Football Recap: MARLEY MUNOZ Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Rio Rancho + How To Watch

It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Carlsbad had no problem doing just that on Saturday. They were the clear victors by a 35-13 margin over the Rio Rancho Rams. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Cavemen/Cavegirls considering their 13-point performance the game before.

MARLEY MUNOZ

Passer Rating

10/04/25 @ Organ Mountain	145.8
09/26/25 vs Clovis	143.8
11/08/25 vs Rio Rancho	128.3
09/11/25 @ Cibola	92.2
10/10/25 @ Alamogordo	87.3
+ 4 more games

Carlsbad's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was MARLEY MUNOZ, who rushed for 79 yards and one TD, and also threw for 152 yards and a pair of touchdowns. MUNOZ's passing game has become a key predictor of the Cavemen/Cavegirls' success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 3-5 otherwise. Carlsbad's leading receiver ROBERT CASTANEDA was MUNOZ's top target yet again, picking up 108 receiving yards and a pair of scores.

Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Carlsbad proved: they limited Rio Rancho to a paltry 1.5 yards per carry. The team can thank JUAN RUBIO for the heroic effort on defense: he. Carlsbad's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 5.05 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 6.43 on average over their last five games.

Carlsbad didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as CASTANEDA, RIO SANCHEZ, and TY YOUNG picked up one apiece. YOUNG has been hot recently, having also posted six or more total tackles the last four times he's played. CASTANEDA got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.

When it comes to explaining why Rio Rancho lost, don't look at Parker Miller. Despite the final result, he picked up 124 receiving yards and two TDs.

Carlsbad now has a winning record of 6-5. As for Rio Rancho, this is the second loss in a row for them and also nudges their season record down to 6-5.

Coming up, Carlsbad will face off against Hobbs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Cavemen/Cavegirls will need to watch out since the Eagles have now posted at least 31 points in their last five matchups. Rio Rancho does not have any more games scheduled as of now.