Just what the Eagles needed

Hobbs' Isaiah Lintz returns a kick for a TD.

  As I said in my last blog entry, "The Big Mo" (as in momentum) was up for grabs Friday night when the Hobbs football team took on Roswell High at Watson Stadium – and the Eagles took it with a 43-28 win.

  It wasn't pretty by any means. The teams combined for nine turnovers, but luckily for Hobbs, it only had three of them and overcame a sub-par offensive night (262 yards of offense, only 54 in second half) thanks to great field position due to turnovers and big returns on kickoffs (including Isaiah Lintz's 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown) to come away with the win and much needed momentum for a tough two-game road swing (more on that in a second).

  Hobbs' defense bent but didn't break in the second half, creating four turnovers and allowing only two Roswell scores – both in the third quarter. While the Eagles' defense is a work in progress, what stood out Friday against the Coyotes was their hitting. This is the best hitting defense Hobbs has had since I started covering the team. It doesn't have the speed of past defenses, but for the most part, if an Eagle defender got a hand on a Roswell player, he made the tackle.

  A Hobbs defender to keep an eye is Donovan Fierro. The junior safety hits hard, has a nose for the ball and is a playmaker. 

  The Eagles needed a win like this heading into road games against No. 2 Las Cruces High next week and No. 1 Cleveland the following week. Hobbs has two chances to really make a name for itself.

  In other news from Friday night, it took Lovington two quarters to wake up as the Class 3A top-ranked Wildcats fell behind Anthony, Texas, 6-0 at the half before rattling off 38 straight points for a 38-6 win. After losing all-everything quarterback Jacob Jameson, the Wildcats are battling to find offensive consistency.

  Class 2A top-ranked Eunice also needed to rally as the Cardinals came back from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter to beat Iraan, Texas, 54-47. The Cardinals got 417 yards of offense (249 passing, 168 rushing) and seven touchdowns (four rushing, three passing) from quarterback Tyler Almager as Eunice moved to 3-0.

  Jal lost to New Mexico Military Institute 20-6 while Tatum fell to Mountainair 20-6.
  I'll be out at the Hobbs girls soccer team's match 3 p.m. today at Watson Stadium – the Lady Eagles' home opener. Hobbs is off to a solid 7-2 start and plays an Alamogordo team it has beaten twice so far this season by a combined score of 13-0.