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Surely, thousands of Hobbs fans over the years have risked jobs, financial stability and relationships to see their Eagles at the state basketball tournament for days on end. Their enthusiasm has been rewarded!
See Hobbs’ history of state crowns in the Roll Call of Championships…
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Boys Basketball
2008…Led by a second-generation Jeff Taylor, Hobbs squeezes by Clovis 73-71 in 5A finale
2002…Eagles take fourth straight championship after winning 101-94 shootout over Mayfield
2001…Hobbs disposes of district rival Clovis 89-83 for coach Russ Gilmore’s 3rd title
2000…Las Cruces proves to be Hobbs’ kind of town too. In 5A final, Eagles beat Valley 77-66
1999…After winning semifinal thriller over Valley, unbeaten Hobbs takes La Cueva 78-72 for crown
1988…Last of 11 titles for legendary coach Ralph Tasker: Hobbs 110, Alamogordo 95
1987…District foe Roswell is Hobbs’ victim in 4A finale by a 95-83 count
1981…A perfect 26-0 season ends with Eagles knocking off Albuquerque High 93-85
1980…High-flying Eagles finish 24-2 campaign with 102-91 victory over Clovis
1970…Most points for victor of a NM championship game as Hobbs beats Albuquerque 123-87
1969…Tasker’s bunch takes a second-straight title with 103-75 whipping of Highland
1968…Hobbs goes 25-1 and thumps Los Alamos 103-79 for crown
1966…Unbeaten campaign for Eagles as 26-0 year ends with 89-77 victory over Highland
1958…Three-in-a-row titles when Hobbs slips past Santa Fe 76-75
1957…Eagles show district rival Carlsbad who’s boss with 93-63 victory in finale
1956…First title for coach Ralph Tasker and first for the school: Hobbs 92, Carlsbad 89
Girls Basketball
2003…Hobbs, behind standout Adrienne Ross, beats La Cueva 59-52 for 1st girls title
Football
1972…Second gridiron title in three years for Hobbs after 31-15 win over Mayfield
1970…A sterling 12-1 season for Eagles is culminated by a 20-0 shutout of Highland
Boys Soccer
1997…Top spot for soccer in state is Hobbs? It is this year when Eagles beat Las Cruces 2-0 for title
Softball
1986…Eagles grab lone softball championship by nipping Carlsbad 2-1
Tennis
2003…Senior Sara Baker is best 5A girls player in state after winning second-straight singles title
2002…Tourney ends with Sara Baker unseating Sandia’s Nina Surviladze for girls crown
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.
