Cibola improves to 3-1 after balanced performance

The popular homecoming king did his part. So did the Cibola defense. And for good measure, there was also an utterly preposterous special teams touchdown, as peculiar as any scored in New Mexico this season.

Cibola’s eventual 23-7 victory over Carlsbad on Thursday night at Nusenda Community Stadium upped the team’s record to 3-1, and this is a team that is proving to be one of the pleasant surprise stories of Class 6A football in the first half of the season. The Cougars are less than a minute away, going back to the season opener, from being unbeaten.

“How blessed are we, coming from the adversity that we went through?” said senior Hayes Baum, the University of New Mexico commit, speaking of recent tough seasons for Cibola.

Baum had a special night, including his coronation as homecoming king at halftime.

He rushed for a key score on fourth down in the final minute of the first half to put Cibola ahead for good, and he also registered two quarterback sacks for a defense that stymied the Cavemen (2-2) the entire way.

“We’ve played hard on defense, and I think we took the ball away more in previous weeks but they stayed tough and shut a really good (Carlsbad) run game down,” said Cibola coach David Howes, in his first season as the head coach of the Cougars. “I’m just really proud of this senior group.”

Cibola closes its nondistrict half of the schedule next week at Clovis. Following a bye week, the Cougars will begin District 1-6A play.

They were a bit slow starting Thursday night.

A bomb of a Carlsbad punt was muffed by the Cibola returner at the end of the first quarter, Carlsbad recovered, staking the Cavemen offense at the Cibola 15.

Three plays later, quarterback Marley Muñoz rolled right, then threw back left to a wide open Brock Wright for a relatively easy 9-yard touchdown.

Cibola authored a long drive in response, although it stalled at the 4. Chase Cannady kicked a 23-yard field goal for a 7-3 Cavemen lead.

After stopping Carlsbad on a fourth down on the ensuing series, the Cougars went on another long march. There were two fourth-down conversions; the second of the two was a 3-yard touchdown run by Baum with 34 seconds to go in the second quarter.

Cibola led 10-7 at halftime.

The play of the night was also a serious candidate for the most bizarre play in the state so far this season. And it proved important to both teams.

Cibola was still nursing a 10-7 lead midway through the third quarter, when the Cougars’ defense forced Carlsbad into a punt from its 37.

However, the snap sailed far over the head of punter Robert Castañeda.

He chased the ball all the way to the end zone, and he swung his right leg at the rolling ball, clearly looking to kick it out of play for a safety.

But he whiffed.

The ball kept rolling.

Castañeda, oddly enough, made no further attempt to kick it out the back of the end zone. Instead, he stood watching it, and this was a Caveman playing with fire.

Cibola’s Jacob Newman swooped in, pounced on it in the end zone for a supremely unusual touchdown and a 17-7 advantage.

“I saw him try to kick it. I was so confused about what he was doing,” Newman said. “I ran on top of it and I got the touchdown.”

Said Howes: “It’s high school football, and kids panic. I think he tried to kick it out (of the end zone). He missed it and I’m not sure why he quit on it. I think he thought it was going (to roll) out.”

Cibola completed a 52-yard screen pass to Jalil Dixon near the end of the third quarter, and that set up the last score, a 1-yard run by the Cougars’ Terry Maes, 38 seconds into the final quarter.

The Carlsbad offense didn’t spend much time in Cibola territory. The Cavemen had been averaging 23 points in their first three games.

“We’re showing the state who we are and showing the state what we can do,” said Newman.

Added Baum: “Watch the film. No matter what the film says, we are a physical defense that will keep it rolling all four quarters.”

ST. PIUS 28, ORGAN MOUNTAIN 21: At Milne Stadium, the Sartans’ big-play offense served them well as St. Pius (3-0) avenged a 2024 loss to the Knights with a come-from-behind win.

Junior running back Hershul Olloway Jr. had a big night with two long touchdown runs, including a 95-yarder, and Cayl Cox-Liggins caught an opening-play 80-yard touchdown reception for Class 4A’s second-ranked team.

Organ Mountain (2-2) was one of two Class 6A teams to beat St. Pius in the regular season last year, and now the Sartans have avenged both, the other coming in Week 1 against West Mesa.

Ezra Ocampo added a rushing TD for the Sartans, and Curtis Flakes III had a solid night in the secondary, with five passes broken up, and one interception.

Cibola football downs Carlsbad: Photos