Artesia begins quest for third consecutive title

ARTESIA, N.M. (KRQE) — After winning consecutive 5A state championships, the Artesia Bulldogs once again enter a season feeling confident that the blue trophy will return to title town. The program has 40 seniors on its roster and doesn't expect much drop off from its recent dominance.

"Yeah, I mean its Artesia so, it's not like other places where they say, 'oh you don't talk about championships.' I just had a meeting last night with 50 men from the community and you know they are good guys, but they want us to win a championship," said Artesia head coach Jeremy Maupin. "So, we embrace it here."

"We are kind of used to having a target on our back and we expect everyone to give us their best game," linebacker Grant Johnson said. "We take everybody seriously and we don't underestimate anyone."

Despite so many returners for the team, one of the most noticeable changes for the Bulldogs is under center. Senior Izac Cazares is set to take the reigns for a team that outscored its opponents 582-158 in 2023 and he feels like he has a plethora of weapons to distribute the wealth once again. Some of Artesia's key returners include Frankie Galindo at running back and Ethan Conn at slot receiver.

"I'd say since that I am a dual threat quarterback, that's going to help a lot with the team," said Cazares. "Like, different defenses are going to ha...