PICTURED: Trent Egeland leaps above Gadsden's Sincer Soliz to receive a 35-yard touchdown pass from Izac Cazares in the final seconds of the first half.
(TJ Palma - Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
A rare lightning delay with 5:41 on the fourth-quarter clock had Artesia's alumni in bed a little later than expected Friday at Bulldog Bowl, but the fourth-quarter storm didn't put a damper on the Homecoming 2024 festivities.
The Class 5A second-ranked Bulldogs improved to 3-2 on the season (2-0 in District 2-AAAAA play) Friday with a 57-34 win over the No. 5 Gadsden Panthers.
Senior quarterback Izac Cazares ran for two touchdowns and passed for four more on the night, with Trent Egeland on the receiving end of three of those TD tosses and Ethan Conn the fourth. Diego Lopez accounted for another Artesia score, scooping up a Bulldog fumble in the Panther red zone and taking it the remaining 18 yards to paydirt.
The fourth-quarter lightning delay sent the teams to the locker room for 30 minutes, but no sooner did they retake the field than Edel Villa posted the 'Dogs' final touchdown: a 91-yard pick six. Corbyn Dominguez was a perfect 5-5 in PATs, and Lopez and Derrick Warren both ran in conversions.
The 'Dogs will next be taking on top-ranked Lovington (5-0, 2-0) in a resurrection of that once-heated Southeast New Mexico rivalry. After two decades in separate classifications, the Bulldogs and Wildcats will meet with major district implications on the line at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, in Lovington. The 'Cats defeated No. 7 Goddard 46-6 Friday and have also bested Hobbs (31-22), Portales (30-7), Carlsbad (47-44) and Roswell High (35-21) thus far.
SCORING SUMMARY
FIRST QUARTER
• Artesia- Izac Cazares 7-run (Diego Lopez run good), 9:05
• Gadsden- Alfredo Andrade 28-pass from Adrian Munoz (Daan Cano kick good), 5:39
• Artesia- Diego Lopez 18-run (Derrick Warren run good), 4:31
SECOND QUARTER
• Gadsden- Adrian Munoz 3-run (pass fails), 11:56
• Gadsden- Christopher Orozco 11-pass from Adrian Munoz (Daan Cano kick good), 9:39
• Artesia- Trent Egeland 55-pass from Izac Cazares (Corbyn Dominguez kick good), 9:19
• Artesia- Trent Egeland 6-pass from Izac Cazares (Corbyn Dominguez kick good), 3:17
• Artesia- Trent Egeland 35-pass from Izac Cazares (run fails), :45
THIRD QUARTER
• Artesia- Ethan Conn 5-pass from Izac Cazares (Corbyn Dominguez kick good), 4:33
• Gadsden- Alfredo Andrade 8-run (Adrian Munoz to Zakk Minjarez pass good), :16
FOURTH QUARTER
• Artesia- Izac Cazares 5-run (Corbyn Dominguez kick good), 9:28
• Artesia- Edel Villa 91-interception return (Corbyn Dominguez kick good), 4:46
• Gadsden- Alfredo Andrade 6-run (pass fails), 1:26
PICTURED: Brody McDonald goes up to intercept a Gadsden pass during the second quarter.
(TJ Palma - Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
