Cavemen Square Off Against Hobbs Eagles

By Don Eskins

Who would have thunk it?! With one game remaining on their gridiron schedule, the Carlsbad Cavemen have a realistic shot at reeling in their ultimate goal of the season: hosting a first-round game in this year’s state playoffs.

Following last week’s October 23, 30-17 victory over the No. 4-ranked Las Cruces Bulldawgs in the City of Crosses, the Cavemen, who entered the game ranked eighth, have vaulted to the No. 5 spot in this week’s October 25-30 MaxPreps poll.

Although the NMAA’s final pairings for the New Mexico Big Dance don’t always reflect the MaxPreps poll rankings, as other criteria are involved, teams who finish out the season among the top eight get to host a first-round game.

However, the key sentence to that scenario is finishing out the year among the top eight.

On Friday night, October 30, against the Hobbs Eagles in Carlsbad, the Cavemen will do just that: finish out regular-season play. Securing a spot outright among the state’s top eight Class 6A teams and a first-round playoff game in this year’s state tournament could very well hinge on the outcome of the game.

But while the 6-3 Cavemen will be tagged as the favorite, getting a W over the 4-5, 10th-ranked Eagles won’t be easy.

Hobbs has an agenda of their own. Although they’ll more than likely get into the playoffs regardless of the outcome, a win could solidify a much better seed for them in the tournament. So, as with the Cavemen, they have a lot at stake, and a lot to play for.

Squaring Off with Eagles

Like Carlsbad vs. Artesia, when it comes time for the Cavemen to take on Hobbs, CHS sports fans can throw out all the stats! The Cavemen vs. Eagles game is a rivalry of its own. Last on both teams’ schedules, Hobbs has often been a spoiler for many Carlsbad Cavemen hopefuls.

As a matter of fact, Carlsbad hasn’t defeated Hobbs since head coach Gary Bradley led the Cavemen past the Eagles 27-21 in 2020.

Winning this game can often save or close out a team’s season or have a positive or detrimental impact on seeding. Nothing could be truer about that than the outcome of the 2026 Carlsbad vs. Hobbs clash!

Class 6A State Tourney Seeds

Seeds for the 2026 Class 6A state tournament are expected to go out on Sunday morning, November 1.

Twelve teams will receive invitations to compete in this year’s Big Dance. Although the MaxPreps rankings will be used heavily in determining just how teams are seeded, they are not the only criteria used by the NMAA Selection Committee. Because of that, the final seedings can be a bit surprising.

For this year’s tourney, the top four seeds will draw opening-round byes while five through eight will serve as the host sites for first-round play.

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.)

Photos: QB Marley Munoz and RB Brock Wright (Sax Shots File Photo)