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Click on the tournament for Bracket & Games
Recent tournaments…
The Cavemen and Cavegirls have done extraordinarily well on the diamond when baseball and softball wrap up with state championship tournaments.
Find out where else Carlsbad has thrived in the Roll Call of State Championships
Baseball
2002…Carlsbad beats Los Lunas 8-1 for Class 5A state title
1998…Cavemen knock off Del Norte 12-4 to claim 4A crown
1996…In 4A championship, Carlsbad edges La Cueva 6-5
1990…Carlsbad wins shoot-out over Farmington 14-11 for second straight over Scorps
1989…Battle of NM baseball powers: Cavemen edge Farmington 3-2 in title game
1988…First of 3-in-a-row as Carlsbad shut out Valley 2-0 for 4A championship
1973…Cavemen whitewash Mayfield 3-0 for 4A bragging rights
1972…Santa Fe is shut out by Carlsbad 2-0 in title tilt
1958…First of 9 state titles: Cavemen beat Albuquerque High 8-5 in Class A finale
Softball
2002…Cavegirls deny West Mesa for 5A crown by a 2-1 count
2001…Carlsbad caps 24-1 season by shutting out Alamogordo 3-0 in 5A championship
1996…Unbeaten Cavegirls stay perfect with 4A title win, 4-2, over Farmington
1993…Four straight for Carlsbad: 2-1 over West Mesa in finale
1992…A 3-2 win over West Mesa gives Cavegirls the crown
1991…A perfect 24-0 year is capped when Carlsbad bludgeons Hobbs 18-1
1990…Cavegirls blast La Cueva 11-2 for 4A championship
1988…Highland again falls victim to Carlsbad 6-1 in 4A final
1987…In 4A title game, Carlsbad shuts out Highland Hornets 6-0
1985…Carlsbad nips Los Alamos 4-3 for chmpionship trophy
1983…A tight 1-0 finale goes to Cavegirls, who dash Gadsden’s hopes
1982…Cavegirls finish with 21-0 record after unseating defending champ Highland 7-3
1980…First of 11 titles for coach John Tigert: Carlsbad 1, Highland 0
1977…Back-to-back crowns for Cavegirls after beating Highland 11-7
1976…NM’s first softball championship starts a trend as Carlsbad defeats Manzano 8-3
Boys Basketball
1955…Cavemen claim third title with 74-64 win over Los Alamos
1954…Carlsbad beats Clovis 58-51 for Class A championship
1947… Coach Ralph Bowyer leads Cavemen to 1st Title: Carlsbad 41, Raton 22
Football
1962…Two years without a loss as Carlsbad smacks Farmington 34-0 in Class AA finale
1961…Cavemen finishes 10-0-1 by shutting out Albuquerque High 27-0
1958…Carlsbad rules AA division after knocking off Las Cruces 20-14 for crown
1956…Ralph Bowyer proves he can coach football too: Carlsbad 26, Highland 7
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And now, a word from our Sponsor…
“Ole!” greets drive-through customers from the speaker box.
If that’s the case, it can only be one business: Taco Box.
From frijole burritos to Spanish fries to pig-in-a-panchos, and quite nearly everything in-between, the restaurant has been serving up its eclectic menu for 40 years.
According to owner Tom Martin, the number one seller is the simple-and-tasty frijole burrito while tacos, chalupas and cheese sticks follow closely in popularity.
A popular side item are Spanish fries, a Taco Box-invented title for another potato-based munchie (any guesses?). Martin says his restaurant has only occasionally ventured into making regular french fries and the attempts have ultimately always been futile with the Taco Box customer base.
“I always joke that I don’t make french fries so I can help keep McDonald’s in business,” Martin says.
Other items also remain popular to an extent even though not officially on the menu board anymore – a testament to the loyalty of the typical Taco Box consumer.
The Mexi-Burger was on the menu back in the early 1980s and still gets ordered today. By those in the know, at any rate.
“There’s probably at least a dozen different items over the years like that,” Martin says. “We took it off, just because of space, but we still make ‘em. We probably sell as many as we did when they were on the menu.”
Martin lists breakfast tacos, frijole tacos, guacamole tacos as other such “underground” items. And that’s not to mention the vast array of drink combinations, utilizing the different soft drinks and flavorings, that have actually never been listed on the big board at Taco Box.
Martin, raised in Cleveland and a graduate from Cornell University in New York, ventured west after college and tried his hand with the Taco Box brand. He took over Taco Box on June 1, 1970.
Remembering his first foray into Mexican food, Martin has an oft-repeated story with some variation or another.
“I never had a taco until I was 21. I remember having a mild green chile taco and I thought I was going to die,” Martin recalls.
After having a tastebud-adjustment and following countless tacos served to his customers at Taco Box, it’s safe to say one thing about the guy who originally thought he’d be in the Land of Enchantment for “a couple of years.”
Well Tom, you’re a New Mexican now.
