PICTURED: Trent Egeland makes a touchdown catch over Roswell High corner Isaiah Aranda from nine yards out.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
The last two Class 5A state football championships were decided within a 40-mile stretch of U.S. 285 in Southeast New Mexico.
One blue trophy apiece was added to the trophy cases of two of the state's oldest rivals: Artesia and Roswell High. In 2023, the Bulldogs took their record 32nd state title with a 35-21 victory over the Coyotes at Bulldog Bowl. In 2024, the Coyotes got their revenge, claiming their eighth championship with a 41-22 win over the 'Dogs at Wool Bowl. It goes without saying that all eyes in New Mexico were on the latter stadium Friday, Oct. 17, for a District 2-AAAAA showdown most considered to be a preview of yet another title tilt.
Should that scenario play out, then: Round One to the boys in orange.
With a three-touchdown head start that helped set the tone for the evening and a defensive performance that forced second-ranked Roswell into four three-and-outs, a pair of turnovers on downs, and a fumble, the Bulldogs' journey through the much-anticipated rematch wasn't exactly smooth, but it was plenty effective. Artesia racked up nearly 500 yards of offense on the night to the Coyotes' 354 -- despite being flagged 11 times for a whopping 120 yards to Roswell's seven for 44.5 -- amidst a balanced attack of 194 yards passing to 160 rushing.
The 'Dogs' opening drive of the night stalled just outside the Roswell red zone, and a subsequent 43-yard field-goal attempt came up short. But the defense would step up to deliver a do-over eight plays later -- forcing a turnover on downs at the Artesia 30 -- and the offense was able to prevent the first quarter from becoming a scoreless one. Back-to-back passes from senior quarterback Derrick Warren to Jack Byers moved the Bulldogs from their own 37 to the Roswell 39, and after an 18-yard toss from Warren to Trent Egeland helped undo the damage of a holding penalty, the QB would throw across his body to a waiting Bryce Parra from 31 yards out for the score with 1:05 on the clock.
PICTURED: Bryce Parra hits the end zone following a 75-yard touchdown on a screen pass from Derrick Warren.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
The touchdown ultimately set off a blitzkrieg that left the Coyotes in a three-TD hole.
The Orange Crush would force a quick three-and-out as the second quarter commenced, and with Parra running past, around, over and through the Roswell defense, the 'Dogs soon found themselves at the Coyote nine. From there, Warren found Egeland in the end zone, who turned to the outside to make the grab over his defender to make it 14-0. Another three-and-out later, Egeland needed just two receptions to score again: the first on a double-pass between Warren and Byers for 39 yards, and the second on a 10-yard bullet into the end zone.
The 21-0 run was a statement-maker, but the defending champs were by no means ready to roll over. Thirty-six seconds after Artesia's third touchdown, Coyote QB Luke Lynn would connect with Izaic Gonzales for a 61-yard score. And after recovering a Bulldog fumble at the Roswell 30, the Coyotes trimmed their deficit back to a single TD on a six-yard run by Luis Rodriguez with 2:04 to go at the half. That turned out to be plenty of time for the Bulldogs to give themselves a bit of breathing room back, as Warren ran for a first down near midfield before moving to the Coyote 20 on passes to Parra and Cael Houghtaling. He then found a wide-open Jett Fuentes behind the Roswell defense for a 20-yard touchdown that put the quarterback over the 200-yard mark on the night and sent Artesia into the locker room up 28-14.
PICTURED: Jett Fuentes looks a Derrick Warren pass into his hands from 20 yards out with 38 seconds to go in the first half.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
The third quarter would be a preominantly quiet one offensively, as both squads' defenses fought to make the difference. After the Crush forced the third three-and-out of the night to kick off the second half, the 'Dogs were forced to punt from their own 43 following a high snap. With help from a pass-interference penalty on Artesia, Roswell would achieve a first-and-goal at the Bulldog eight. But after a two-yard run by Nathaniel Lujan, the defense had the final word yet again, forcing an incomplete on second down before Charlie Campbell twice snagged Lujan, once for no gain and again on fourth and goal for a 10-yard loss.
The Bulldogs were this time hit with an offensive pass-interference whistle that bumped them back to their own 26. But one play later, Warren sent a screen pass Parra's way, and the senior RB proceeded to sprint 75 yards to paydirt with 29 seconds to go in the third. The Coyotes were able to pull back within two TDs as the fourth quarter commenced on a 17-yard pass from Lynn to Noah Estrada. Another defensive battle commenced from there, however, that took the contest down to its final minutes. It started with Roswell forcing a TOD at its own 47, which was followed by a big fumble recovery by the Crush that saw Edel Villa hit Coyote receiver Kolby Sanchez at the Artesia 43, knocking the ball loose for Daelon Pacheco to scoop up at the 40. But the Bulldogs weren't able to capitalize, and the two teams traded punts before the 'Dogs struck the final blow on an 11-yard pass from Warren to Egeland, who went up between a pair of defensive backs to make the catch.
PICTURED: Trent Egeland goes up between a pair of defenders to catch an 11-yard touchdown pass from Derrick Warren.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
A "second guy" unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Artesia sent the Coyotes to midfield to start their final series of the night, which culminated in a three-yard TD run by Estrada that rounded out the final: 42-28.
Warren finished 20 of 33 for 324 yards passing and a whopping six touchdowns on the night, three of those sailing into the waiting hands of Egeland, who led the receiving corps with eight catches for 154 yards. Parra was 4-128 receiving with two TDs and 18-95 rushing. Rodriguez finished with 113 yards rushing on 18 carries for the Coyotes, Estrada was 4-67 receiving, and Lynn went 10 for 22 for 194 yards and two TDs. Corbyn Dominguez was 6-6 in PATs.
With the win, the Bulldogs moved to 7-1 on the season, 5-0 in District 2-AAAAA play, with two home games remaining: Oct. 24 against Goddard and Oct. 31 versus Mayfield.
STAT BOX
SCORING SUMMARY
FIRST QUARTER
Artesia- Bryce Parra 31-pass from Derrick Warren (Corbyn Dominguez kick good), 1:05
SECOND QUARTER
Artesia- Trent Egeland 9-pass from Warren (Dominguez kick good), 9:04
Artesia- Egeland 10-pass from Warren (Dominguez kick good), 6:56
Roswell- Izaic Gonzales 61-pass from Luke Lynn (Benjamin Vera kick good), 6:20
Roswell- Luis Rodriguez 6-run (Vera kick good), 2:04
Artesia- Jett Fuentes 20-pass from Warren (Dominguez kick good), :38
THIRD QUARTER
Artesia- Parra 75-pass from Warren (Dominguez kick good), :29
FOURTH QUARTER
Roswell- Noah Estrada 17-pass from Lynn (Vera kick good), 9:29
Artesia- Egeland 11-pass from Warren (Dominguez kick good), 2:19
Roswell- Estrada 3-run (Vera kick good), :21
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING
Artesia- Parra 18-95; Warren 9-33; Jack Byers 2-(-3)
Roswell High- Rodriguez 18-113; Rendon Duran 7-39; Estrada 1-3; Lynn 3-3; Olin Ingram 1-1; Nathaniel Lujan 5-1
PASSING
Artesia- Warren 20-33-324-6-0; Byers 1-1-39-0-0
Roswell High- Lynn 10-22-194-2-0
RECEIVING
Artesia- Egeland 8-154; Parra 4-128; Byers 4-44; Fuentes 3-21; Cael Houghtaling 2-16
Roswell High- Estrada 4-67; Gonzales 2-58; Ingram 1-38; Kolby Sanchez 2-24; Rodriguez 1-7
TEAM STATISTICS
FIRST DOWNS
Artesia 17; Roswell High 12
RUSHING YARDS
Artesia 29-125; Roswell High 35-160
PASSING YARDS
Artesia 363; Roswell High 194
TOTAL YARDS
Artesia 488; Roswell High 354
PENALTIES
Artesia 11-120; Roswell High 7-44.5
TURNOVERS
Artesia 1; Roswell High 1