PREVIOUS WINTER SPORTS WRAPS
• Runnin' 'Dogs win seventh straight district title as Artesia teams prepare for upcoming D4 Tournament
• Swim teams place second in district; wrestling sending four to state; AHS cheer wins district amidst hardware haul; Bulldog hoops tops Lovington, Portales
• Bulldog bowlers do Artesia proud at state tourney, finish as A-4A runners-up
• Basketball teams top Goddard, fall to Portales in district play; cheerleaders celebrate Galentine's
• Advanced bowlers close out perfect regular season; hoops teams split district openers; swimmers finish first, second at Artesia Invite; wrestlers split district finale; cheer wins big at NMSU
• AHS basketball closes out regular season; JV wrestlers attack the mat at Oil Patch Invite
• Basketball teams finish first, fourth at Hope Christian; wrestling, bowling shine in home events
• Hoops teams sweep Eddy County War Part II; swimming, wrestling, bowling, cheerleading start 2026 on high note
• Runnin' 'Dogs finish third in Hobbs Holiday Tournament; Lady Bulldogs kick off new year with 4A win
• Hoops teams pick up pre-holiday wins; swimmers racking up state qualifications; wrestling starts season strong; bowlers back on track for big year
• Fall sports go out with a bang as hoops season kicks off with City of Champions Classic

AHS BASKETBALL

PICTURED: The Bulldog basketball team poses with its District 4-AAAA Tournament championship trophy Feb. 27 at Bulldog Pit.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

District 4-AAAA Tournament:
Championships vs. Goddard

For many Bulldog fans Friday, it felt like just a few short weeks ago that they'd walked into Bulldog Pit for the City of Champions Classic. A host of freshly crowned state champion football players had just joined the team days before, the whole of the 2025-26 season lay ahead, and everyone was excited to see where it would take the defending state title-holders of Class 4A. But here it was at the end of it all: one final regular-season goal to accomplish and one last pre-playoff chance to leave it all on the court before a home crowd at Bulldog Pit.

Artesia couldn't have asked for a better start to the District 4-AAAA Tournament championship game, going up 10-0 on Goddard to start the game. But the Rockets were determined to stay in the mix, trailing by just five at the half and seven going into the fourth. But when it mattered most, the Runnin' 'Dogs kicked it into another gear, pulling away from Goddard in the fourth for the 58-42 win that added a D4 Tournament title to their regular district championship to make it a clean sweep.

PICTURED: Tootie McNeil knocks down a long two-pointer in the third quarter.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

The Bulldogs' 10 unanswered to start the first set the tone for the night. It took the team a bit to get there, with a putback on the second offensive board by Clay Kincaid not coming until the 5:52 mark. But once the ball was rolling, Charlie Campbell followed with a pair from the free-throw line, Braylon Vega posted a pair of layups, and Trent Egeland got an offensive putback of his own to give Artesia the leg up. The Rockets' first points came with 3:25 to go in the period on an old-fashioned three-point play by Josiah Castillo, and Goddard would score the final four points of the quarter as well on back-to-back baskets by Ezekiel Burrola and Isaiah Mestas. But in between, Cael Houghtaling drained a trey and Jack Byers a bucket in the paint to keep the Bulldogs in front by eight, 15-7, going into the second.

The squads again got off to a slow start offensively in that quarter. Castillo got an early jumper for the Rockets and Vega went 2-2 from the stripe, but the boys in orange wouldn't deliver their first field goal until five minutes remained in the half. Consecutive putbacks by Tootie McNeil and a one-handed dunk and a free throw from Vega nevertheless had the Bulldogs up by double digits, 24-10, with just over a minute to go. But Mestas would put the Rockets on his back and launch them back within five, 24-19, with a pair of three-pointers and an and-one as time ran out.

Artesia wasn't able to gain much traction in the third as the Rockets continued to fight for an upset. Following a Kincaid and-one, Mestas, Houghtaling and Castillo all traded three's, and baskets in the paint by Egeland, Kincaid and Byers were all answered in kind by Goddard. Castillo cut the Bulldogs' lead to three on a pair of free throws with 2:30 to go in the quarter, but a long two by McNeil -- who apparently had his toenail on the line -- and a jumper in the lane by Campbell restored a bit of the 'Dogs' breathing room heading into the final eight, 40-33.

Mestas continued competing like a senior heading toward the playoffs for Goddard in the fourth, scoring all nine of the Rockets' points in the quarter. But Vega had the same mission in mine, delivering 12 for the Bulldogs that, when combined with late baskets by McNeil and Campbell and two from the stripe in the final seconds by Corbyn Dominguez, boosted the 'Dogs to a 16-point win, 58-42.

As one of just three players who contributed points in the contest for the Rockets, Mestas finished with 26 to lead all scorers, just ahead of Vega with 21.

PICTURED: Braylon Vega lofts one up and in over Goddard's Josiah Castillo (22) during the first quarter.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

Elsewhere Friday, the second and third quarters seemed to drag on like a particularly unsettling nightmare for the Lady Bulldog basketball team in the girls' District 4-AAAA Tournament championship. After taking a 13-11 lead over Goddard out of the first quarter, the Artesia girls managed just a single field goal in both the second and third periods, adding only a pair of free throws in the third, to essentially put the game out of reach as the district last-place Lady Rockets closed out an improbable win, 49-30.

Goddard -- whom Artesia had defeated 48-41 in the teams' first meeting Feb. 6 and 57-41 in the second round of regular district play Feb. 17 -- had already taken down the district's top-ranked team, Portales, in the tournament's opening round. That boost of confidence coupled with the knowledge that they, like the Lady Bulldogs, were essentially fighting to keep their season alive kept the Lady Rockets in the mix despite a strong start by the girls in orange.

Artesia opened Friday's championship with consecutive offensive putbacks by Gracen Kuykendall and a long three from Jenna Whitmire, who also went 1-2 from the free-throw line to give the Lady 'Dogs a quick 8-0 lead. The Rockets didn't get on the board until the 3:50 mark on a trey by Carmen Grado, but Goddard would go on a 9-3 run from there. Those three points for Artesia came via a Brooklyn Fuentes longball, and the Lady Bulldogs' final bucket of the period -- another bucket off the offensive boards by Kuykendall -- was answered by Jazmin Deleon to keep the Lady Rockets within a shot, 13-11, going into the second.

Neither team would score for the first two minutes of that quarter, but a basket by Kuykendall made it 15-11 and seemed to have the Lady 'Dogs in good shape. But amidst nine turnovers, Artesia's shooting hands would go entirely cold from there, and Goddard took advantage, racking up 13 of their own to turn the tables going into the half, 24-15.

PICTURED: Brooklyn Fuentes hits a three over Goddard's Aubrie Bolanos during the first quarter.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

What the girls in orange desperately needed was a big third quarter, but unfortunately, they were unable to restart their offense as the second half began. A free throw from Kuykendall and a coast-to-coast layup by Whitmire early had Artesia back within eight, 26-18, but that would be it for the Lady 'Dogs until Peyton Barela went 1-2 from the stripe in the final seconds of the period. That allowed Goddard to once again put together eight unanswered points to take a near-20-point lead into the fourth, 36-19.

The Lady Bulldogs improved from the field in the final eight. Ashton Craft got back-to-back baskets on strong drives to the hoop, Whitmire logged an offensive putback of a free throw miss and an old-fashioned three-point play, and Avery Frederick knocked down a baseline jumper in the quarter. But the damage had been done, and Goddard was able to close out the 49-30 win with 13 points to Artesia's 12.

The Lady Rockets spread their scoring around but had two athletes in double digits on the night: Payton Abalos with 12 and Grado with 10. Whitmire finished with 11 for Artesia and Kuykendall nine. Of significant note again in the bout was the free throw ratio: The Lady Bulldogs did not shoot well from the line, going 4-11; the Lady Rockets, however, took 33 trips to the charity stripe, converting 22.

The teams proceeded to join the rest of the state Sunday in awaiting the results of the Class 4A State Seeding and Selection Show. Sadly, the Lady Bulldogs -- who closed out the season ranked 16th in Class 4A -- were shut out of the 16-team state tournament on the grounds of Goddard's D4 Tournament win. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, were seeded second behind Highland in this year's bracket and will host their first-round game against No. 15 Bloomfield at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at Bulldog Pit. Click here to view a detailed boys' bracket. All ticket sales will be conducted through GoFan with no cash sales available and no passes accepted, per the NMAA. Prices, also set by the NMAA, are $12 for adults and $8 for students (K-12), seniors (65+) and the military. Click here to purchase.

STAT BOX

Artesia boys 58
Goddard 42

Artesia (22-5, 7-1): Braylon Vega 7, 5-8 21; Clay Kincaid 4, 1-3 9; Tootie McNeil 4, 0-0 8; Cael Houghtaling 2, 0-0 6; Jack Byers 2, 0-0 4; Charlie Campbell 1, 2-2 4; Trent Egeland 2, 0-0 4; Corbyn Dominguez 0, 2-2 2
Totals: 22, 10-15 58

Goddard (12-15, 3-5): Isaiah Mestas 10, 2-3 26; Josiah Castillo 4, 3-6 12; Ezekiel Burrola 2, 0-0 4
Totals: 16, 5-9 42

Field Goals: Artesia 22; Goddard 16
Three-Pointers: Artesia 4 (Houghtaling 2, Vega 2); Goddard 5 (Mestas 4, Castillo 1)
Free Throws: Artesia 10-15 (67%); Goddard 5-9 (56%)
Turnovers: Artesia 11; Goddard 15
Fouls: Artesia 14; Goddard 15
Fouled Out: Artesia 0; Goddard 1 (Eli Barncastle, 2:01-4Q)

Goddard 49
Artesia girls 30

Artesia (14-13, 3-5): Jenna Whitmire 4, 2-3 11; Gracen Kuykendall 4, 1-4 9; Ashton Craft 2, 0-0 4; Brooklyn Fuentes 1, 0-2 3; Avery Frederick 1, 0-0 2; Peyton Barela 0, 1-2 1
Totals: 12, 4-11 30

Goddard (15-12, 3-5): Payton Abalos 1, 10-12 12; Carmen Grado 2, 4-8 10; Aubrie Bolanos 3, 2-4 9; Natalie Hardwick 2, 2-2 6; Jazmin Deleon 1, 3-5 5; Camila Herrera 2, 1-2 5; Adyson Harral 1, 0-0 2
Totals: 12, 22-33 49

Field Goals: Artesia 12; Goddard 12
Three-Pointers: Artesia 2 (Fuentes 1, Whitmire 1); Goddard 3 (Grado 2, Bolanos 1)
Free Throws: Artesia 4-11 (36%); Goddard 22-33 (67%)
Turnovers: Artesia 21; Goddard 17
Fouls: Artesia 19; Goddard 13
Fouled Out: None

District 4-AAAA Tournament:
Round One vs. Lovington

PICTURED: Charlie Campbell skies in for a layup during the first quarter.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

Fact: District 4 is the most dangerous district in Class 4A. Anyone wishing to debate that need only look at the results of both the boys' and girls' District 4-AAAA Tournaments Tuesday evening.

Even when all four teams in the district aren't ranked in the Top 10 in the polls -- and they often are -- there's a perpetual "any given night" factor in Southeast New Mexico. It came into play last year, when the regular-season District Champion and eventual State Champion Bulldogs were eliminated in the first round of the D4 Tourney. It did last night, as well. No. 3 in the district, No. 12 in the polls Goddard defeated No. 2/8 Portales 51-47 on the road in the boys' opening round, while the girls' tourney became one big upset: the No. 3 and unranked Lady Bulldogs got a 40-37 victory over No. 2/9 Lovington in Wildcat Country, while earlier in the evening, No. 4/14 Goddard knocked off No. 1/8 Portales at the RAC, 60-51.

Needless to say, the Runnin' 'Dogs were well aware Tuesday at Bulldog Pit that, regardless of record of past outcomes, they could not look past D4 last-place Lovington. And to their credit, they did not, taking an early lead in the contest and steadily building on it as they powered to a 68-33 win.

The boys in orange held the Wildcats to single-digit scoring in all but one quarter in the contest while -- with the exception of a slow second -- putting on an offensive clinic of their own. As has become their trademark, the Bulldogs spread the scoring around as well, with three athletes finishing in double digits and nine members of the 12-man roster posting at least two points.

PICTURED: Tootie McNeil goes up with an offensive board and draws the foul with two minutes to go in the first half.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

Trent Egeland got the ball rolling before an enthusiastic crowd at Bulldog Pit, crashing the offensive boards off the opening tip and putting one back for two. From there, the Artesia boys logged three buckets to every one of the 'Cats' to take a 19-8 lead out of the first quarter. Cael Houghtaling scored on a give-and-go with Clay Kincaid on an inbound pass under the basket, Braylon Vega scored on a steal and breakaway layup, and Charlie Campbell got a fast-break layup in transition to make it 8-2. Campbell then drained a trey with just over three minutes to go in the period and Corbyn Dominguez notched an offensive putback before Kincaid hit two from the free-throw line and Houghtaling knocked down a three of his own with three seconds on the clock.

Both teams were racking up a significant number of turnovers in the first half, with help from the officials, and that contributed to the inauspicious second quarter. Neither team would get on the board in the first two minutes, and after Lovington's Elijah Rivero made a pair from the stripe, he'd log the period's first field goal, as well, three-and-a-half minutes later. Artesia didn't deliver their first bucket until the 2:09 mark, with Campbell sinking another trey. A successful and-one by McNeil and a putback on the 'Dogs' second offensive board at the buzzer by Egeland would round out the Bulldogs' scoring in the quarter, as their lead remained 11 at the break, 27-16.

The boys in orange would make up for lost time in the third, however. Vega popped a three first rattle out of the box, and an Egeland dunk with just under seven minutes to go kicked off a 13-2 run for Artesia that included two more buckets from Egeland, one by Kincaid, and four free throws from Campbell. Egeland's second slam of the quarter and Jack Byers' first would bookend drives to the hoop by Vega and Campbell to send the 'Dogs into the fourth up 52-26.

PICTURED: Trent Egeland with his second dunk of the game.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

An old-fashioned three-point play and a left-handed layup by Kincaid saw the Bulldogs' lead approaching the 30-point margin, and with Lovington struggling from the field, back-to-back buckets by Vega and another putback from Egeland had Artesia up 63-31 with 4:02 left in the game. A Derrick Warren three bomb with just over three minutes to go set the mercy-rule clock in motion, 66-31, and -- following two from the stripe by Warren -- Mario Alba would manage the 'Cats' second basket of the period as time ran out to round out the 68-33 final.

Rivero was high point for the Wildcats with 18, while Campbell closed out with 15, Egeland with 14, and Vega with 13 for the Bulldogs.

Meanwhile, with eight minutes of basketball to go in their D4 Tournament opening-round game in Lovington, the Lady Bulldogs were down by one to the host Lady Wildcats, 28-27, and facing an uncomfortable scenario. Unranked in the Class 4A Top 15 coaches' poll released Tuesday and sitting at 17th in the class on MaxPreps, those eight minutes could well have been all that was left in the season for the Artesia girls.

But the Lady Bulldogs had something to say about that.

It started with a pull-up jumper by Brooklyn Fuentes that put the Lady 'Dogs up by one, 29-28, and Ashton Craft took the lead over the two-shot margin with a three-pointer. The Lady Wildcats were able to tie things up midway through on a jumper and a pair from the free-throw line by senior Ashelynn Borunda, and a freebie apiece from Jenna Whitmire and Gracen Kuykendall countered a Zoe Blackwill layup to reinstate the deadlock at 34-all with 3:09 remaining in the game.

But Jordan Rone was able to find a wide-open Whitmire streaking to the basket for a transition layup, and as the contest fell under a minute-and-a-half, Craft answered a Blackwill free throw with an offensive putback that made it 38-35 Artesia. The next minute would consist of a string of misses as both teams battled to gain the upper hand, but with 20 seconds left, a free throw from Craft bumped the Artesia girls' lead to four, 39-35. Lovington's 6'6" senior center Abbi Shouse, whom the Lady Bulldogs had held to just four points to that juncture, put back an offensive board to bring the 'Cats back within two, 39-37, with nine seconds on the clock, but one of two from the stripe by Fuentes four seconds later meant Lovington would need a three to tie. Borunda's attempt at the buzzer came up short, leaving the Lady Bulldogs to celebrate both the 40-37 victory over the district's second-ranked and classification's ninth-ranked team and the news that they'd be hosting the D4 Tournament championship following Goddard's win over Portales.

Unlike Artesia's previous two meetings with Lovington, which saw the girls in orange fall into early holes that left them playing catch-up, the Lady Bulldogs hung with the 'Cats throughout Tuesday. Scoring came at a premium for both teams, but Borunda did the bulk of it. The senior scored all eight of Lovington's points in the first quarter, with a 6-0 run by Artesia -- which included a jumper and a layup by Fuentes and a Kuykendall shot off the glass -- in between keeping the Lady Bulldogs within a shot, 8-6, going into the second.

The 'Cats were able to expand their lead to nine early on, with Shouse putting one up in the paint and Borunda following with a jump shot and an old-fashioned three-point play. A long baseline jumper by Avery Frederick, a Kuykendall putback, and a perimeter bucket from Zaleigh Greer pulled Artesia back within three, however, and -- after Borunda hit two from the stripe with just over a minute remaining in the half -- a Greer trey and a Whitmire basket off the offensive boards knotted the game at 17-all at the break.

As she did throughout the second season, the senior Whitmire stepped up to keep Lovington from pulling away in the third quarter. A solo 6-0 run that consisted of a breakaway layup off the steal and two rebounds and coast-to-coast layups put the Lady 'Dogs up 23-19 midway through the period. Whitmire then answered seven points by Borunda with another steal at half-court and a layup, and that -- combined with a running jumper by Craft, a Rone steal, and a turnover forced by a Rone-Desiray Savoie trap in the full-court press -- kept Artesia within the striking distance they needed to secure the win.

Borunda led all scorers on the night with 27, while Whitmire finished with 13 and a double-double for the Lady Bulldogs.

PICTURED: The Lady Bulldogs congratulate one another following their win in Lovington.

STAT BOX

Artesia boys 68
Lovington 33

Artesia (21-5, 6-1): Charlie Campbell 4, 5-9 15; Trent Egeland 7, 0-0 14; Braylon Vega 5, 2-6 13; Clay Kincaid 3, 3-3 9; Cael Houghtaling 2, 0-2 5; Derrick Warren 1, 2-2 5; Tootie McNeil 1, 1-1 3; Jack Byers 1, 0-0 2; Corbyn Dominguez 1, 0-0 2
Totals: 25, 13-23 68

Lovington (5-22, 1-6): Elijah Rivero 6, 5-6 18; JoJo Perez 2, 0-0 4; Miguel Perez 2, 0-0 4; Manny Perez 1, 0-0 3; Mario Alba 1, 0-0 2; Kingston Goodrich 1, 0-0 2; Chase Terrell 0, 0-2 0
Totals: 13, 5-8 33

Field Goals: Artesia 25; Lovington 13
Three-Pointers: Artesia 5 (Campbell 2, Houghtaling 1, Vega 1, Warren 1); Lovington 2 (Ma. Perez 1, Rivero 1)
Free Throws: Artesia 13-23 (57%); Lovington 5-8 (63%)
Turnovers: Artesia 18; Lovington 15
Fouls: Artesia 13; Lovington 15
Fouled Out: None

Artesia girls 40
Lovington 37

Artesia (14-12, 3-4): Jenna Whitmire 6, 1-4 13; Ashton Craft 3, 1-2 8; Brooklyn Fuentes 3, 1-2 7; Zaleigh Greer 2, 0-0 5; Gracen Kuykendall 2, 1-6 5; Avery Frederick 1, 0-0 2
Totals: 17, 4-14 40

Lovington (19-8, 4-3): Ashelynn Borunda 7, 13-14 27; Abbi Shouse 3, 0-0 6; Zoe Blackwill 1, 1-2 3; Leslie Corral 0, 1-2 1
Totals: 11, 15-18 37

Field Goals: Artesia 17; Lovington 11
Three-Pointers: Artesia 2 (Craft 1, Greer 1); Lovington 0
Free Throws: Artesia 4-14 (29%); Lovington 15-18 (83%)
Turnovers: Artesia 23; Lovington 25
Fouls: Artesia 16; Lovington 15
Fouled Out: None

AHS SWIMMING

PICTURED: Members of the Bulldog and Lady Bulldog swim teams representing Artesia at the State Swim Meet pose for a photo with their coaches.
(All Photos Courtesy Andrea Ciro)

Another record-breaking season for the Artesia High School swim program culminated Feb. 20-21 at the State Swim Meet in Albuquerque -- as did the high school career of one of the City of Champions' most prolific swimmers in decades.

A total of 11 Bulldog and Lady Bulldog swimmers took to the water Friday in the preliminary round at the Albuquerque Academy Natatorium, with 10 of those advancing to Saturday's finals. In a sport that combines all classifications in competition, the Lady Bulldogs placed 10th overall as a team out of a field of 30 and the Bulldogs 16th.

Artesia qualified for the medals final races -- which requires swimming one of the top-eight times in prelims -- in three events this year. Senior Aidan Ciro, with respective times of 51.80 and 21.74, qualified for the championship finals in two of those events -- the 100-yard butterfly and 50-yard freestyle -- while the Lady 'Dogs were represented in the championship swim by the 200-yard medley relay team of Johanna Padilla, Morgan Fisher, Sarah Plotner and Carly DeHoyos, who swam a 2:00.94 on Friday.

Ciro, who was also a member of all three boys' relay teams to compete at state, had his pick of individual events, having qualified for an incredible seven over the course of the 2025-26 season. He set aside the 100 and 200 freestyles, 200 individual medley, and 100 backstroke and breaststroke in favor of the two events in which he'd placed fourth as a junior in 2024-25: the 50 free and 100 butterfly. Having achieved a top-eight time amongst a field of 25 in the 50 free prelims, Ciro repeated last year's feat of placing among the top five swimmers in the state, coming in fourth with a time of 21.83. That mark was just over three-tenths of a second off the third-place time, but Ciro would get his bronze in the very next event, swimming a 51.83 to finish third in New Mexico in the 100 butterfly.

PICTURED: Above, Aidan Ciro poses on the starting block with his 100-yard butterfly bronze medal. Below, Ciro is pictured with both his bronze and 50-yard freestyle fourth-place medal.

The girls' 200 medley relay final was a competitive race, particularly for places two through sixth. And while the Lady Bulldogs weren't able to breach that group, they swam a solid 2:01.42 for eighth in a field that contained four Class 5A schools. Three of Artesia's five remaining relay teams swam in Saturday's consolation finals, all posting impressive results. The boys' 200 freestyle group of Ciro, Javier Rodriguez, Joziah Murdoch and Alec Ciro -- who had just missed qualifying for the medals final -- won that event's consolation swim with a first-place (ninth overall) time of 1:35.06. Finishing as runners-up (10th overall) in the consolation finals were the girls' 200 freestyle team of Fisher, Padilla, Plotner and London Acosta with a time of 1:48.54 and the 400 free relay group -- which also just missed the medal final -- of Padilla, DeHoyos, Plotner and Anikah Wisen with a 1:48.54. The boys' 200 medley relay team of Alec Ciro, Murdoch, Rodriguez and Chaz Rogers finished 18th in Friday's prelims with a 1:52.69, and the boys' 400 free relay team was unfortunately disqualified in their preliminary swim.

PICTURED: At top, the girls' 200 medley relay team of, clockwise from top left, Johanna Padilla, Sarah Plotner, Carly DeHoyos and Morgan Fisher show off their eighth-place medals. Above, the Lady Bulldogs' relay swimmers -- from left, London Acosta, Anikah Wisen, Padilla, Fisher, Plotner and DeHoyos -- pose for a photo alongside the pool at the Albuquerque Academy Natatorium. Below, the boys' 200 freestyle relay team of, from left, Aidan Ciro, Joziah Murdoch, Javier Rodriguez and Alec Ciro pose for a photo following their consolation final-winning swim. At bottom, the Bulldogs' relay swimmers pose for a photo at poolside: from left, Alec Ciro, Rodriguez, Aidan Ciro, Chaz Rogers and Murdoch.

Artesia was also represented in the consolation finals by Fisher, who advanced out of the preliminary round in both the girls' 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke. Fisher came in an impressive second (10th overall) in the breaststroke -- after missing the medals final by just four-tenths of a second -- on Saturday with a time of 1:12.13 and placed fourth in the consolation race (12th overall) for the 200 IM with a 2:25.58. The program's remaining individual state swimmers closed out their seasons on Friday, with Murdoch placing 18th in the boys' 100 butterfly with a time of 58.17 and Plotner finishing 24th in the girls' 100 freestyle with a 59.27.

The Bulldogs will bid farewell this season to three key senior swimmers in Aidan Ciro, Alec Ciro and Rodriguez, while the Lady Bulldogs will lose two -- Plotner and Aylin Yescas -- to graduation. But while those departures will be felt, the program returns a host of talent for 2026-27. Rogers, Padilla and Wisen will be back as senior leaders, while Morgan was just a sophomore this year and Murdoch, DeHoyos and Acosta only freshmen, meaning the future is once again looking bright for Artesia's "Water 'Dogs."

PICTURED: Above, Aidan Ciro is shown preparing for his races at the State Swim Meet. Below, the Lady Bulldogs get ready to compete in the medley relay final. At bottom, Ciro poses with his state medals and his mother, AHS head swim coach Andrea Ciro.

AHS WRESTLING

PICTURED: Leila Irvin, left, and Edel Villa pose with their fifth-place medals following the State Wrestling Tournament at the Rio Rancho Event Center.

The New Mexico State Wrestling Tournament is definitely not for the squeamish. On scattered mats across the floor of the Rio Rancho Event Center, wrestlers compete on the biggest stage to the sounds of cheers from their supporters and shouts of encouragement from coaches. To keep the matches moving, competitors are marched out seconds before their next bout begins; no sooner do they leave the mat than the next pair is ushered onto it. Nerves are pinging, energy is it a fever pitch, and everyone is just fighting to get to that next round. Advancement alone is no mean feat; placing among the medal winners is an achievement to be singularly proud of -- and the Artesia High School program came home Feb. 21 with two in tow.

Senior Edel Villa and freshman Leila Irvin did the City of Champions proud at the state event, moving out of the Friday, Feb. 20, opening rounds and into Saturday's championship brackets. And while both would come up short in the state quarterfinal rounds, they'd battle on from there, placing fifth overall in the boys' 175-pound and girls' 145-pound divisions, respectively.

Villa kicked off his state run in the boys' Class A-4A tournament Friday with a win over Chaparral's Armando Quezada, taking the match by fall at 1:25. In a tough call in his quarterfinal against Damion Gomez of Belen, however, Villa was ruled pinned at 1:27, moving him into the consolation bracket. There, he took his Round Two match over Shiprock's Kameron Simpson (F - 2:26) to advance to the tournament's second day.

Irvin, meanwhile, was busy in the gamut that is the girls' tournament -- which combines all classifications, A-5A -- taking her opening-round bout over Makayla Chavez of Grants by fall at 3:15. She'd run into some tough competition in the quarters, however, in the form of 5A Rio Grande's Glamour Rodriguez, who'd go on to finish third in the tournament. Rodriguez was able to defeat Irvin by fall at 2:54, but Irvin would also rebound to take her Consolation Round Two match over Santa Teresa's Abigail Banuelos (F-2:34) to also earn a return trip to the event center on Saturday.

The two Artesia wrestlers opened Day Two with wins in the third round of consolation wrestling. Villa made quick work of Raton's Jayden Padilla, getting the pin at 1:14, while Irvin also scored a quick win over Genevieve Tapia of Volcano Vista at 1:00. It was on to the Consolation Semifinals from there, where the two would once again run into a pair of significant challenges. Villa fought valiantly against Donald Wofford of Cobre but took the loss by decision, 8-3, sending him into the fifth-place match. That was also Irvin's destination, as she battled hard against another 5A opponent -- Las Cruces High's Jacky Castille -- but was defeated by fall at 2:12.

With distinction as top-five wrestlers in New Mexico on the line, Villa and Irvin showed the state what they were made of. Villa found himself squaring off once again with the wrestler who'd topped him in the quarterfinals -- Belen's Gomez -- and this time went to the mat like a warrior to leave no doubt, securing the fifth-place medal by 10-8 decision. Irvin, meanwhile, found herself opposite one of the 5A Hobbs Lady Eagles who'd left Artesia scoreless in a Jan. 20 dual. Annika Villanueva had also wrestled in a higher weight class in that early competition, but Irvin rose to the occasion, pinning Villanueva at 2:28 to claim her fifth-place medal.

Artesia took two more competitors to this year's state event who also competed hard but were eliminated Friday. Senior Daniel Madrid fell in his opening-round match of the 165-pound weight class to Belen's Tristan Lopez by 14-11 decision, then came up short of Cole Moss of Valencia in the first round of consolation wrestling by fall at 2:41. Junior Colt Moziejko was caught off guard by Taos' Manuel Maes in his first-round match, falling at 49 seconds, but battled tooth and nail against Gallup's Quentin Spencer in Consolation Round One before being pinned at 3:38.

The age gap between Artesia's two fifth-place medalists was a perfect example of senior leadership showing up and youth stepping up, and the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs have the latter in spades. The 'Dogs will graduate just three seniors this May in Villa, Madrid and Briggs Beavers, while the Lady 'Dogs also lose just three in Mattie Smith, Pearl Bruton and Fatima Alonso. The Artesia girls will have all their 2026-27 returners back more than once, with no juniors, four sophomores, seven freshmen, and three eighth-graders on this year's roster. The boys will return their eight juniors, eight sophomores, 11 freshmen, and four eighth-graders.

PICTURED: At top and above, Leila Irvin listens to an official prior to the start of her Consolation Round Three match and wrestles against Las Cruces High's Jacky Castillo in the Consolation Semifinals. Below, Edel Villa wrestles Belen's Damion Gomez and walks off the mat following the fifth-place match.

AHS CHEER

Following Artesia cheer's big weekend at the Lea County Spirit Classic, the AHS junior varsity cheer squad and Park Junior High School cheerleaders hit the road again Monday, Feb. 16, for the Spirit in the South competition in Hobbs. Once again, Artesia's spirited up-and-comers came home to the City of Champions with hardware in hand, as the JV, pictured at top, took first place in Cheer with Music and second place in Game Day Cheer, while the Park cheerleaders, pictured above, finished third in Cheer with Music.

Next up for the varsity cheerleaders was the Spirit Xpress West (SXW) New Mexico Cheer and Spirit Competition Feb. 28 at Bernalillo High School, and while the squad, pictured below, didn't have quite the day they wanted, they still finished a solid fourth in Cheer with Music at the competitive event. Just one final competition now separates the Bulldog varsity cheerleaders from the March 21 New Mexico State Spirit Competition at The Pit in Albuquerque: this Saturday's Alamogordo Spirit Classic.

Following that event, the cheerleaders will present their state routine to the public at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, at Bulldog Pit. Fans are encouraged to be at the gym for their only chance to check out the routine on Artesia's home turf. The squad will also be honoring its seven senior members and selling prize raffle tickets at a cost of $2 each.

(Action Photos by Jessica Morgan)

AHS TENNIS

PICTURED: The Lady Bulldog and Bulldog tennis teams pose for a photo with their medals following the Alamogordo Invitational Feb. 27-28 in Alamogordo.

The Artesia High School varsity tennis teams ushered in the spring sports season in the City of Champions Feb. 27-28 at the Alamogordo Invitational.

The Lady Bulldogs had an excellent opening competition, coming in second place overall in the eight-team field to Espanola Valley and sweeping the doubles portion of the tournament with first-place finishes from the teams of Kirklyn and Breckyn Miller, and Adrienne Harvey and Abigail Jowers. In the Doubles 1 tournament, the Millers took their first-round match over Mayfield's Carina McCardle and Kelsey Gray in a pro set, 8-0, before defeating Maggie Collins and Ryan Tierney of Las Cruces High, 6-1, 6-1. In Doubles 2, Harvey and Jowers also took a match over Las Cruces, topping Kamryn Sanders and Tessa Wedekind 6-2, 6-2. The Lady 'Dogs also got fourth-place finishes from their first- and third-flight singles players. In Singles 1, Renee Irvin defeated Valerie Gonzalez of Mayfield in her pro-set opener, 8-4, and came up short of host Alamogordo's Talee Westover in the third-place match, 5-7, 2-6. Sadie Morris was defeated in the Singles 3 third-place bout by Mayfield's Camila Hernandez, 2-6, 6-7 (1-7).

On the boys' side, the Bulldogs placed fifth overall behind Organ Mountain, Alamogordo, NMMI and Mayfield, earning two silver medals and a bronze in the tournament. Finishing in the runner-up spots in flight-three singles and flight-two doubles, respectively, were Mateo Madrid and the team of Ediel Miranda and Adon Alva. Miranda and Alva opened with a pro-set victory over Las Cruces High's Carlos Parra and Trulen Hatley, 8-2, then defeated Alamo's Priyam Chevdawala and Daniel Bingham in the second round, 6-2, 6-2. That sent the duo to the championship match, where they were edged in a tie-breaker by Organ Mountain's Kamden Coombs and Emyr Sida, 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, (6-10). Madrid also fell to a Knight opponent in his Singles 3 championship appearance, losing in straight sets to Noah Silva, 0-6, 0-6. Placing third in Singles 2 was Paul Miller, who defeated Alamogordo's Ryan Amberson in his opener, 8-5, before dropping a battle with Sam Biad of Mayfield (3-6, 6-4, (9-11)) to move into the third-place match. No score was available for that bout.

Both teams return a trio of seniors this year: Kirklyn Miller, one-half of the Miller doubles duo that took fourth in the state in 2025, Harvey and Sadie Morris for the Lady Bulldogs, and for the Bulldogs, the doubles team of Damian Lopez and Cutter Summers, who fell in the state quarterfinals last year, along with Jackson Hollinger. Up next for the Artesia netters will be this weekend's Hobbs Invitational.

SPORTS TICKETING

Available online ticketing options for this week's scheduled sporting events:

Class 4A State Basketball
#2 Bulldogs vs. #15 Bloomfield
6 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at Bulldog Pit
Click here to purchase

Bulldog Baseball
vs. Grants
11 a.m. / 1 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at Brainard Park
Click here to purchase

JV Track and Field
Bulldog Relays
3 p.m. Thursday, March 5, at Bulldog Bowl/Morris Field
Click here to purchase