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New Mexico 6A Is Something Different

Tagged under: Beyond The Keystone, Game Photos, Gameday Hub

| September 17, 2022


in Southeastern New Mexico stands one of the largest high school stadiums in the country. Watson Memorial Stadium has a listed capacity of 15,000. And, at least for the home side, it needed most of them for Hobbs’ homecoming game.

The Hobbs Eagles are a rare 6A school far from Albuquerque and other larger cities toward the center of the state along the Rio Grande. Instead, Hobbs sits just three miles west of Texas. A bastion of city life in an arrid landscape bespeckled with oil wells. The city’s one true love is their Tigers. The mammoth stadium built to hold their fans sits on the eastern edge of town.

Better known for basketball around some circles, their football team hadn’t been a slouch all these years. Winning titles in 1931, 1940, 1948, 1949, 1970, and 1972. Fifty years since their last title, the fans still come out in droves.

Their opponent for the night was Rio Rancho. A suburban Albuquerque school from the namesake town. The Rams traveled 333 miles for a Friday night contest between state ranked foes. Hobbs came in at #4 in 6A, while Rio Rancho came in at #6. Adding in the Homecoming festivities made for a lively and abundant crowd.

Quarterback Omar Argott got the scoring started with a 9 yard TD run for Hobbs. Yahir Chacon would pull kicking duties, and in addition to the extra points, also converted a 26 yard field goal early in the second quarter. Hobbs’ lead ballooned to 17-0 when Diego Baeza added a four yard touchdown run a few minutes after Yahir’s feet.

However, Rio Rancho awakened from their malaize and JJ Arellano rumbled in from 7 yards out thanks to the lead blocker, to cut the lead to 17-7 with 1:11 left in the first half. In the second half, Hobbs opened with a short run of a jumbled pile. The errant kick left Rio Rancho hope, down just two scores at 23-7. And the Rams did respond. A one yard catch on 4th and goal by Zach Salcido cut the lead to 23-13. However, the two point pass fell incomplete. Leaving the Rams down by ten with less than ten minutes to play.

Hobbs would then salt the game away with a Diego Baeza six yard touchdown. The clinching extra point gave them back their 17 point lead, at 30-13, with just 4:01 remaining. Despite the inevitable looming, the Rams of Rio Rancho mounted a scoring drive in the waning minutes. Rayce Ramirez plunging in from 1 yard out, with just 1:09 remaining. However, that would be the end of the scoring in the game. As Hobbs held on to win, 30-20 on homecoming night.


For more, and larger, photos from this game, click HERE.

For photos from previous weeks and seasons, visit http://www.flickr.com/sykotyk/sets/

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