By Don Eskins
After eight grueling games of football, the Carlsbad Cavemen will be idle on Friday night, October 18.
Following their 26-21 victory over the Alamogordo Tigers on Friday, October 11, they’ll take the break at 4-4 on the year and 2-2 in District 3/6A play.
With two more games remaining on their 2024 schedule—games that could make or break their bid to earn a spot in this year’s state play
offs—Carlsbad’s week off couldn’t have come at a better time.
Twelve teams will receive berths in the 2024 state tournament. As a rule, the top 10 teams in Class 6A are lock-ins. However, those teams ranked 11th or 12th have no guarantees. The NMAA’s selection committee uses an array of criteria besides rankings when choosing which teams will receive playoff spots.
Currently, the Cavemen are ranked 13th by MaxPreps, which makes their season-ending games with Las Cruces and Hobbs of the utmost importance.
“We told our kids, prior to our game with Alamogordo, that in order for us to have any shot at all to get into the playoffs, we had to win at least two of our last three games,” said Caveman head coach Cale Sanders. “They went out and got the job done against Alamo; now we have to win at least one of the next two against Las Cruces or Hobbs, preferably both, though.”
Luckily, the Cavemen haven’t needed their open week to get over injuries.
“Right now, we’re in pretty good shape; we really have very few injuries, which is almost unbelievable at this time of the season,” said Sanders. “But, with so much riding on our next two games, to be relatively injury-free is a big plus for us.”
Cavemen 26, Alamo 21
After jumping out to a 6-0 half-time lead, the Cavemen held on to down the Alamogordo Tigers 26-21 in a ballgame played in Carlsbad on Friday night, October 11. Both teams scored three times during the second half.
The victory elevated CHS’s district record to 2-2 and 4-4 on the year. With the win, the Cavemen are still very much in the hunt for a playoff spot in this year’s state tournament.
“Our kids understood what was at stake when we took the field against Alamogordo. And although the game wasn’t pretty or one of our best outings of the year, our guys still managed to come out with a win,” said Sanders. “Learning how to win is an important part of the process we teach. Although not our best effort, our staff was so proud of them for getting the ‘W.’”
Quarterback Kason Perez completed 22 of 32 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Cavemen in their win over Alamogordo. Also having big nights were receivers Robert Castaneda, seven catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns, and Richard Hernandez, six receptions for 93 yards.
Running backs Brock Wright and Ian Sandoval also enjoyed good games. Wright picked up 66 yards on 15 carries, while Ian Sandoval ran the ball eight times for 27 yards and a touchdown.
Defensive standouts for the Cavemen were (Tackles-Assists-Tackle for Loss): Bubba Anderson 8T-12A-TFL, Diego Ramirez 3T-15A-TFL, Colten McKibben 4T-8A, Simon Rubio 3T-8A, Jeremi Akwiembi 3T-6A-Interception, Sean Cruz 2T-6A, Rio Sanchez 2T-6A, and Ty Young 2T-5A. J. Duran, with one tackle and one assist, also had a fumble recovery.
Next up for CHS will be the fifth-ranked Las Cruces Bulldawgs on Friday, October 25, in Las Cruces.
District 3/6A Standings
Team Dist. Yr. Rank
Centennial 3-0 7-0 2
Las Cruces 3-0 5-2 5
Org. Mt 3-1 4-4 14
Carlsbad 2-2 4-4 13
Hobbs 1-2 3-4 10
Clovis 0-3 0-7 21
Alamo 0-4 1-7 17
This week’s D3/6A Schedule:
Cavemen Open
Centennial @ Organ Mt.
Hobbs vs. Clovis
Alamo @ Las Cruces
Cavemen vs Alamo Recap
AHS 0--0--14--7---21
CHS 0--6--14--7---26
CHS Scoring:
2nd- K. Perez 5 yd. pass to E. Leos (Kick failed)
3rd- K. Perez 38 yd. Pass to R. Castaneda (Failed 2 pt. conv); K. Perez 21 yd. pass to R. Castaneda (L. Ananins kick)
4th- I. Sandoval 2 yd run (L. Ananins kick)
Game Summary
Game Stats C-bad Alamo
Rushing 128 232
Passing 265 151
Total Yds. 393 383
1st Downs 20 21
Turnovers 1 2
Fumbles lost 1 1
Int. Thrown 0 1
Penalties 6/39 7/46
Passing: K. Perez 22-32-265-3TD
Receptions: R. Hernandez 6-93; R. Castaneda 7-87-2TD; E. Lopez 5-45; E. Leos 3-31-TD; I. Sandoval 1-9
Rushing: B. Wright 15-66; I. Sandoval 8-27-TD; K. Perez 8-19; R. Hernandez 1-17
Defense, Total Tackles: B. Anderson 8T-12A-TFL; D. Ramirez 3T-15A-TFL; C. McKibben 4T-8A; S. Rubio 3T-8A; J. Akwiembi 3T-6A-Int; S. Cruz 2T-6A; R. Sanchez 2T-6A; T. Young 2T-5A; B. Lopez III 1T-3A; Z. Pesante 1T-2A-TFL; J. Duran 1T-1A-Fum-Rec; R. Valenzuela 3A; I. Duchene-C. Roberson 1T-1A; A. Venegan 1A
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