By Don Eskins
The stakes couldn’t be higher for the Carlsbad Cavemen when they take the field against the 10th-ranked Hobbs Eagles in Carlsbad on Friday, November 1, in their final regular season game of 2024.
Kickoff for the event is set for 7 p.m. at the Ralph Bowyer Cavemen Football Stadium.
The Cavemen, 4-5 on the year and ranked 14th this week by MaxPreps, need a victory over the Eagles to keep their hopes alive for a berth in this year’s state playoffs.
A win would even out their overall record to 5-5, give them a season-ending victory over a Class 6A Top 10 team, earn them a tie for third place in the very tough and talented District 3/6A, and hopefully, move them on into the state playoffs.
“This one is going to be a big one for us, as it will be for Hobbs,” said Cavemen head coach Cale Sanders. “We both understand the importance of this game. It’s a win-or-stay-home type game, and neither one of us wants to stay home. There won’t be any let-downs on Friday night from either of us.”
While both the Cavemen and Eagles have had a lot of success scoring points in 2024, Friday night’s ballgame could be decided by their defensive units.
“Offensively, other than a couple of ballgames this year, our kids have put up some good numbers. Our quarterback, Kason Perez, has done an excellent job of spreading the ball around, and our running game has been improving each week,” said Sanders. “We’ve also gotten some very good efforts from our defense, but if we’re going to get by Hobbs, they’re going to have to step up really big for us.”
Diego Ramirez, with 86 total tackles; Colton McKibben, 80; Bubba Anderson, 61; and Simon Rubio, 60, continue to be CHS’s defensive leaders.
The Cavemen vs. Eagle Matchup
The Cavemen will take the field against the Eagles, coming off a 30-12 loss to the fifth-ranked Las Cruces Bulldawgs on Friday, October 25. The Eagles, 5-4 overall and 3-2 in conference play, are coming in after the rout of Organ Mountain 56-6.
Both teams have dropped games to the second-ranked Centennial Hawks and fifth-ranked Las Cruces Bulldawgs.
Besides falling to Las Cruces 30-12, CHS lost to Centennial 35-13. In comparison, the Hobbs Eagles were defeated by Centennial 51-12 and Las Cruces 44-14.
CHS conference victories have come via Alamogordo 26-21 and Clovis 56-8. Besides Friday, October 25, win over Organ Mountain, the Eagles have knocked off Alamogordo 49-21 and Clovis 63-8.
Organ Mountain has, so far, proven to be Carlsbad’s spoiler. Earlier this season, the Cavemen fell to the Knights 41-40 in overtime. Hobbs, as mentioned earlier, downed Organ Mt. 56-6.
The Cavemen have posted 3,110 total yards of offense in 2024. Of that total, 2,039 has come via the air, an average of 226.5 yards per game, and 1,071 on the ground, an average of 119 yards per outing. Overall, they’re averaging 345.6 yards per game and have scored 36 total touchdowns, 26 passing and 10 rushing.
Signal caller Kason Perez has connected on 154 of 246 passes for 2,039 yards. He’s thrown 26 touchdowns—a school record—with just seven interceptions.
Perez’s leading receivers have been Robert Castaneda, 44 receptions for 650 yards and 11 touchdowns; Eloy Lopez, 32 catches for 386 yards and two TDs; Eaven Leos, 22 receptions for 321 yards and four touchdowns; and Richard Hernandez, 23 catches for 266 yards and four TDs.
On the ground, Brock Wright leads all Cavemen ball carriers. Only a sophomore, he’s carried the ball 78 times for 399 yards, an average of 5.1 yards per carry, and five touchdowns.
CHS has also gotten help from Perez, with 60 carries for 228 yards and three touchdowns, and Ian Sandoval. Sandoval, out for much of the season due to an injury, has 27 carries for 168 yards and one touchdown.
The Eagles have put up 3,375 total yards of offense this season, 1,588 yards rushing and 1,787 passing. They average 375 yards per game, 198.6 passing and 176.4 on the ground. The Birds have scored 46 touchdowns this season, 27 through the air and 19 on the ground.
Senior quarterback Brock Beaty leads the Eagles offensively. He’s hit 111 of 207 attempts of his passes for 1,706 yards and 23 touchdowns. He’s had nine interceptions.
On the ground, Hobbs has been led by Shamus Wright and Omar Kennedy. Wright has carried the ball 74 times for 583 yards, an average of 7.9 yards per carry, and four touchdowns. Kennedy has registered 70 carries for 433 yards, an average of 6.2 yards per tote, and three touchdowns.
Las Cruces 30, CHS 12
The Cavemen dropped a 30-12 decision to the fifth-ranked Las Cruces Bulldawgs on Friday, October 25, in the City of Crosses. The following is a statistical recap of the game. (CHS Stats)
Cavemen @ Las Cruces Recap
CHS 6 0 0 6 12
LCHS 7 17 0 6 30
Game Stats C-bad LC
Rushing 109 214
Passing 186 117
Total Yds. 295 331
First Downs 15 14
Turnovers 1 0
Int. Thrown 1 0
Penalties 7-40 3-23
Scoring: Carlsbad
1st: Kason Perez 12 yd. Pass to Robert Castaneda- KNG. 4th: Brock Wright 1 yd. run, 2 pt. conversion failed.
Offense Individual Stats:
Passing- Kason Perez 15-27- 186 yds-1 TD- 1 int.
Receiving- Ian Sandoval 2-63, Brock Wright 3-33, Robert Castaneda 4-29-1 TD, Eaven Leos 3-27, Eloy Lopez 2-27, Richard Hernandez 1-7.
Rushing- Brock Wright 16-88-1 TD, Ian Sandoval 1-13, Kason Perez 9-8.
Defense Individual Stats:
Tackles- Robert Castaneda 4T-2A, Rio Sanchez 4T-1A, Eloy Lopez 2T-1A, Diego Ramirez 2T-4A, Simon Rubio 2T-1A-1TFL, Ty Young 1T-8A, Colton McKibben 1T-4A-1TFL, Zayland Pesante 1T-2A, S. Cruz 1T-1A-1TFL-1Sack, Jeremi Akwiembi 1T-1A, Blas Lopez III 1A, Bubba Anderson 1A, J. Rubio 1A.
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