2024 Look Ahead: Hobbs Eagles

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After losing five of six games in the middle portion of its 2023 schedule, Hobbs got hot at the right time, winning three straight games to conclude the regular season and earn a Class 6A playoff spot as the No. 8 seed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles beat rival Clovis convincingly in the first round before suffering a lopsided shutout loss at Cleveland in the quarterfinals, finishing the season with a 6-6 record.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hobbs head coach Ken Stevens looks for his team to play at a consistently high level throughout the 2024 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We had a very up-and-down year last season,” Stevens told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “We started slowly and then won four games in a row. I'm proud of our players for fighting back and getting into the playoffs. We preach perseverance. When you play a team of Cleveland's caliber, you can't make the mistakes we did. It was a learning experience. Our guys know we have to put forth the effort and prepare ourselves so we can compete at a high level the next time we face an elite team like that.” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rising senior quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119255' first='Brock' last='Beaty']</strong> (6-foot-2, 195 pounds) takes over from the graduating [player_tooltip player_id='817391' first='Owen' last='Callaway'] (committed to John Melvin University). Beaty served as the backup QB last season and threw for 653 yards and 7 TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We'd like Brock to compete but right now he's the leading candidate,” Stevens said. “He has a few games under his belt and he's a hard worker. He does all the right things in terms of putting in the extra work and throwing to his receivers before and after school. He's a big, strong guy. He works hard at his craft. But we're going to put some guys up against him and make him work and earn his spot. They'll have an opportunity to push Brock.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Among the contenders set to compete against Beaty are <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137893' first='Javen' last='Hernandez']</strong>, who started at safety a season ago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two numbers Stevens wants Beaty to improve in 2024: completion percentage and interceptions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Those are the things we've been talking to him about,” Stevens said. “They have to be fixed. At the bare minimum, we'd like to see him be at 3-to-1 in terms of touchdown passes to interceptions. We want to see improvement in his accuracy and decision-making. If he fixes those two things, he'll have a big year.” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season's leading rusher [player_tooltip player_id='1103655' first='Saul' last='Armendariz'] also graduates. His successor could be intriguing 6-foot-2, 215-pounder <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1266895' first='Gabe' last='Henry']</strong>, a rising junior who saw limited action with the varsity last season but averaged 7.0 yards per carry. Rising senior <strong>Omarrion Kennedy</strong> was the Eagles' second leading rusher in 2023. Rising sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604984' first='Shamus' last='Wright']</strong> is a promising up-and-comer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We're going to have some pretty intense competition,” Stevens said. “Omarrion has a lot of wiggle and he's quick. He sees the field real well. We think Gabe is going to blow up this year. He has the potential to go Division I. He has huge hands, great size, long arms and he's qualified (for the state meet) in the 100. He played some defensive end, running back and wide receiver last year. He's definitely going to play somewhere. Shamus will be in the mix as well. We feel we have a pretty good stable of running backs.” &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles will also have a changing of the guard at wide receiver. [player_tooltip player_id='592369' first='Jeremiah' last='Jaquez'] graduates after catching 65 passes for 843 yards and 8 TD in 2023, as does second leading receiver Justin Black. Rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259006' first='D'Shawn' last='Franklin']</strong> likely assumes the No. 1 WR role after 24 receptions in 2023. Rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1118403' first='Isaiah' last='Rodriguez']</strong> should be a major contributor as well. Wild card? Six-foot-3 rising junior <strong>Justus French</strong>, who played strictly JV last year. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We're going to be more athletic this season than we were last year but we're going to have to rely on some inexperienced guys,” Stevens said. “Justus' potential is through the roof too. Our big question on offense is how quickly we mature and grow up. We're going to be junior dominated. How quickly we can get up to speed is key.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hobbs offensive line rarely lacks for size and this year's unit continues the tradition. It's led by 6-foot-4, 295-pound rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1057304' first='Kylar' last='Pickering']</strong>, who recently finished third in his weight class at the state powerlifting championships. He'll play at the next level, possibly FBS. UTEP and Eastern Washington have expressed interest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Kylar has a mean streak in him,” Steven said. “He's every bit the size he advertises. He's a tireless worker. He puts in time in the weight room before school in addition to what we do. He has a lot of interest from colleges. Somebody will scoop him up. He's going to be our senior captain and anchor for the offensive line.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rising senior <strong>Landon Needham</strong>, well regarded for his athleticism, is 6-foot-3 and moves well. Rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672355' first='Diego' last='Argott']</strong>, younger brother of former Hobbs QB Omar Argott, is expected to earn a starting role.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We're going to be younger but we're also going to be more athletic across the offensive line than we were last year,” Stevens said. “We'll still have pretty good size. Most of our guys are 240-plus and over 6-feet tall. We'll have a decent sized line with some athletic ability. We'll be able to move better.” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively, Hobbs will be led by a stellar linebacker corps featuring rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119266' first='Tristan' last='Davis']</strong> (leading tackler last season) and the underrated <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119281' first='Gustavo' last='A Diaz-Castro']</strong>. The duo combined for &nbsp;249 tackles in 2023. Davis is a rare combination of size and speed as he's a member of Hobbs' 4x400 and 4x200 relay teams that qualified for the state track meet. Davis is another next level talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1257310' first='Sammy' last='Baeza']</strong> will the third linebacker in that group, while 6-foot-0, 190-pound rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672364' first='Peyton' last='Davis']</strong> (younger brother of Tristan) should see the field as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We're very excited about the linebacker corps,” Stevens said. “We're pretty solid there.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the secondary, Hernandez started at free safety as a sophomore. He'll be joined by rising senior strong safety &nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259079' first='Jacob' last='Diaz']</strong>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1601125' first='Adrian' last='Mora']</strong>, who started several games at cornerback in the second half of last season, is a promising rising junior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Along the defensive line, Hobbs must replace some productive seniors. [player_tooltip player_id='1103274' first='Oliver' last='Hill'] signed with NMMI. <strong>Ivan Vargas</strong> and <strong>Jyron Meridyth</strong> logged valuable time there in 2023 and should earn starting job. The promising up-and-comer is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672376' first='Jeremiah' last='Mackey']</strong>. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 Hobbs Football Schedule</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 23 at Lovington (7 p.m.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 30 ARTESIA (7 p.m.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 6 at Roswell (7 p.m.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 12 EL PASO (TX) PARKLAND (7 p.m.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 20 LAS CRUCES (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sept. 27 at Alamogordo (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 4 Bye</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 11 at Centennial (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 18 CLOVIS (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 25 ORGAN MOUNTAIN (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nov. 1 at Carlsbad (7 p.m.)*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>* District 6A-2 Game</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/TristanYDavis/status/1725236871901622643","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/TristanYDavis/status/1725236871901622643 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/brockbeaty_/status/1761431650791985389","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/brockbeaty_/status/1761431650791985389 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/DylanJett_/status/1783666250238804198","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/DylanJett_/status/1783666250238804198 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/KylarPickering/status/1781818519392260281","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/KylarPickering/status/1781818519392260281 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->