Years later, both are rookies on a rebuilt Seattle Seahawks roster, preparing for the Super Bowl.
By Levi Gwaltney
Image: Courtesy
Long before Bryce Cabeldue and Connor O’Toole shared an NFL locker room, or wore the same shade of navy and green, they passed briefly—and separately—through Las Cruces.
They came as visitors.
They came in different seasons.
They came on opposite sides of the ball.
At the time, there was no reason to think those appearances would ever intersect again. They were just two New Mexico high school players, part of the long procession of teams that arrived at the Field of Dreams, played their games, and moved on.
Years later, both are rookies on a rebuilt Seattle Seahawks roster, preparing for the Super Bowl.
A first stop in Las Cruces
In the opening round of the 2018–19 New Mexico High School Football Playoffs, Clovis traveled south to face the Las Cruces High School Bulldawgs. On November 10, 2018, the home team prevailed, edging the Wildcats 24–21 in a tightly contested game at the Field of Dreams.
Among the Clovis players that night was junior Bryce Cabeldue. In the loss, he recorded two solo tackles and an assisted stop, contributing on a defense that kept the game close until the final whistle. It was a short playoff run for Clovis, but for Cabeldue, it was one of the early chapters in a football career that would eventually stretch far beyond New Mexico.
The following week, Las Cruces traveled north to Albuquerque for the second round of the playoffs, where another junior awaited—this time on offense.
La Cueva’s Connor O’Toole was still developing then, but he made his presence felt, finishing with 15 rushing yards and 31 receiving yards in a 17–14 Bears victory that ended the Bulldawgs’ postseason. It was a narrow loss for Las Cruces, and another quiet step forward for a player who would soon become central to La Cueva’s offense.
The return to the Field of Dreams
The next season offered Las Cruces an early opportunity for revenge. On September 6, 2019, La Cueva returned to the Field of Dreams for a non-conference matchup—this time with O’Toole as a senior.
What followed was one of the most productive individual performances the field had seen.
O’Toole hauled in 10 receptions for 194 yards, averaging nearly 20 yards per catch. His longest gain went for 60 yards, and he scored twice in La Cueva’s 37–24 win. For a few hours that Friday night, the Field of Dreams belonged entirely to him.
Las Cruces would again see its playoff run end in the second round later that season. La Cueva, meanwhile, kept going.
Roads converge
By the end of the 2019 season, the two players who had crossed Las Cruces in different years found themselves on opposite sidelines once more—this time in the state championship game.
La Cueva and Clovis met with a title on the line. O’Toole finished with 71 receiving yards on six catches, but it wasn’t enough to break through a disciplined Clovis defense. The Wildcats won 37–17, with Cabeldue contributing four tackles in the victory.
It was the final high school game for both players. Their paths, which had briefly overlapped geographically at the Field of Dreams, now diverged again—toward different colleges, different roles, and different timelines.
From New Mexico to Seattle
Cabeldue went on to Kansas, where he became a four-year starter and logged more than 3,000 snaps along the offensive line. Transitioning from right tackle to left, he earned All–Big 12 honorable mention in 2024 and was selected by the Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
O’Toole took his talents to Utah, developing into a linebacker before signing with Seattle as an undrafted free agent in 2025. By the end of the season, he had carved out a role on defense, recording tackles and a fumble recovery as part of a unit that helped carry the Seahawks through a rapid rebuild.
Different entries. Same destination.
Now, both rookies stand on the Super Bowl stage together, part of a Seattle team that reshaped its roster and identity in a single season.
A familiar field, a larger stage
Las Cruces has seen football success reach the highest levels before. Mayfield graduate Darius Holland earned a Super Bowl ring with the Green Bay Packers following the 1996 season. But when Holland played high school football, the Field of Dreams did not yet exist. Home games were played at Aggie Memorial Stadium, in a two–high school town still growing into its modern footprint.
Cabeldue and O’Toole represent something slightly different—not hometown heroes in the traditional sense, but players whose journeys passed through Las Cruces on their way to something larger.
For a night, or two, they played on the Field of Dreams.
Years later, they meet again under brighter lights.
The road between those moments was anything but straight.
You must be logged in to post a comment.