Homecoming is Here! Cavemen Battle Cibola Cougars

By Don Eskins

The Carlsbad Cavemen, 1-2, will entertain the Cibola Cougars, 1-2, on Friday night, Sept. 13. The matchup will serve as CHS’s homecoming event. Kickoff has been set for 7 p.m. at the Ralph Bowyer Cavemen Football Stadium.

Despite dropping a 47-44 close one to the Lovington Wildcats on Friday, Sept. 6, the Cavemen should take the field against the Cougars with a boatload of confidence.

“It was a crazy type of game most all night. But we got a great effort from our kids against one of the top five teams in the state,” said Caveman head coach Cale Sanders. “We wish the game would have had a different outcome, but our coaching staff was very pleased with their performance.”

CHS rang up 502 yards of total offense against the Class 5A’s top-ranked Wildcats. Of that total, 373 came via the air on a night that saw senior quarterback Kason Perez come of age, connecting on 20 of 35 passes for five TDs and running for another.

Equally impressive was CHS’s running game, an area of concern for coach Sanders and his staff since losing the services of starting running back, senior Ian Sandoval, to an injury during a pre-season scrimmage with Deming.

The Cavemen picked up 128 yards on the ground vs. Lovington, their best effort of the season. Sophomore Brock Wright accounted for 75 of those yards on 13 carries.

“Brock was a last-second add to our varsity roster,” said coach Sanders. “He’s a very hard worker, still learning, and we’re lucky to have him.”

On a night that saw the Cavemen nearly engineer one of the biggest upsets in the state, CHS set three new school records and tied another.

Quarterback Kason Perez set new Caveman school records for most passing yards in a game, with 373, and most individual total yards in a game, with 408. He also tied the school record for most passing touchdowns in a game, with five.

Bobby Castaneda also played his way into the CHS record books. The Caveman wide receiver hauled in 12 receptions for three touchdowns. His 12 receptions totaled 220 yards, a new CHS record.

The Road to Cibola

Since a 44-7 opening season loss to Artesia, Carlsbad has progressively improved, dropping Roswell Goddard 47-20, and despite their loss, pushing the Lovington Wildcats throughout the game.

With CHS leading 44-40, it took a late fourth-quarter score—with just .38 seconds remaining—for Lovington to pull out the 47-44 win.

The obvious question now is, will the Cavemen continue to show improvement in their homecoming matchup with Cibola?

“Although we still have a long way to go, our kids are playing with a lot of confidence right now. However, we won’t be looking past Cibola just because they’re 1-2. We’re 1-2, also,” said Sanders. “But, if our kids stay focused and disciplined with their job responsibilities, I think they’re going to have a great opportunity to grab their second win of the season.”

The Cavemen have been ranked 12th this week among Class 6A football teams by MaxPreps. Cibola has been ranked 18th. En route to posting their 1-2 record, the Cougars beat Albuquerque High 20-17 before falling to 13th-ranked Sandia 37-7 and 14th-ranked Eldorado 27-20.

Lovington vs. Cavemen Recap

Down 27-16 at the end of the third period, the Cavemen rallied to outscore New Mexico’s fifth-ranked Lovington Wildcats 28-20 in the fourth.

CHS signal caller Kason Perez lit up the scoreboard in the final period, hitting wide-out Bobby Castaneda for two touchdowns and Eaven Leos for another (90 yards). The senior quarterback also ran in another.

Although the rally came up three points shy of knocking off the Cats, 47-44, the Caveman exhibited just how far they’ve come in just three short games this season.

“We got an exceptional effort from our kids tonight. Every week, they’ve gotten better,” said Caveman head coach Cale Sanders. “Not only did they battle Lovington in the trenches, they also showed just how electrifying they can be. Despite the loss, our kids took a very big step forward tonight.”

Game Stats

Cats 14 10 03 20 47

C-bad 07 09 00 28 44

Cavemen vs. Lovington

373 Passing 356

129 Rushing 77

502 Total Yds 433

21 1st Downs 23

3 Turn Overs 1

1 Fum. Lost 1

2 Intercepts. 0

10 Penalties 9

62 Total Yds. 89

Cavemen Team Stats

Offense- Scoring:

1st Quarter-

K. Perez 14 yd. TD pass to Eaven Leos. L. Ananins kick.

2nd Quarter-

K. Perez 80 yd. TD pass to R. Castaneda. L. Ananins kick.

D. Ramirez Safety.

4th Quarter-

K. Perez 13 yd. TD pass to R. Castaneda. K. Perez to R. Castaneda for 2 pt.

K. Perez 23 yd. TD pass to R. Castaneda. L. Ananins kick.

K. Perez 90 yd. TD pass to E. Leos.

K. Perez 1 yd. TD run. L. Ananins kick.

Passing:

Kason Perez 20-35-373 yds/5 TD’s/2 int/2 pt. conversion.

Rushing:

B. Wright 13-75 yds; K. Perez 8-35 yds/1 TD; A. Rodriguez 2-12 yds; T. Young 2-7 yds.

Receiving:

R. Castaneda 12-220 yds/3TD’s/2 pt. conversion; E. Leos 3-132 yds/2 TD’s; B. Wright 2/11 yds; R. Hernandez 1-4 yds/ T. Young 1-3 yds; E. Lopez 1-3 yds.

Defensive Leaders

Total Tackles

D. Ramirez 10; A. Venegas and B. Anderson 8 each; J. Akwiembi and C. McKibben 7 each; B. Lopez III and S. Rubia 5 each; C. Roberson 4, and Z Pesante 3.

Tackles for Loss

D. Ramirez and A. Venegas 2 each; B. Anderson, C. McKibben and Z. Pesante 1 each.

Safety

D. Ramirez and Z. Pesante 1.

Fumble Recovery

J. Duran 1.