsbad.

On Saturday, November 7, at 1 p.m., in the Ralph Bowyer Cavemen Stadium, Carlsbad will do just that: they’ll entertain the Hobbs Eagles in the inaugural round of the state playoffs.

Hobbs, following their dramatic 41-40 loss to the Cavemen, finished out the season at 4-6 and was ranked and seeded 10th.

Head coach Cale Sanders said, despite having to play back-to-back games with the Eagles, his charges couldn’t be more fired up about taking the field for the opening round of the state tournament in front of their own hometown fans.

“Getting to host a first-round game hasn’t been an easy ride for our kids. They’ve had to win some of the games they weren’t supposed to and compete well in some of the ones they didn’t,” said Sanders. “But through it all, they got here. Now we have to go out and play some tough football.”

With the Ralph Bowyer Cavemen Stadium expected to be packed with Carlsbad and Hobbs supporters, hosting the Eagles should give Carlsbad an edge.

“We think it should, especially if we have a great crowd on hand in support of our kids,” he said. “This game couldn’t be any bigger for them and our program, so we hope to see a large vocal crowd on hand Saturday to give our kids a boost.”

Cavemen vs. Hobbs

If the Carlsbad vs. Hobbs first-round matchup looks anything like the Cavemen’s 41-40 comeback victory over the Eagles on October 30, Carlsbad football fans are in for a real barnburner.

According to Coach Sanders, another game like that wouldn’t surprise him at all.

“Hobbs always plays us tough, just like they did last week, no matter what kind of season they might be having,” said Sanders. “We expect to see nothing less than their best effort again on Saturday.”

In Carlsbad’s 41-40 victory over the Eagles, Brock Wright rushed for 180 yards on 27 totes and made five touchdowns. Quarterback Marley Munoz, on 18 carries, rushed for 117 yards and a TD. In heading Carlsbad’s aerial game, he hit six of 14 passes for 96 yards.

In their loss to Carlsbad, Eagle signal caller J. Medrano completed 17 of 26 passes for 363 yards and four TDs. He also rushed for 98 yards on 18 carries. B. Dunlap also had a big night hauling in five catches for 196 yards and three TDs.

Overall, in the Cavemen vs. Hobbs classic clash, Carlsbad collected 402 total yards, 316 rushing and 86 passing. Hobbs accumulated 524 total yards, 144 rushing and 380 passing.

The winner of the Carlsbad vs. Hobbs first-round game will move on to battle the second-seeded Volcano Vista Hawks on either November 13 or 14.

Cavemen Probable Lineup

OFFENSE: Linemen: Left tackle, sophomore Carlo Chavez; left guard, senior Lincoln Adsero; center, senior Nathaniel Olivas; right guard, junior Makai Yorgensyn; and right tackle, junior Hector Nava. Backfield: Quarterback, No. 2 Marley Munoz, and running back, No. 27 Brock Wright; wide receiver corps, No. 11 Jaden Harper, junior Ian Wilson, sophomore Josiah Fuentes, and tight end, senior Braden Florez.

DEFENSE: Linemen: Nose tackle, junior Sean Cruz; defensive end, senior Isaiah Gaitan; and defensive end, senior Jaedyn Lynch; Linebackers: senior Colton McKibben, junior Trey Barta, and junior Juan Rubio; Secondary: senior Lennon Ananins, safety/cornerback; senior safety, Damian Valencia; and senior cornerback, Noah Gonzales.

(Two spots on the Cavemen’s defensive unit, one on the line and another in the secondary, have yet to be filled. Coach Sanders plans to fill the positions by committee.)