New day
Eagles eye new schedule that won’t include Lovington
PETER STEIN
NEWS-SUN
Any team that falls short of a state title comes into the next season with unfinished business.
That’s what the Hobbs football team has after earning a No. 3 seed in last year’s 6A playoffs and falling by 51 points to No. 2 Cleveland in the semifinals.
The Eagles will have a chance to attend to their business again when the 2026 season begins a week from Friday, as they attack a new schedule and go after a state title.
One thing that will look distinctly different on the Hobbs schedule this year is that Lovington isn’t on it. The two area rivals had traditionally played an annual game, with some classics along the way – like a 49-48 Lovington win over Hobbs in 2009. The game was sometimes played on Homecoming Night, and the last two years it was the season opener.
But the teams will have to do without the game this year, as Lovington moves back to 4A. Still, the Eagles have an intriguing schedule that they hope they can forge all the way to a state championship in late November.
It begins with a familiar opponent – at Roswell, on Aug. 21 at the Wool Bowl. Last year the Eagles took care of the Coyotes at Watson Stadium, 37-27. Then comes another familiar foe – Artesia, on Aug. 28, the Eagles’ home opener at Watson. In last year’s matchup, Hobbs lost a 51-41 point-fest at Artesia’s Bulldog Bowl.
On Sept. 4, the Friday of Labor Day weekend, the Eagles will play a team that’s become familiar to them in the past two seasons – Parkland out of El Paso. Hobbs beat the Matadors in each of those seasons by a combined score of 90-59 – 41-37 at home in 2024, and 49-22 at Parkland last year. This season’s game is also on the road for Hobbs.
The Eagles will be back home again on Sept. 11 to open their District 2-6A schedule against Las Cruces. Last year’s matchup in Las Cruces, also the district opener, wasn’t very memorable for the Eagles, as they fell 52-13.
The district slate continues for Hobbs on Sept. 18, with a ride to Albuquerque to face Eldorado. The teams were not district opponents last year and didn’t play each other.
On Sept. 25, the Eagles are back home to play Organ Mountain, a team they routed 51-12 in Las Cruces last year.
After a bye the weekend of Oct. 2, Hobbs returns to action on Oct. 9 against Volcano Vista who, like Eldorado, is a new district opponent for the Eagles this year.
On Oct. 16, it’s off to Las Cruces for the Eagles, as they visit Centennial. They beat the Hawks 44-33 in last year’s matchup at Watson.
Though the Lovington Wildcats won’t be on the Eagles’ schedule this year, another familiar Wildcats team will, because the Eagles host longtime rival Clovis on Oct. 23. Last year Hobbs beat those Wildcats 51-29 at Clovis’ Leon Williams Stadium.
Hobbs will close the regular season on Oct. 30, with a road game against Carlsbad at Ralph Bowyer Cavemen Stadium. The teams met twice late last season, both times at Watson Stadium – in the regular season finale and the state quarterfinals, with the former game ending in a 31-13 win for the Eagles and the latter resulting in a 30-19 Hobbs victory.
All of this year’s regular-season contests are scheduled for 7 p.m. starts. The state seedings are due to be announced on Halloween, with the opening round of playoffs to follow the next weekend.
