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.
  – Lovington found out it has some work to do if it wants to win its fourth-consecutive state title as the Wildcats were smashed by fellow Class 3A team St. Michael's 40-0 Saturday in Santa Fe. The Wildcats struggled offensively, used three different quarterbacks, and while the defense got better in the second half – was still torched in the first two quarters. There isn't much positive to take out of this game if you're Lovington other than knowing there is plenty of work to be done to become the best team in Class 3A. The Wildcats will have a chance to get better against a team from Mexico on Saturday – Nuevo Leon.
  – Eunice also had its own reality check in a 34-6 home loss to Tularosa after winning with ease the first two weeks. While the Cardinals were without arguably their best player in Dylan Frank due to injury, Eunice wore down in the second half after trailing just 6-0 at the half. Tularosa finished with over 400 yards of offense while Eunice finished with roughly 200 yards. Things don't get much easier for the Cardinals as they travel to play Texico this week.
  – Jal also fell short against a team in its classification during a 47-25 loss to Escalante. The Panthers (1-2) have been up and down – expected for a team without a ton of experience on the field. Jal will play its third home game in four contests as it hosts 0-2 Loving on Friday with a chance for the Panthers to get back on track.
  – Tatum continued its strong play in 8-man football with a 36-18 win over Mountainair. The Coyotes are starting to become a trendy pick to win it all in 8-man. With a strong defense, a powerful ground game and a good coach – I can't really argue with that theory. Tatum hosts Menaul on Friday.