Bloomfield High School football is chasing a fourth state title in five years as coaches and players say the program’s culture drives its success.
BLOOMFIELD, N.M. – Bloomfield High School football is chasing a fourth state title in five years as coaches and players say the program’s culture drives its success.
KOB 4 visited Bloomfield and found the Bobcats have built a tradition of winning, with three 4A state championships in four years.
Coaches told us the program starts with belief and showing younger players that they can win a championship in Bloomfield.
“The first couple of years we we struggled to kick that door in, but then in ’22 when we kicked that state championship door in,” Head Coach Mike Kovacs said. “It showed all the kids below them that this is something that you can obtain here in Bloomfield. It’s not just down south or Albuquerque that gets all the glory.”
For senior Johnny Yates, the team’s success starts with the support players give each other.
“They always, always had my back. They were always there when I was down. They never let me get down,” Yates said. “They just kept me up at all times, and that was the best feeling in the world.”
The Bobcats opened the season 6-1, and coaches said the players still want to keep improving.
“The group of kids, they’re always wanting knowledge, always wanting to learn, getting better every day,” Defensive Coordinator Damon Lynch said. “We hope that’s what we preach to them and stuff. Get better every day, get better every week.”
Kovacs said the program also focuses on making every player feel valued beyond the game.
“Because every kid gets contacted in a different way that makes them feel special, and that’s one of the things that we strive to do is make each and every one of them understand that they’re special to us, They’re special to themselves and their family and their community,” Kovacs said.
Bloomfield now looks to add another championship as the Bobcats try for their fourth state title in five years.
