“Bloomfield Begins the Chase for Three”
Story by Walter Dorman
The Bloomfield Bobcats didn’t just win another state championship last season.
They dominated.
Bloomfield rolled through the 2025 season with a 12-1 record, capturing a second consecutive state championship and establishing itself once again as one of New Mexico’s premier football programs. The Bobcats’ only loss of the entire season came against a Class 6A opponent.
Week after week, Bloomfield showed why it belonged at the top of Class 4A, putting together another championship run that ended with the Bobcats raising the blue trophy for the second straight year.
But as impressive as the past two seasons have been, head coach Mike Kovacs doesn’t want the 2026 Bobcats spending much time thinking about them.
“The biggest task we have this year is to focus on the future, not the past,” Kovacs said. “We ground ourselves and understand that this is 2026, no other year.”
That is the message inside the Bloomfield program as the Bobcats begin another season with perhaps the biggest bullseye in Class 4A.
“We haven’t done nothing yet,” Kovacs said. “To accomplish that, we have to take one game at a time.”
A New Team With the Same Expectations
Bloomfield graduated a strong senior class from last year’s 12-1 championship team, leaving some important positions to fill.
Perhaps none is more noticeable than quarterback.
The Bobcats enter the preseason with sophomores Kaison Meador and Wyatt Babcock battling for the opportunity to take over the position.
“After the scrimmage, we’ll have a better idea,” Kovacs said. “I think these two guys could blossom into something fantastic.”
What has impressed Kovacs just as much as their ability has been the way the two young quarterbacks have handled the competition.
“They’re both excited for each other,” he said. “It’s not a selfish thing. It’s a whoever-wins-wins mentality and next man up.”
That attitude may go a long way toward defining this year’s Bobcats.
After two straight championship seasons, Kovacs doesn’t want this team trying to recreate what previous Bloomfield teams accomplished.
He wants the 2026 Bobcats to create something of their own.
“They don’t want to focus on the past and they don’t want to focus on what was lost,” Kovacs said. “They want to focus on everybody that’s there now. I think the identity of the team is going to be selflessness and to get the job done.”
Experienced Seniors Get Their Turn
While Bloomfield has positions to replace, the Bobcats are far from inexperienced.
Several members of this year’s senior class have been playing varsity football for the past three seasons. They have been through the big games, the playoff pressure and the championship runs.
Now it is their turn to lead.
“A lot of our seniors now have played the last three years,” Kovacs said. “Now it’s their senior year to rewrite the news articles that they want to see.”
For a group that has already experienced so much success, Kovacs believes that desire to establish its own identity could be important.
“They want to be the ones their senior year that have a successful season,” he said.
A Very Different Road Through Class 4A
Winning another championship won’t come through the same path this season.
Class 4A football has undergone a major scheduling and district change, with essentially two large districts making up the classification.
Bloomfield finds itself in a nine-team district, meaning the Bobcats will play eight district games.
That leaves very little time to get ready.
Bloomfield has just two non-district games before beginning the long district schedule.
And neither will be an easy tune-up.
The Bobcats open the season against Clovis at a neutral site and follow that by taking on Farmington.
Kovacs said the basic philosophy doesn’t change.
“The approach is the same,” he said. “We are going to go one game at a time.”
The schedule around them, however, has changed dramatically, including the addition of programs that previously competed in Class 5A.
Those first two games will therefore be extremely important as the coaching staff evaluates its new lineup.
“It’s very critical and very important to us because we know we have a shortened non-district schedule,” Kovacs said. “We’ve got to take advantage of great quality reps and understanding where our weaknesses are. That’s what these two games are going to show us.”
Depth Could Be Critical
Once district play begins, Bloomfield will face an eight-game grind.
That makes staying healthy important, but Kovacs also knows a championship program can’t rely only on its starting 11.
Developing depth will be a priority.
“It’s going to be huge,” Kovacs said. “We’re trying to develop depth not only for this season but for the future.”
That means getting younger players ready to contribute before they are necessarily expected to.
“It’s critical that the young ones behind them can step in at any time if we have to switch them out or do whatever for whatever reason,” Kovacs said. “It’s critical that they catch up and they understand.”
Everyone Wants a Shot at the Champs
There won’t be many opponents overlooking Bloomfield.
Not after back-to-back championships.
Not after a 12-1 season.
And certainly not after the way the Bobcats have established themselves as the team everyone in Class 4A wants to beat.
Kovacs knows exactly what is coming.
“When you’re a returning state champion and then you’re back-to-back, everybody wants to take their shot to say that they were the ones that knocked you off,” he said.
There will inevitably be questions about whether the Bobcats can be the same team after losing key members of last year’s senior class.
Kovacs has heard that before.
“Everybody likes to say the phrase, ‘You’re not what you were,’” Kovacs said. “Well, we are going to be what we’ve been and what we always will be, and that’s a very competitive team.”
The Chase for Three
If Bloomfield is going to put itself in position to win a third consecutive state championship, Kovacs believes the key won’t simply be talent.
The Bobcats will have to handle adversity.
With new players stepping into different roles, Kovacs expects plenty of adjustments during the opening weeks.
“There will be early adversity in trying to figure out where everybody needs to be,” he said. “There’ll be changes throughout the year.”
That is part of the process.
“It’s always a chess game in the first non-district games just to find out where the best matchups are and who fits where the best for the team,” Kovacs said. “You’ve got to have that team mentality to move forward.”
The trophies from the past two seasons are already part of Bloomfield football history.
The 12-1 record from a year ago is in the record book.
Now comes the difficult part — doing it again with a different group of players facing a different schedule and carrying championship-sized expectations.
For Kovacs, however, the ultimate goal goes beyond another trophy.
He wants people in Bloomfield to see a team that represents their community.
“I want to see an exciting environment, an exciting football game and something they can be very proud of, especially being from Bloomfield,” Kovacs said.
After dominating Class 4A a year ago and capturing its second consecutive championship, Bloomfield enters 2026 with everyone watching.
But inside the Bobcats’ program, the message is simple:
Last year’s team wrote its story. Now it’s their turn.
