Clovis football coach Eric Roanhaus talks with quarterback Elliott Hita during the 2004 season. Roanhaus, entering his 33rd season with the Wildcats, is one win away from 300 for his career. He is third all-time in New Mexico coaching victories.

At 299-103-5, Eric Roanhaus is third on the New Mexico career wins list, and is 57 wins ahead of Artesia’s Cooper Henderson. He needs a seven-win season to pass Bill Gentry. If he passes leader Jim Bradley for the top spot, Roanhaus will either have won his 11th title or be playing for it — he needs 12 wins to get there.

Of the top six on the list, Roanhaus is the only coach to collect all of his victories with the same school.

Most wins
• Jim Bradley

Mayfield/Roswell (310-83-8)

• Bill Gentry
Highland/Eldorado (305-102-5)

• Eric Roanhaus
Clovis (299-103-5*)

• Cooper Henderson,
Ruidoso/Artesia (242-83-1*)

• Travis Lee
Hot Springs/Lordsburg/Silver City (234-197-3*)

• Ralph Bowyer
Carlsbad/Grants/Belen (172-108-9)

• Dave Tomlinson
Menaul (156-109-17)

• Ray Gianinni
St. Pius (146-51-2)

* — Active

Source: New Mexico Activities Association

A look at some of the big wins along the way

Longtime Clovis football booster Mike Mitchell wrote about Roanhaus’ most memorable wins for the 2002 football program:

• December 1978: A fourth-and-goal gamble pays off with less than 1:40 to go, as Clovis upends Eldorado 7-3. It is Roanhaus’ first title.
• December 1981: Hobbs’ Timmy Smith, who would go on to set a yardage record in the Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins, is held to 27 yards as the Wildcats defeat the Eagles 27-7.
• December 1982: The Wildcats make it back-to-back, defeating Alamogordo 20-7
• December 1983: The 4A title game featured a pair of teams with national rankings — Roswell at No. 7 and Clovis at No. 9. The game even drew coverage from a young sports network called ESPN. The battle never materialized, as Clovis defeated the Coyotes 50-18.
• December 1984: Same teams as last season, Clovis and Roswell. Different site, this time in Roswell. Same result, Clovis 17-0. (Career win No. 72).
• December 1985: The five-peat is official after the Wildcats explode for 28 second-half points in a 36-12 win over Alamogordo.
• September 1988: A 21-7 win over Artesia gives Roanhaus career victory No. 100.
• December 1990: The Wildcats return to Class 4A elite, with a 28-0 blanking of Eldorado in the title game to cap off a 13-1 season (Career win No. 130).
• December 1991: Another repeat for Roanhaus, but this one wouldn’t come easy. The 12-2 Wildcats needed triple overtime to defeat Eldorado this time, 13-10.
• December 1994: Clovis trailed Goddard 10-7 late at the Wool Bowl in Roswell. Roanhaus calls a reverse, and the Cats are in the end zone. They take a 14-10 win.
• December 2001: Roanhaus has nine titles, but never perfection. He found it in Las Cruces, with a goal line interception securing a 17-10 win over Mayfield. Both teams entered the game 12-0.

Eric Roanhaus’ season-by-season records at Clovis:
1978: 10-4*
1979: 10-3
1980: 11-2
1981: 10-3*
1982: 11-2*
1983: 10-1-2*
1984: 10-2-1*
1985: 11-3*
1986: 4-6-1
1987: 9-4
1988: 11-3
1989: 10-4
1990: 13-1*
1991: 12-2*
1992: 8-4-1
1993: 9-5
1994: 11-2*
1995: 11-2
1996: 10-2
1997: 8-5
1998: 4-7
1999: 6-5
2000: 4-6
2001: 13-0*
2002: 9-3
2003: 8-3
2004: 9-4
2005: 12-2
2006: 7-4
2007: 9-4
2008: 10-2
2009: 9-3

* — state title

Source: Clovis High School athletics office