Quick Hits, Week 5 - Lea Co. Football

Clayton Jones/News-Sun

Goddard's David Chavers tackles Hobbs' Brayden Price during the Eagles'

54-0 loss to the Rockets on a wet Friday night at Watson Stadium.

  Weather, particularly the rain, was the main plot point with most of the Lea County football teams' games in week five of the 2012 season.
  – It was a constant downpour at Watson Stadium on Friday night, and combine it with the No. 1 team in the state regardless of classification in Goddard coming to Hobbs, and it was a bad mix for the Eagles (1-4) as they were held to minus-1 yard of total offense during a 54-0 loss to the Rockets. Hobbs' pass-heavy spread offense was neutralized by a driving rain and a relentless Goddard defense. Chalk it up to growing pains for Hobbs first-year coach Charles Gleghorn. Hobbs heads to Alamogordo on Friday.

Hobbs football needs to show grit against Goddard, statistics update

  The Hobbs football team faces quite the challenge playing Goddard 7 p.m. Friday at Watson Stadium. The Class 4A Rockets are the No. 1 team regardless of classification according to Maxpreps.com and NMPreps.com and are traditionally one of the physically toughest teams in the state.
  It's just what this rebuilding Hobbs program needs to face.
  This game is going to be a physical battle, something Hobbs teams in the past haven't always thrived in. Doing my best San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich impression, the Eagles need some more nasty.

Third down conversions deflate Hobbs defense against Oñate

  There is no debating what cost the Hobbs football team during a 55-42 loss to Oñate on Friday at Watson Stadium.
  The Eagles’ defense.
  The Knights did whatever they wanted against Hobbs for four quarters while racking up 599 yards of offense, holding the ball for 34 minutes, 16 seconds (remember, there are only 48 minutes in a game) and scoring touchdowns on eight of their 10 drives.
  Oñate’s ground game ate up Hobbs for 364 yards on 63 carries – but it wasn’t as if the Knights were taking big chunks at a time. In fact of the 63 carries, only seven were for 10 yards or more (in contrast, nine of the Knights’ 12 completions through the air were for more than 10 yards).

Quick Hits, Week 4 - Lea Co. Football

Kimberly Ryan/News-Sun

Hobbs' Brandon Amaya had a school-record 10 catches against Oñate on Friday.

  It was a rough weekend for Lea County football teams as only one of the five teams – Tatum – came away with a victory this week.
  – Hobbs lost what was a winnable game if it was able to get a few stops in a 55-42 loss to Oñate. The Eagles had the ball for just 13 minutes, 44 seconds (compared to 34:16 for Oñate) and were still able to put up 42 points and 428 yards of offense (including a school-record 441 yards and five touchdowns passing along with a rushing touchdown from Brayden Price). But Hobbs couldn't get the Knights off the field as Oñate racked up 599 yards of offense and was 12-for-15 on third-down conversions. Like I wrote in my column (which I'll post on this blog Monday or you can read in Sunday's News-Sun), if the Eagles (1-3) can find a way to give up around 28 points per game instead of the 43.5 they are giving up now, Hobbs will have a chance to win some games. Up next for Hobbs is arguably the best team in the state regardless of classification in Class 4A Goddard 7 p.m. Friday at Watson Stadium.

Quick Hits, Week 3 - Lea Co. football

Clayton Jones/News-Sun

Hobbs' Kolin Zembas makes a leaping grab during

the Eagles' win over Roswell High on Friday.

  Sorry for the delay for the Quick Hits this week - a busy weekend got me a little behind. Anyway, it was a week of highs and lows for Lea County football teams with Hobbs picking up its first win of the year and Tatum continuing to roll but Lovington, Eunice and Jal were beaten in important in-classification games.
  – Charles Gleghorn picked up his first win as Eagles coach as Hobbs forced five Roswell turnovers that were all turned into touchdowns during a 52-28 win over the Coyotes at The Wool Bowl. The Eagles' offense racked up a season-high 572 yards of offense – the third most in Hobbs history for a single game – as their no-huddle, up-tempo offense wore down Roswell High. The victory broke Hobbs' nine-game losing streak and should give the Eagles some momentum heading into an important matchup against Oñate on Friday at Watson Stadium.

Patience needed with Hobbs football

Kimberly Ryan/News-Sun

Hobbs' Lucas Medrano runs with the ball after an

interception during the Eagles' loss to Artesia.

  A large crowd at New Mexico’s largest high school football venue was on hand Friday at Hobbs’ Watson Stadium to witness for the first time with their own eyes first-year coach Charles Gleghorn’s version of the Eagles as they took on Class 4A power Artesia.
  However for the supporters of the black and gold, it was the same result they’ve experienced for much of the last 30 years as the Bulldogs pounded the Eagles 57-13.
  Turnovers along with an inability to slow down Artesia’s explosive offense and control the line of scrimmage on either side of the ball were just some of the issues Hobbs suffered from against a talented Bulldog squad as the Eagles moved to 0-2 on the season and suffered its ninth consecutive loss.

Lea Co. football quick hits - Week 2

Brad Cox/News-Sun

Lovington's Justin Bromley scores against Robertson on Friday.

  The second week of prep football in Lea County is in the books and four of the five high school teams walked away with a win.
  – Hobbs was the lone Lea County team to lose – losing to Class 4A power Artesia 57-13. First-year coach Charles Gleghorn is in game two of his rebuilding project with the Eagles and Hobbs looked just like that – a rebuilding team against an established winner. I mentioned this in my column in Sunday's News-Sun (which I'll post here Monday) that rebuilding a football team is sometimes like rebuilding the interior of a house – sometimes things are going to look a little worse before they get better. The Eagles have lost nine games in a row overall and try to get back on track next week against Roswell High – the last team Hobbs beat.

Artesia will be a test for Hobbs, something program needs to rebuild

Clayton Jones/News-Sun

Hobbs' Donavon Fierro rushes against 

Gadsden on Friday in Anthony, N.M.

  The Hobbs football team is just a couple days away from its home opener only to find Class 4A power Artesia coming to Watson Stadium 7 p.m. Friday.
  The high-powered Bulldogs powered past Class 3A defending champ and fellow Lea County squad Lovington 56-7 – pulling many starters at the half as Artesia led 42-7 at the break.
  Hobbs, on the other hand, could've came away with a win last week if even just one of a couple things would've gone their way (one less turnover, one less mental error, one – or two – more converted extra points) during a 34-33 loss to Gadsden.
  Passing will be the order of the day Friday as the two teams combined to throw for 789 yards and 10 touchdowns in their first week, including Hobbs quarterback Brayden Price throwing for 390 yards – second most in school history.

Loss not a step backward for Hobbs

Clayton Jones/News-Sun

Hobbs' Brayden Price throws a pass against Gadsden

on Friday in Anthony, N.M. Price threw for 390 yards.

  Following Hobbs’ 34-33 loss to Gadsden on Friday in Anthony, N.M., I talked with first-year Gadsden coach Roy Gerela.
  Gerela, a New Mexico State grad, was a three-time Super Bowl winning kicker for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s. He’s been to the top of the mountain at the highest level.
  But Gerela, sporting a Super Bowl ring on his left hand (I couldn’t make out which one) had a glowing presence and perma-smile on his face as if he’d just won No. 4.
  Remember, Gadsden is a program that had lost 11 games in a row and 18 of its last 20 before hiring Gerela.
  “This game could’ve gone either way,” Gerela said. “Hobbs and us are in the same boat. (Hobbs coach) Charles (Gleghorn) is trying to turn things around just like we are here. There hasn’t been a lot of success at either place.”