BULLDOG BASKETBALL

PICTURED: The Bulldog basketball team poses for a photo with their City of Champions Classic second-place trophy and members of the 1994-95 Artesia squad following Saturday's championship game at the old boys' gym.
(Photo Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Basketball)

The Runnin' 'Dogs left it all on the vintage hardwood Saturday but came up short of Class 5A Hobbs in the end, falling 81-65 to the Eagles in the championship game of the 2024 City of Champions Classic.

Competing in a throwback game at the old boys' gym to honor the 30th anniversary of the 1994-95 Bulldogs' state championship season, Artesia gave the Eagles all they could handle in the opening quarters. After falling behind 5-2 early, the 'Dogs rode a charge by junior power forward Trent Egeland -- who followed a bucket-and-one with a jumper and a three-pointer -- to a 10-6 advantage. The squad then bumped their lead to 10, 16-6, while capping an 11-0 run with a jumper and a pair from the free-throw line by Braylon Vega and a shot off the glass from Tootie McNeil. The Eagles ended their four-minute drought with five points from Abraham Pena, but two from the stripe by Cael Houghtaling and a McNeil offensive putback saw the 'Dogs up by nine, 20-11, heading into the second.

That effort had the crowd on their feet in a second quarter that saw the boys in orange fighting tooth and nail to hold onto their lead. Charlie Campbell drove the lane for a layup and Egeland and Clay Kincaid delivered putbacks to keep Artesia up by nine midway through the quarter. A shot in the paint by Kincaid and a Vega trey made it 31-24 with time running out on the half, but Pena was able to put together five points for Hobbs in the final moments to make it a one-shot game at the break, 31-29.

PICTURED: Braylon Vega sails in for a layup past Hobbs' Jairus Turrubiates Saturday at the old boys' gym.
(Photo Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

PICTURED: Tootie McNeil gets behind the Hobbs defense for a shot off the glass.
(Photo Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

PICTURED: Clay Kincaid lofts a jumper over Hobbs 7-footer Parker Henderson.
(Photo Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

It was an impressive first-half effort from a team whose football-player-heavy roster had had just a few days to prepare for their season-opening home tournament. But unfortunately, the second half would belong to the more-experienced Eagles.

As the 'Dogs began to struggle with a bit of fatigue and a whole lot of turnovers, they were still able to maintain the advantage through the bulk of the third quarter with help from a pair of three's from Campbell, a jumper and four from the line by Vega, and a bucket by Kincaid. Hobbs would end the period with a 13-1 run, however, to take a 54-46 lead into the fourth. And after kicking off the final eight minutes with eight unanswered, the Eagles built a 16-point gap that Artesia was simply unable to bridge.

Vega posted a basket and a three and Kincaid a pair of buckets -- including a dunk -- and the 'Dogs had a shot apiece from Egeland, Campbell, Corbyn Dominguez and Jack Byers in the final six minutes of play. But Hobbs was able to hold its 16-point edge through the final horn, 81-65. Vega finished the contest with 18 points for Artesia, followed by Campbell with 13, Egeland with 12, and Kincaid with 10.

The City of Champions Classic runner-up finish and an opening mark of 2-1 are a solid start to a new campaign for the Bulldogs, who will now have a welcome week of practice time before their first road test at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, versus Valencia in Los Lunas. The Artesia boys dominated their tourney opener Thursday against Kirtland Central, 65-29, with Egeland and Campbell posting 14 and 13 points, respectively, and bested Los Lunas 46-29 in Friday's semifinals with help from 16 points from Vega.

Making the All-Tournament Team for the Bulldogs were Campbell and Vega.

The 1994-95 Runnin' 'Dogs, meanwhile -- along with then-head coach Bubba Jennings, his assistant coaches, and members of the '94-'95 APS administration -- received copies of a mayoral proclamation commemorating their historic state championship during halftime of Saturday's game. The squad was responsible for bringing Artesia's first basketball blue trophy back to Title Town.

The Bulldogs battled their way through the playoffs like only true champions could, coming back from a 10-point deficit in the final 55 seconds of their semifinal against Grants to win 73-72 en route to an 82-73 victory over six-time-defending champs Albuquerque Academy.

Thank you to these legendary Runnin' 'Dogs for the excitement they created and the pride they instilled in the Artesia Bulldog basketball program. It's great to be a Bulldog!

(Photo Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

LADY BULLDOG BASKETBALL

PICTURED: Kailee Padilla drives in for a shot as Hattie Harrison looks on during Artesia's game Friday against Alamogordo at Bulldog Pit.
(Photo Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

The Lady Bulldog basketball team got some invaluable early-season experience under their belts this weekend as they fought their way to a sixth-place finish in the 2024 City of Champions Classic.

Competing in just their second outing of the season and still working to integrate their state runner-up volleyball athletes, the Lady 'Dogs had an up-and-down outing against Goddard in Thursday morning's opener. A solid first quarter saw Artesia jump out to a 9-6 lead on five points from Ashton Craft and a bucket each by Jenna Whitmire and Hattie Harrison. The Lady Rockets were able to turn the tables prior to period's end, but a Kailee Padilla basket kept the girls in orange within one, 12-11, heading into the second. There, however, Goddard was able to reel off a whopping 31 points to expand their lead to 19 at the break, 43-24.

The Lady Bulldogs were able to hold the Rockets to eight points in the third while picking up 10 of their own on a shot in the paint and a bucket-and-one from Gracen Kuykendall, an Avery Frederick basket, and a 3-4 showing from the free-throw line by Whitmire. And on the legs of a furious defensive effort in the fourth, the girls in orange very nearly staged a comeback. Padilla opened the final eight minutes with six points and Craft with four to bring Artesia within eight, 53-45, with just under two minutes remaining. But while the Lady 'Dogs got one final basket from Whitmire, they were unable to convert from the stripe down the stretch, falling 54-47 and moving into the consolation half of the bracket.

There, they squared off with Class 5A Alamogordo in a contest that saw the Artesia girls improve their perimeter shooting, getting a pair of treys apiece from Craft and Harrison. The two squads were tied at 16-all after one complete, but the Lady Tigers were able to inch ahead by two, 27-25, by the half. The Lady Bulldogs would once again step up their defensive game in the final quarters, however, holding Alamo to 12 total points in the second half while posting 22 of their own for the 47-39 win. Whitmire led Artesia in scoring on the game with 13 points, followed by Harrison with 12 and Craft and Padilla with eight each.

PICTURED: Brooklyn Fuentes draws a foul from Roswell's Emma Esquivel as she goes up for a shot Saturday in the old boys' gym.
(Photo Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

The Lady 'Dogs came out strong Saturday morning in the fifth-place game at the old boys' gym, bounding out to an 8-7 lead over 5A Roswell High. But after a rash of turnovers in the second quarter, fatigue seemed to catch up with Artesia. The Lady Coyotes took full advantage, outscoring the girls in orange 18-5 in the second quarter to lead 25-13 at the break. And although the Lady Bulldogs played within one of Roswell in the third, Artesia struggled from the free-throw line, missing out on chances to cut into the Lady Coyotes' 13-point lead. Roswell would close things out with a 16-9 showing in the fourth for the 57-37 win.

Making the All-Tournament Team for the Lady Bulldogs were Whitmire and Padilla.

Artesia will head to the Albuquerque Academy tournament next weekend, where they'll open at 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12, against Class 5A Centennial.

AHS SWIMMING

The AHS swim teams compete at the Bob Reid Invite in Hobbs. Above, Aidan Ciro swims the breaststroke leg of the boys' 200-yard individual medley. Ciro won the event with a state-qualifying time of 2:04.07.
(Photos Courtesy Andrea Ciro)

In their first action since mid-November, the Lady Bulldog and Bulldog swim teams put on a show Saturday at the Bob Reid Invitational in Hobbs, taking first and second place, respectively, out of stacked fields of 12 and 11 teams.

The Artesia swimmers continued to log state qualifications in bulk while shaving significant chunks of time off their marks. State-qualifying times Saturday included:

• Girls' 200-Yard Medley Relay
- Artesia "A" (Johanna Padilla, Ann Greenwood, Addisyn Hartman, Sarah Plotner), 1st, 1:56.17
- Artesia "B" (London Acosta, Anikah Wisen, Morgan Fisher, Carly DeHoyos), 4th, 2:19.25
• Boys' 200 Medley Relay
- Artesia "A" (Layton Whitmire, Eli DeHoyos, Aidan Ciro, Andree Bautista), 1st, 1:45.05
• Girls' 200 Individual Medley
- Addisyn Hartman, 1st, 2:23.61
- Morgan Fisher, 2nd, 2:32.67
• Boys' 200 IM
- Aidan Ciro, 1st, 2:04.07
• Boys' 50 Freestyle
- Layton Whitmire, 2nd, 23.48
• Boys' 100 Butterfly
- Aidan Ciro, 1st, 52.96
• Boys' 100 Freestyle
- Eli DeHoyos, 1st, 50.16
• Girls' 500 Freestyle
- Sarah Plotner, 1st, 5:47.31
• Girls' 100 Backstroke
- Johanna Padilla, 1st, 1:04.92
• Girls' 100 Breaststroke
- Ann Greenwood, 1st, 1:09.08
• Boys' 100 Breaststroke
- Eli DeHoyos, 1st, 1:04.32
• Girls' 400 Freestyle Relay
- Artesia "A" (Addisyn Hartman, Johanna Padilla, Ann Greenwood, Sarah Plotner), 1st, 3:55.32
• Boys' 400 Freestyle Relay
- Artesia "A" (Andree Bautista, Layton Whitmire, Eli DeHoyos, Aidan Ciro), 1st, 3:27.94

Other results included:

• Girls' 200 Freestyle
- Sarah Plotner, 2nd, 2:07.56
• Boys' 200 Freestyle
- Javier Rodriguez, 5th, 2:09.75
• Girls' 50 Freestyle
- Anikah Wisen, 5th, 29.18
- Tynlee Whitmire, 16th, 33.59
- Ella Thomas, 22nd, 38.56
- Evelyn Yeager, 25th, 41.22
• Boys' 50 Freestyle
- Andree Bautista, 4th, 23.86
- Chaz Rogers, 23rd, 30.59
• Boys' 100 Butterfly
- Andree Bautista, 3rd, 1:03.65
• Girls' 100 Freestyle
- Anikah Wisen, 3rd, 1:03.12
- London Acosta, 8th, 1:09.45
- Evelyn Yeager, 22nd, 1:35.83
• Boys' 100 Freestyle
- Alec Ciro, 6th, 58.33
- Javier Rodriguez, 7th, 58.66
- Chaz Rogers, 14th, 1:09.38
• Girls' 500 Freestyle
- Carly DeHoyos, 5th, 6:51.02
• Boys' 500 Freestyle
- Dylan Florez, 5th, 6:30.97
• Girls' 200 Freestyle Relay
- Artesia "A" (Johanna Padilla, London Acosta, Anikah Wisen, Morgan Fisher), 1st, 1:55.16
- Artesia "B", 6th, 2:16.62
• Boys' 200 Freestyle Relay
- Artesia "A" (Dylan Florez, Chaz Rogers, Javier Rodriguez, Alec Ciro), 4th, 1:48.85
• Girls' 100 Backstroke
- London Acosta, 5th, 1:23.36
- Tynlee Whitmire, 6th, 1:25.83
- Ella Thomas, 13th, 1:43.99
• Boys' 100 Backstroke
- Layton Whitmire, 3rd, 1:01.79
- Alec Ciro, 5th, 1:08.54
• Girls' 100 Breaststroke
- Morgan Fisher, 3rd, 1:16.16
- Carly DeHoyos, 5th, 1:26.65
• Boys' 100 Breaststroke
- Dylan Florez, 8th, 1:18.23

Results were unavailable for the girls' 100-yard butterfly.

The Artesia swimmers will next head to the Carlsbad Holiday Invite, set for Saturday, Dec. 14, in Cave Country.

AHS BOWLING

(Photos Courtesy Artesia Bowling Team)

The Artesia High School bowling team had a big first weekend of their New Mexico High School Bowling Association season, taking first place in the Advanced, Novice and Rookie divisions -- along with second and third in the Intermediate Division -- at Big Rock Bowling Center in Espanola.

Click here to view results! (Select "Week 04" from the drop-down menu.)

RED-GREEN ALL-STAR FOOTBALL

PICTURED: Frankie Galindo barrels into the end zone from the two during the third quarter of Saturday's Large-School Red-Green All-Star Game at Bulldog Bowl, then is hoisted into the air by a teammate.
(Photos Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

A sweeter, slightly spicier flavor came out on top of the Christmas contest Saturday at Bulldog Bowl, as the Red Team took the 2024 New Mexico High School Coaches' Association Large-School Red-Green All-Star Game, 29-3 over the Green Team.

The Red squad -- which featured Artesia running back Frankie Galindo and slot back Ethan Conn -- controlled the all-star bout from the first quarter on. Cleveland High RB Juan Munoz scored twice to spot his team an early lead, completing his first touchdown run from 17 yards out and his second from the 20. Las Cruces High's Dalin Walter tacked the PATs onto both scores to make it 14-0 Red heading into the second.

There, Bloomfield QB Blake Spencer called his own number from the three just moments into the quarter, making it 20-0 after a failed conversion attempt, and the Red Team would bump its lead to 23-0 at the half when, with 4:34 to go in the second, Walter booted a 30-yard field goal through the uprights.

Galindo got in on the action in the third, taking the handoff from Jacob Palomino -- the Roswell quarterback the Bulldogs squared off against in last week's Class 5A state championship game -- and charging into the end zone from the two. The conversion run came up short on that touchdown as well, capping the Red Team's offensive output at 29 on the afternoon.

The Green Team -- on which Artesia defensive lineman Kaden Grantham and inside linebacker Grant Johnson competed -- was never able to get much going offensively themselves, but what points they did put on the board came in exciting fashion. With 1:50 to go in the third, La Cueva defensive back Caden Armijo took the field to try a 51-yard field goal, and the senior hammered it home to round out the final score: 29-3.

The boys in Red were also victorious in the Small-School All-Star Game earlier in the day at the Bowl, besting their Green counterparts 37-8.

PICTURED: Artesia's 2024 All-Stars -- from left, Grant Johnson, Frankie Galindo, Ethan Conn and Kaden Grantham, pose for a photo with Bulldog head coach Jeremy Maupin.
(Photos Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)