Prep football: 5A, 4A, 3A and 2A title games are Saturday; here's a preview
Roswell and Artesia will play each other for the 5A state crown for the third consecutive year. This year鈥檚 contest is Saturday at Bulldog Bowl in Artesia.
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It鈥檚 Thanksgiving Saturday, which means the curtain comes down on the 2025 prep football season. Following is a preview of the Class 5A, 4A, 3A and 2A title games (the Journal will preview the 6A final online Friday and in print Saturday):
Class 5A
No. 2 ROSWELL (9-3) at No. 1 ARTESIA (11-1), 1 p.m. Saturday: There鈥檚 not a single combination of day and place more special on New Mexico鈥檚 prep football landscape than Bulldog Bowl on a championship Saturday, and here we are again, with the district rivals squaring off in the final for the third year in a row.
Roswell is the defending champion; Artesia won the regular-season district battle 42-28 after jumping out to a 21-0 lead with running back Bryce Parra and receiver Jack Byers both doing early damage for the Bulldogs.
Coyotes coach Jeff Lynn already is on record saying this is the most talented Artesia team he has faced, so the onus falls to his group to bridge the gap in this rematch.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 get down like we did in the first game,鈥� Lynn said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to be able to control the ball and keep our defense off the field.鈥�
That means getting the Bulldogs鈥� offensive assets under control. Artesia quarterback Derrick Warren (2,605 passing yards, 37 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 64% completions) has provided Artesia the same great QB play the program has come to expect. Parra (1,217 yards, 17 TDs) sparks the ground attack. Senior Trent Egeland (15 of his 47 receptions have gone for touchdowns) and Byers (38 catches, nine TDs).
For Roswell, QB Luke Lynn is coming off a 315-yard, three-TD game at Gadsden. He鈥檚 thrown for almost 2,000 yards this season with 17 scores and just three interceptions. He also has rushed for more touchdowns (13) than anyone else on the team.
Sophomore Luis Rodriguez rushed for 272 yards in the semifinals for Roswell, and has gained 950 yards for the season in just eight games.
鈥�(In our district) you play multiple teams multiple times, so it鈥檚 make sure we give them our best every opportunity we play them,鈥� Bulldogs coach Jeremy Maupin said of Saturday鈥檚 showdown. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 harder when you win that first game.鈥�
Artesia and its huge senior class of nearly 40 (nearly every starter is a senior), Maupin said, must remain the pacesetter.
鈥淥ur message in the playoffs, instead of being the hunted, we want to be the hunter,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e want to be the aggressor; the aggressiveness is what has got us here.鈥�
Artesia is coming off a close 35-30 semifinal win over Lovington, a game in which the Wildcats forced the Bulldogs into a few turnovers.
But Lynn didn鈥檛 hint that anything outrageously new was in the works for Saturday.
鈥淢inor tweaks,鈥� he said. 鈥淒on鈥檛 get away from what you do.鈥�
Class 4A
No. 1 BLOOMFIELD (11-1) at No. 2 ST. PIUS (10-1), 1 p.m. Saturday, Nusenda Community Stadium: Of the five championship games this weekend, it is possible none of them may prove as tight as this one, as 4A鈥檚 top two teams, who have been on a collision course since this season kicked off, settle the 4A postseason bracket on sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 West Side.
And this one practically screams shootout, as these are 4A鈥檚 two highest-scoring teams. Bloomfield averages 55.4 points, St. Pius averages 43.1 points.
鈥淚t鈥檚 gonna be exciting on both sides of the ball,鈥� Bloomfield coach Mike Kovacs said. 鈥淚 have a feeling this is gonna go all four quarters.鈥�
These teams were tied at halftime in the final a year ago, but the Bobcats dominated the second half en route to a 62-28 victory in the Four Corners.
鈥淭o come back and see them again this year, it鈥檚 like a get-back game,鈥� St. Pius junior quarterback Isaiah Carpenter said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e a great team, they鈥檝e been dominating all season. It鈥檚 good to see them again, the two best teams in 4A, being able to dawg it out one more time.鈥�
Where will the difference come Saturday? A late turnover? A clutch defensive stop? Both defenses are sure to be under consistent duress. Could be the team with the ball last wins.
There is firepower aplenty. Bloomfield quarterback Manual 鈥淧eanut鈥� Chavarria has enjoyed a brilliant season, throwing for more than 3,250 yards with 48 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Chavarria and senior Peyton Duncan both have rushed for a dozen scores and lead the team in rushing yards. Duncan鈥檚 rushing total (755), in particular, is about 600 yards less than his junior season, but that is partly because of the Bobcats鈥� increasing his presence in the passing game.
Kaleb Hutchens (51/1,125/16 TDs) is the alpha among the Bloomfield receiving corps.
The volume of St. Pius weapons has been well documented, and for good reason.
Carpenter has tossed for nearly 2,200 yards with 27 TDs and nine picks. Junior tailback Hershul Olloway Jr., not just 4A鈥檚 top back, but one of the top five running backs in any class, has gained 1,786 yards and scored 27 touchdowns through 11 games.
Cayl Cox-Liggins, a junior who had three scores in a semifinal win over Chaparral, is the top receiver with 55 catches for 986 yards and 11 TDs. Curtis Flakes III 鈥� who also is the team鈥檚 shutdown cornerback on what has been an opportunistic defense 鈥� has 20 grabs for over 500 yards and six scores.
The Sartans last won state in 2016.
鈥淲e wanted to not just make it to the state championship game, we want to win a title,鈥� said St. Pius coach Curtis Flakes. 鈥淲e switched the way we talked about it (after last season鈥檚 championship game).鈥�
St. Pius鈥� only defeat came to sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Academy. Piedra Vista, a 6A team, handed Bloomfield its only setback.
鈥淲e鈥檙e super excited for the opportunity to play against Bloomfield,鈥� coach Flakes said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been a dominant 4A powerhouse the last few years, and we really want that spot.鈥�
Class 3A
No. 1 ST. MICHAEL鈥橲 (12-0) at No. 2 DEXTER (10-1), 1 p.m. Saturday: Every one of 3A鈥檚 best teams have shot their shot this fall against this vaunted Horsemen defense 鈥� everyone but the Demons, who square off with St. Mike鈥檚 in the 3A final for the second consecutive Thanksgiving weekend 鈥� and none of them had any success.
St. Michael鈥檚 has won 32 games in a row and is going after a third championship in as many seasons, and has two dozen players returning from the team that beat Dexter 28-26 in Santa Fe 12 months ago.
This matchup offers some pure mano-a-mano action: a physical and power running team like Dexter, which averages nearly 280 rush yards per game, led by senior Garet Gonzalez (1,148 yards, 20 TDs), against a physical and relentless defense like the Horsemen which is constructed to stop the run and led by end Ryan Hunt and middle linebacker Pete Johnson.
鈥淭his is one of the best defenses we鈥檝e played,鈥� Dexter coach Sonny Duran said. So what is the solution? 鈥淭he biggest thing is, do what we鈥檙e good at, and we鈥檙e good at running the ball. Our O-line will have to handle them up front.鈥�
In Dexter鈥檚 one loss, to 4A Grants, Dexter threw it over 30 times and that does not play to the Demons鈥� strength, Duran said.
But St. Michael鈥檚 presents an especially complex challenge. The Horsemen have only given up 71 points in 12 games (not even six per game), and only one team 鈥� 4A sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Academy 鈥� scored more than 8 points. Nobody has played St. Michael鈥檚 closer than 22 points.
鈥淥ur job is to make sure we dominate the time of possession and limit their possessions,鈥� Duran said.
St. Mike鈥檚 coach Joey Fernandez is all too aware.
鈥淭hey do have a physical line and some real physical backs,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t takes two, three people to bring them down.鈥�
Defense is not all St. Michael鈥檚 does well. The Horsemen鈥檚 offense has been stellar, averaging over 44 points. St. Mike鈥檚 gained close to 700 yards, a school record, in last week鈥檚 semifinal win over New Mexico Military Institute.
Senior running back Isaiah Dominguez ran for 272 yards (a season high) on just eight carries last week, and is close to 1,100 yards for the season with 21 touchdowns. Senior quarterback Kamal Stith has been one of the state鈥檚 top dual-threat QBs, throwing for 34 scores while rushing for an additional 15, and he鈥檚 active in the Horsemen ground attack.
鈥淲e know there鈥檚 a lot riding on (Saturday),鈥� Fernandez said. 鈥淥ur main goal is not winning the blue trophy, it鈥檚 playing the best 48 minutes we can. They have nothing to lose and we have a lot to lose.鈥�
Class 2A
No. 3 EUNICE (8-3) at No. 1 TEXICO (9-2), 1 p.m. Saturday: If there is a major new wrinkle to be found in any of these four games Saturday, it can be found here, with the top-seeded Wolverines, who are chasing a third straight blue trophy.
When Texico came from behind in the second half to beat Eunice 42-34 in October, outscoring the Cardinals 21-6 after halftime, sophomore Cross Figg was quarterbacking the team. He rushed for 174 yards and threw for 194 yards (and four TDs) in the win.
But the season starter, and the 2024 starter, 6-foot-4 senior Bennett Wahlen, who went down early in the opener against Santa Rosa with a separated shoulder injury, returned in the regular season finale against Tularosa and has QB鈥檇 the Wolverines through their first two playoff games.
And now Texico can have them both on the field, complicating things for the Eunice defense.
鈥淲e can run any play with either one of them,鈥� Texico coach Bob Gilbreath said. And these two combined can fill multiple positions: QB, tight end, running back or wide receiver.
Figg remains a most dangerous weapon, with 1,668 rushing yards (averaging over 150 yards a game) and 19 touchdowns, and this is a run-first offense that will throw in selective spots.
And when they throw, there is a definite advantage on the perimeter with Texico鈥檚 big pair of 6-2 receivers, senior Maverick Hawkins and sophomore Nate Autrey. Figg will also play some receiver, as will Jett Curtis and Jaheim Moses.
On the other side is Eunice鈥檚 prolific senior QB, Elijah Melancon (2,648 pass yards, 38 touchdowns, six interceptions), who did throw two of his picks in the regular-season game versus Texico.
Greyson Meek (811 yards, 11 scores) and Melancon (684/10) lead the ground game for the Cardinals.
鈥淚 think they will be ready,鈥� Eunice coach Greg Jackson said. 鈥淚 told them, and it鈥檚 true, that it鈥檚 a really impressive accomplishment to make to the state championship game. So they have to be focused, they have to be prepared.鈥�
Key for the Cardinals, Jackson said, is limiting Texico鈥檚 big plays on offense and trying to force a couple of turnovers, both of which were factors, he said, in the 42-34 setback. Eunice averages 51 points a game; Texico only gives up, on average, about 17 per game.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 execute with enough physicality,鈥� Jackson said. 鈥�(This game), it鈥檚 just about being the better version of ourselves. And we weren鈥檛 the first time.鈥�
