Thank You to Our Sponsors & Partners

Ten Cavemen Receive Post-Season Honors

kmarksteiner0
Dec 18, 2025
2 min read

By Don Eskins

As the 2025 season closed to officially end another exciting year of prep football, Cavemen head coach Cale Sanders felt like he and his staff had assembled some of New Mexico’s most outstanding athletes to make a run for a spot in this year’s state tournament.

Evidently, other coaches throughout the Land of Enchantment thought so, too.

Recently, 10 Cavemen football players were selected for All-State, All-Star, and All-District 3/6A honors for their efforts in 2025. Some athletes were multi-team selections.

Overall, CHS received seven Class 6A All-State selections, two first teams, three second, and two honorable mentions. Two Cavemen received All-Star recognition, and 10 were selected to this year’s All-District 3/6A team.

“These kids worked so hard this season. Through their efforts, and the efforts of our other kids on the team, Carlsbad High enjoyed one of the best seasons it’s had in quite some time,” said coach Sanders. “I’m so proud of all of these kids. They deserved every bit of the recognition they got; they certainly earned it.

“I also believe that having so many of our kids receive post-season honors is a testament to what’s going on here in Carlsbad,” he said. “Once again, people across the state are beginning to notice that Carlsbad’s kids can compete with the best of them.”

The following are this year’s Cavemen recipients for All-State, All-Star, and All-District 3/6A honors.

All-State Selections: Selected to the 2025 New Mexico Class 6A All-State First Team were senior slot receiver Robert Castaneda and junior inside linebacker Colton McKibben. Second Team honor recipients were senior cornerback Rio Sanchez, junior kicker Lennon Ananins, and junior running back Brock Wright. Receiving Honorable Mention honors were sophomore defensive lineman Sean Cruz and senior offensive lineman Jeremy Vargas.

All-Star Selections: Senior wide receiver Robert Castaneda (Red Team) and senior defensive cornerback Rio Sanchez (Green Team).

All-District 3/6A: First Team: senior wide receiver Robert Castaneda, junior inside linebacker Colton McKibben, senior defensive cornerback Rio Sanchez, junior kicker Lennon Ananins, and junior fullback Braden Florez. Second Team: senior offensive lineman Jeremy Vargas, senior defensive lineman Zayland Pesante, sophomore defensive lineman Sean Cruz, junior running back Brock Wright, and senior offensive line center Casten Sanders.

Photos submitted by CHS Football

Comments

SENMC Student Named Coca-Cola Academic Team Member

Sammy Lopez, Jr., a student at Southeast New Mexico College, has been named a member of the 2026 Coca-Cola Academic Team and will receive a $1,300 scholarship. The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation sponsors the Coca-Cola Academic Team program by recognizing scholars with nearly $200,000 in scholarships annually. Each scholar also receives a commemorative medallion. Sammy is a remarkable student whose dedication, leadership, and perseverance exemplify the values of SENMC. He has c

42 minutes ago

Lopez Picked as Mountain Lion Student of the Month

Southeast New Mexico College (SENMC) is proud to recognize its Mountain Lion Student of the Month, an honor established to celebrate students who embody the college’s core values. The Mountain Lion Student of the Month program was created to promote a culture of excellence, encourage active student engagement, and recognize outstanding achievements in academics, leadership, and community involvement. All currently enrolled SENMC students in good academic standing are eligible

43 minutes ago

Cavemen Upset Centennial Hawks 52-47

By Don Eskins As the buzzer sounded, ending the Cavemen’s 52-47 upset victory over the Centennial Hawks during opening round play of the state basketball tournament in Las Cruces on Saturday night, March 7, had iconic sportscaster Al Michaels been doing the play-by-play, he just might have exclaimed, “Do you believe in miracles!” Entering the game having already lost to Centennial once, 62-45, and as a 10th-seeded underdog, the Cavemen proved to be anything but! Except for a

43 minutes ago

Cleveland Slips Past Cavemen 54-53

By Don Eskins It wasn’t the ending the Carlsbad Cavemen were hoping for—a 54-53 heartbreaking loss to the Cleveland Storm in the quarter-final round of the Class 5A State Basketball Tournament—but with nine seconds left and the ball in their hands, they had a legitimate shot at buying their way into the semis. However, on Wednesday, May 11, in the UNM Pit, lady luck wasn’t with Carlsbad High. With time running out, and down by one, Caveman point guard Zenas Hureta put up a de

44 minutes ago

Urquidez Signs with Sterling College Warriors

By Don Eskins Former Caveman soccer player, Daesen Urquidez, signed a letter of intent to compete collegiately with the Sterling College Warriors on Wednesday, March 4, at CHS. Sterling College, a four-year college located in Sterling, KA, is an NAIA school and competes in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. During 2025, the Warriors posted an overall record of 5-11-1. In conference play, they were 3-10. Urquidez, a three-time All-District 4/5A defender, said he feels

45 minutes ago