PICTURED: The 2025 Bulldog football team gathers around as head coach Jeremy Maupin delivers his post-game speech Saturday at Wildcat Stadium in Lovington.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
Every team knows that, at one point or another in the playoffs, you're going to have to get past No. 1.
Maybe it'll be in the most dramatic of fashions: the championship game, with all the marbles and an entire season's worth of goals on the line. Or maybe it'll be en route to that final test -- when it's win or exit with unfinished business, when you have the opportunity to play that most coveted of roles in sports: giant-killer.
Lovington could sense the moment hanging in the air over the blue turf of Wildcat Stadium Saturday, and for four full quarters, the Wildcats did everything in their power to seize it. But the Artesia Bulldogs did exactly what champions must in those situations: They forgot the mistakes as soon as they happened, they fought harder through the adversity, they refused to concede the momentum. And when it mattered most, they did the job.
Everyone involved knew Saturday's Class 5A State Semifinal would not be a repeat of the Bulldogs' 56-23 district win over the Wildcats Sept. 26 at Bulldog Bowl. For starters, Lovington's workhorse quarterback, Jayden Gutierrez, saw limited playing time in that outing due to injury. Combine that with two months' worth of improvement, intense planning, and that special sort of pressure only the playoffs bring to the table and most in the state were expecting the top-ranked 'Dogs and No. 4 'Cats to... well, fight like themselves.
But this particular semi exceeded all expectations. There was never a true turning point in the contest. No lead was comfortable, no amount of time -- save the final 50 seconds of play -- was too little, and neither squad ever had the luxury of catching its breath. As tests go, it was a doozy, and the boys in orange passed: 35-30.
PICTURED: Bryce Parra hits the end zone following a 63-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7 in the opening quarter.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
The game was by no means a characteristic one for the Bulldogs. Mistakes were made in all phases. Artesia committed a trio of turnovers on the afternoon, gave up more than 400 yards of offense to the Wildcats, and attempted just eight passes in the first half, completing one. But despite a difficult opening 24 minutes, the 'Dogs trailed by just three at the half, 17-14, and were finally able to take control in the final quarters.
The 'Cats were able to stymie Artesia's ground game in the opening drive, forcing a quick three and out and securing excellent field position to boot at the Bulldog 47. A 29-yard sprint by Gutierrez on third down took Lovington to first and goal, and the QB would cover the final seven yards of the series as well to give the Wildcats the lead, 7-0. The Bulldogs' initial opportunity to respond was cut short by an interception on their second play, with senior corner Elijah Rivero picking the ball at the Lovington 38 and returning it to the Bulldog 39. The Artesia defense was able to halt the ensuing drive on downs, however, and the offense would finally come barreling into the game on their first play from scrimmage, which saw Bryce Parra explode up the middle and split his only pair of would-be tacklers before speeding 63 yards to the end zone to tie the game with 3:45 to go in the first quarter.
The Orange Crush would quickly put the ball back in Artesia's hands, with defensive lineman Ivan Chavez wrangling Gutierrez for no gain on first down and linebacker Miguel Soto tackling him for a loss on second. But a turnover on downs gave Lovington the chance to take the lead, and they'd do so on a 27-yard pass from Gutierrez to Paul Sanchez on fourth and four. The celebration would be short lived, however, as Parra took the subsequent kick out of the starburst and proceeded to put on a show, making the Wildcat special teams look as if they'd been thrown into slow motion on an 87-yard, untouched return that reinstated the deadlock, 14-14, just 15 seconds later.
PICTURED: Trent Egeland receives a Derrick Warren 26-yard pass for a touchdown.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
From there, the two teams would twice trade punts, and it looked as though the tie would hold at the half. But with 23 seconds remaining on the clock, what appeared to be an athletic diving interception by safety Charlie Campbell was ruled an incomplete pass, and on a Lovington punt from the Artesia 48, the ball struck a Bulldog in the back, returning it to the 'Cats at the 17-yard line. With four seconds to go, Lovington kicker Caleb Aranda was able to attempt a 34-yard field goal, which he made to break a school record for most field goals made in a single season.
The Bulldogs would waste no time erasing their deficit as the third quarter began. After the Crush forced a punt from the Lovington 15, Artesia needed just three plays to score on what would be quarterback Derrick Warren's 10th passing attempt of the day to that point. The senior dropped the ball into the basket for receiver Trent Egeland from the 26-yard line to give the 'Dogs their first lead of the bout, 21-17, with 8:24 to go in the third. The Wildcats were able to reclaim their three-point edge a minute later when Gutierrez used a block and a hold in the open field to leg out a 78-yard touchdown run. But the 'Dogs would go back up by four, 28-24, before quarter's end on a three-yard pass from Warren to Egeland, who pivoted away from his defender in the end zone to make the wide-open catch.
What followed was a frustrating 15 minutes for the Artesia offense and a harried quarter-hour for the defense. After the Orange Crush forced a Wildcat punt from midfield, the Bulldogs would fumble just three plays into their final series of the third, setting the 'Cats up at the Artesia 46. With help from a batted-down pass by Soto, a snag of Gutierrez for a loss by Corbyn Dominguez, and two consecutive tackles for no gain from Daelon Pacheco and Chavez, the defense would again put the ball back in Artesia's hands, only to return to the field four plays later following Rivero's second interception of the game. The Crush would come through in the clutch one more time, however, when -- on fourth and one from the Bulldog 37-yard line -- Marco Soto swatted a Gutierrez pass attempt to the turf to force a turnover on downs. And this time, Artesia would capitalize on the opportunity, as Warren delivered a screen pass to Jack Byers, who bolted between simultaneous blocks by Egeland and Briggs Beavers for a 46-yard score that made it 35-24 Artesia with 1:51 to go in the game.
PICTURED: Bryce Parra blows past Lovington's last hope, Caleb Aranda, during an untouched 87-yard kick return for a touchdown to re-tie the game at 14-all.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
Gutierrez was by no means throwing in the towel. The senior standout broke loose for a 22-yard run on third down before delivering a 42-yard pass over two defenders to WR Chase Terrell and connecting again with his classmate over the middle for a two-yard touchdown. But the 'Cats' conversion pass attempt was batted by Pacheco to leave the score at 35-30 with 55 seconds to go, and Lovington's ensuing onside kick attempt failed to bounce the required 10 yards, effectively ending the game.
Saturday's semifinal was an unusual one offensively for the Big Orange. With three of their possessions cut short by turnovers, four ending via three-and-out, and one never getting started thanks to Parra's KOR touchdown -- combined with the fact that three of Artesia's four touchdown drives consisted of five plays or less -- the Bulldogs finished with just 22 carries and 10 completed passes on the day for 136 and 164 yards, respectively. Parra finished 16-130 on the ground, going over the 100-yard mark on a 33-yard run early in the fourth quarter. Warren was 10 of 19 for 164 yards and three touchdowns, with Byers (2-57), Sawyer Whitehead (2-47) and Egeland (3-34) leading the receiving corps. Gutierrez did the Wildcat's share of Lovington's damage on the day, going 17-32 passing for 207 yards and two touchdowns and carrying the ball 23 times for 179 yards and a pair of scores. Lovington, which finishes its 2025 season with a record of 7-5, posted 437 offensive yards, 180 in the first half and 257 in the second.
With the victory, Artesia improves to 11-1 on the year and advances to the school's record 40th state championship appearance, where the 'Dogs will be seeking the program's 33rd title. For the third consecutive season, they'll be squaring off for the blue trophy with Roswell High, who defeated the Bulldogs in the championship game in 2024, 41-22, and fell to Artesia in 2023, 35-21. The second-ranked Coyotes had a hotly contested semifinal going with No. 6 Gadsden going Saturday in Anthony, trailing the Panthers 10-7 at the half and leading by just four, 21-17, going into the fourth, but RHS pulled away in the end for a 35-17 win.
The 2025 Class 5A State Championship will be staged at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29, at Bulldog Bowl. Per the NMAA, no cash ticket sales will be conducted. All tickets must be purchased online via Artesia's GoFan site. Prices, also set by the NMAA, are $12 for adults, $8 for students (K-12), seniors (65+), and the military.
PICTURED: Jack Byers smiles from the end zone following a 46-yard touchdown reception from Derrick Warren that made it 35-24 Bulldogs.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
STAT BOX
SCORING SUMMARY
FIRST QUARTER
Lovington- Jayden Gutierrez 7-run (Caleb Aranda kick good), 7:30
Artesia- Bryce Parra 63-run (Corbyn Dominguez kick good), 3:45
SECOND QUARTER
Lovington- Paul Sanchez 27-pass from Gutierrez (Aranda kick good), 8:10
Artesia- Parra 87-kick return (Dominguez kick good), 7:55
Lovington- Aranda 34-field goal, :04
THIRD QUARTER
Artesia- Trent Egeland 26-pass from Derrick Warren (Dominguez kick good), 8:24
Lovington- Gutierrez 78-run (Aranda kick good), 7:25
Artesia- Egeland 3-pass from Warren (Dominguez kick good), 4:52
FOURTH QUARTER
Artesia- Jack Byers 46-pass from Warren (Dominguez kick good), 1:51
Lovington- Chase Terrell 2-pass from Gutierrez (pass failed), :55
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING
Artesia- Parra 16-130; Warren 6-6
Lovington- Gutierrez 23-179; Zachary Diaz 10-36; Fidencio Lujan 6-15
PASSING
Artesia- Warren 10-19-164-3-2
Lovington- Gutierrez 17-32-207-2-0
RECEIVING
Artesia- Byers 2-57; Sawyer Whitehead 2-47; Egeland 3-34; Cael Houghtaling 1-11; Jett Fuentes 1-9; Cristian Pando 1-6
Lovington- Terrell 5-70; Elijah Rivero 4-58; Sanchez 3-43; Jude Madrid 3-22; Diaz 2-14
TEAM STATISTICS
FIRST DOWNS
Artesia 10; Lovington 13
RUSHING YARDS
Artesia 22-136; Lovington 39-230
PASSING YARDS
Artesia 164; Lovington 207
TOTAL YARDS
Artesia 300; Lovington 437
PENALTIES
Artesia 2-25; Lovington 9-70
TURNOVERS
Artesia 3; Lovington 0