Remembering CHS’s Great Athletic Efforts

Prewitt

It’s been some time now since Carlsbad High lost one of its biggest supporters, Freddy Prewitt, a member of the CHS Class of ‘62.

Freddy was the ultimate supporter of CHS sports, and he’s been the topic of discussion quite a few times in the Carlsbad Local.

I used to tell him he was a walking encyclopedia when it came to Cavemen and Cavegirl sports.

Whether it be about a big-time event—like the surging Cavemen football team during the late 1950s and early ‘60s under the direction of the iconic Ralph Bowyer—or an individual achievement by some CHS athlete, Freddy knew about it.

Not only did he know about it, but he could also tell you all of the facts and particulars that made it an important part of Carlsbad High School athletic history.

Freddy never lost his love for CHS sports and, during his senior years, could often be spotted at various Cavemen and Cavegirl athletic events.

Small communities like Carlsbad almost always have a Freddy Prewitt running around somewhere. But sadly, when they’re gone, much of their high school and community sports history goes with them.

RIP Freddy.

Recording CHS’s Historic Past

I’m not sure how many athletic programs at CHS are currently up to date on their record books, but I do know that some of them have lost many of their records due to coaching turnovers, facility moves, etc. Turnovers in local media outlets have also led to lost records.

Cavemen football has been one of those casualties.

CHS head coach Cale Sanders has been trying to locate many of his program’s lost records, and occasionally, he’s had former athletes step forward with newspaper clippings to help out. For the records he hasn’t been able to run down, he has to start over.

Former Caveman Head Track coach Kent Hitchens continues to keep busy gathering as many lost records as he can. For some time now, he’s been putting all of the CHS records he can locate in a book he calls The History of CHS Track and Field.

Kent shared an interesting story with me a while back. Today, I’d like to share it with you.

“We had a gathering the other day with a lot of our former athletes. At the gathering, we put several of the record books we’d assembled on display for them,” he said. “One of our former athletes, teary-eyed, came over to thank me for not forgetting about him and the contributions he had made to our program.

“These kids have all made such an impact on our Cavemen and Cavegirl track programs; they deserve to be remembered,” said Hitchens. “They’re part of our history here at CHS.”

Freddy would be proud!

Prewitt’s CHS Big Play List

Here are a few of Freddy’s most memorable Cavemen and Cavegirl efforts that bear repeating:

1959: Gary Alexander runs for five touchdowns against the Hobbs Eagles.

1961: Ben Monroe gets fouled, then hits two free throws with no time left on the clock to defeat Artesia 73-72.

1961: The Cavemen upend Albuquerque High 27-0 to win the state football title. Carlsbad High holds the Bulldogs to two yards rushing and 23 yards passing for 37 total yards. Carlsbad’s Freddy Cain rushes five times for 73 yards and averages 14. 6 yards per carry.

1962: While the Roswell High Coyotes gathered around the ball to down a punt, Jimmy Orgain grabs the ball and runs through them for 67 yards and a touchdown in a 14-7 Cavemen win.

1962: Gordon Wheeler scores four touchdowns on runs of 14, six, one, and 42 yards to beat Farmington 34-20 on Thanksgiving Day for the state football championship.

1962: Mack Highfill, Billy Joe Thompson, Bennie Jojola, and Dub Farris team up to record the 10th fastest high school 440 relay time in the nation.

1969: Joe Beasley blocks three punts against the Artesia Bulldogs.

1971: Bill Waters blocks the entire left side of the Artesia Bulldog line to allow Bobby Forrest to score a touchdown in an undefeated Cavemen season.

1971: Cass Tabor catches a touchdown pass from Mark Jackson to beat Pecos, TX. Pecos would go on to win the next 17 straight games.

1974: Danny York grabs the rebound and then goes back up to hit the game-winning shot against the Eagles in Hobbs.

1976: Mike Forrest runs for 246 yards against Clovis in a losing effort. Larry Trower also runs back a punt for 80 yards and a touchdown in the game.

1980: John Ramsey picks up a fumble and runs it back 95 yards to beat Clovis.

1983: Carol Tabor wins a state doubles title in tennis, then changes uniforms in her car as she rode across Albuquerque to pitch the Cavegirls to a 1-0 victory over Gadsden in the New Mexico softball championship final.

1986: Down 13-12 with only four seconds left in the game, Shane Andrews kicks a 26-yard field goal to beat Clovis 15-13.

1993: Annie Dodson steals home in the seventh inning to give the Cavegirls a 2-1 win and a state championship title against West Mesa.

1994: Cavegirl softball player Monica Armendariz hits a home run out of “Policeman’s Park” and over the trees in Albuquerque against the Farmington Scorpions.

1995: Down three runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning and the bases loaded, Mike Perini hits a grand slam to give the Cavemen a 5-4 victory over Eldorado in the quarter-finals of the state baseball tournament.

2000: Anthony Salazar intercepts a pass and runs it back 45 yards for a game-winning touchdown over Highland to propel the Cavemen to a football state championship final for the first time in 38 years.

2011: Rodney Holcomb runs 99 yards for a touchdown against the Artesia Bulldogs.: