Carlsbad Cavemen and Artesia Bulldogs use two-a-days to prepare for 2023 football season
High school football teams across New Mexico braved the summer heat Monday preparing for the 2023 high school football season.
The Carlsbad Cavemen and Artesia Bulldogs are getting ready for the annual Eddy County War on Aug. 18 in Carlsbad.
Brand new Carlsbad head football coach Cale Sanders said the practice was “chaotic and fast-paced” when it started early Monday morning.
More: Who are the best football players from Eddy County?
“For the first day I was pretty pleased,” he said.
A year ago, Sanders dealt with his first two-a-day practice as an assistant coach. Now he is the head coach after former coach Oliver Soukup left to take an assistant coaching position at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales earlier this year.
Sanders the Cavemen are a young squad and players will have to learn how to outdo the opposition when the season starts for real.
“They’re working and learning our stuff,” he said.
Sanders said the Cavemen have until Aug. 9 to learn new offenses and defenses as the team travels to Lovington for a scrimmage against the Wildcats.
“It should be a pretty good test for us,” he said.
Classes start on Aug. 7 for students in the Carlsbad Municipal Schools and Sanders said the players would practice in the early mornings and come back in the late afternoon through early evening for the rest of this week.
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Last year the Cavemen had a 5-6 overall record and lost to the Farmington Scorpions in the opening round of the state 6A playoffs.
Sanders admits he is ready for the long hours and long days that accompany high school football coaches for nearly four months.
“It’s a lot. I love it, it’s a big wheel with a lot of spokes,” he said.
Artesia head football coach Jeremy Maupin welcomed nearly 130 student-athletes Monday morning as the Bulldogs prepare their defense of its 2022 state 5A football title.
He said Artesia would implement offensive and defensive plays as the week wears on.
Next week, Maupin said Artesia will lift weights in the morning and practice in the afternoons.
Classes in the Artesia Public Schools officially start on Aug. 14.
Maupin is no stranger to two-a-days in Artesia. He played for the Bulldogs during the early years of this century and served as an assistant coach before taking the head coaching job at Los Lunas in 2017.
More: Artesia High football readies for 2023 state title defense using summer workouts
He returned to Artesia in 2021 as the head football coach and guided the Bulldogs to its 31st state title overall last season.
“(Artesia) tweaks two-a-days every year to make sure we are doing the best that we can,” he said.
What are the rules for two-a-days in New Mexico?
The New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA), the governing body of high school athletics in the state, does not have specific policies regarding two practices in a day, J.P. Murrieta spokesperson said.
He said local schools have the discretion when it comes to two-a-days.
“In regards to football practice, each team or individual must have at least eight days of practice before participating in a scrimmage and 10 days of practice before competing in a game,” he said.
Murrieta said the first four days of practice is a time of conditioning without full pads; the first two days of practice should be in shorts and helmets.
“During days three and four participants should be in shorts, shoulder pads and helmets. Full pads can then be worn during the remaining six days,” Murrieta said.
Friday is the first day players could practice in pads, while Aug. 9 would be the first day for scrimmages against other teams.
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Carlsbad High Artesia High football prepare for Eddy County War
