Cavemen Take On 3rd-Ranked Hobbs Eagles

By Don Eskins

Carlsbad High, ranked ninth in Class 6A football, will take on the third-ranked Hobbs Eagles in their final regular-season game of the year on Friday night, October 31, in Hobbs. Kickoff is set to get underway at 7 p.m.

The Cavemen will take the field at 5-4 on the season and 3-2 in rugged District 3/6A play. Hobbs is 7-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play.

Although it may be the last game on CHS’s 2025 schedule, in no way is it less important.

With state tournament seedings set to go out on Saturday (November 1), Friday’s games will be of the utmost importance for prep football teams throughout New Mexico.

Although the numbers look favorable for Carlsbad getting a berth in this year’s Big Dance through nine tough games of grueling football, there’s still the Hobbs Eagles to contend with.

Hobbs, primed to make a run for a state title, looks to be all this year’s hype says they are.

Non-conference wins for the 7-2 Eagles have come at the expense of Lovington, 41-13, Roswell, 37-27, and Parkland, 49-22. Their only non-conference loss came in Artesia, where the Bulldogs topped them, 51-41.

En route to their 4-1 district record, they’ve beaten Alamogordo, 47-26; Clovis, 51-22; Organ Mt., 51-12; and Centennial, 44-33. Their lone loss came via the top ranked Las Cruces Bulldogs, 52-13.

In comparison, the Cavemen have knocked off Lovington, 31-28; Alamogordo, 30-25; Clovis, 41-28; and Organ Mt., 35-7. They’ve lost to Centennial, 21-20; Las Cruces, 53-28; and Artesia, 48-24.

Although the Cavemen have been making headway throughout the season, an almost unbelievably tough schedule has kept a win or two at bay.

In District 3/6A play alone, four of the seven teams that reside there are ranked in the top ten. Such as Las Cruces, No. 1; Hobbs, No. 3; Centennial, No. 4; and Carlsbad, No. 9. Add to that the fact that Alamogordo sits at No. 12, and it makes it hard to believe that there’s a tougher 6A conference in the state.

Hobbs, no doubt, will be a tough test for the Cavemen. But could this be the week the Cavemen break loose to grab a big one? Yes! Local Sports pick: Carlsbad 24, Hobbs 21.

Selection Saturday

For Cavemen fans who want to follow this year’s Selection Saturday’s picks for this year’s state playoffs, they can do so by hooking up with the NMAA website at 10 p.m. on Saturday night, November 1.

The NMAA will release its 2025 football playoff brackets using a selection show on its NMAA website at www.nmact.org

Criteria for selection are listed in today’s Bits and Pieces editorial on page XXX

District 3/6A Standings

Team Yr. D3/6A

Las Cruces 9-0 5-0

Hobbs 7-2 4-1

Centennial 7-2 4-1

Carlsbad 5-4 3-2

Alamo 4-5 1-4

Clovis 2-7 1-4

Org. Mt. 2-8 0-6

MaxPreps as of October 26

District Games 10-31-25

Carlsbad at Hobbs

Alamogordo at Clovis

Centennial at Las Cruces

Class 6A Top 12

No Team Rec.

1. Las Cruces 9-0

2. Cleveland 8-1

3. Hobbs 7-2

4. Centennial 7-2

5. Volcano Vista 6-3

6. Rio Rancho 6-3

7. Las Cruces 7-2

8. Piedra Vista 4-5

9. Carlsbad 5-4

10. Cibola 5-4

11. Los Lunas 6-3

12 Alamogordo 4-5

Rankings alone do not determine whether or not a team gets seeded into the state tourney.