BULLDOG BASKETBALL

PICTURED: Charlie Campbell skies to the hoop Jan. 4 against Moriarty at Bulldog Pit.
(Photo Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

The Runnin' 'Dogs didn't let a little winter weather get them down this weekend, picking up a pair of wins over same-class opponents at the North-South Shootout in Lovington.

Artesia's scheduled opener Thursday against Taos was cancelled due to poor road conditions resulting from snowfall, but the Shootout continued as scheduled Friday, with the Bulldogs taking on Belen. The 'Dogs pounced on the Eagles out of the gate, outscoring Belen 21-6 in the first quarter. Braylon Vega got the ball rolling with a bucket off the opening tip, and following back-to-back baskets by Trent Egeland and a jumper and a free throw from Clay Kincaid, Charlie Campbell would post eight points to help see Artesia to its 15-point lead.

Four points from Kincaid and a Vega layup opened the second quarter to put the Bulldogs up 27-8. Belen would go on a 9-2 run to pull back within 12, 29-17, with two minutes to go in the half, but a short-range jumper by Kincaid and a Campbell and-one kept the 'Dogs up by double digits at the break, 34-21.

The boys in orange owned the paint in the third, with Cael Houghtaling and Kincaid delivering four points each in the early goings and Kincaid posting four more late. That made it 51-33 heading into the fourth, where the Bulldogs were finally able to bump their advantage over the 20-point mark. Consecutive layups by Campbell and a shot off the glass from Kincaid were followed by a pair of buckets by Jack Byers and a Houghtaling running jumper to make it 63-42. Campbell and Derrick Warren would each go 2-2 from the free-throw line after an Egeland basket in the paint, and though the Eagles delivered a trio from beyond the arc amidst a 13-0 run in the final seconds, Artesia still came through with a 16-point win, 72-56.

Kincaid, Campbell and Vega all scored in double digits for the Bulldogs with 19, 17 and 11 points, respectively.

The 'Dogs closed out the Shootout Saturday against Los Alamos and again seized control of the momentum early with a big first quarter.

Egeland broke the seal with a shot off the glass, and Campbell would sandwich a Vega jumper and two from the stripe by Houghtaling with a pair of three-pointers to make it 14-6 with just under three minutes to go in the first. Vega added a pair of buckets and an old-fashioned three-point play to send Artesia into the second with a commanding 23-8 lead.

A basket and a three by Corbyn Dominguez and a pair in the paint from Kincaid put the Runnin' 'Dogs up by 20, 35-15, and a left-handed layup from Campbell and Egeland offensive putback ended the half with Artesia up 40-22. The Hilltoppers were able to creep back within 14 in the early goings of the third, but an 11-0 Bulldog run that included five points from Egeland, four from Vega and two from Campbell put Artesia back in front by 25, 51-26, en route to a 58-35 tally heading into the fourth.

There, the 'Dogs again delivered a devastating run to start things off, with Kincaid, Campbell and Houghtaling combining for seven unanswered to make it a 30-point lead, 65-35. Los Alamos' lights-out shooter, Lan Frazier -- who drained his sixth three-pointer and 24th point of the game early in the fourth -- and senior guard Eddie Gartz -- who hit a trio of treys in the final three minutes -- tried to rally the 'Toppers, but back-to-back baskets from Egeland, a Kincaid dunk, and a bucket apiece by Jace Deans and Byers rounded out the 77-57 final.

Campbell led the Bulldogs with 19 points on the afternoon, followed by Vega with 15, Egeland with 13, and Kincaid with 11. Frazier was high point for Los Alamos with 27.

The pair of wins came on the heels of a tough loss Tuesday to Class 5A Carlsbad in Cave Country. After defeating the Cavemen 64-51 in the teams' first meeting at Bulldog Pit, the 'Dogs came back from a one-point halftime deficit Tuesday, 28-27, to take a 38-33 lead in the third quarter. But Carlsbad would outscore Artesia 18-6 in the final eight minutes to steal the win. Vega finished with 13 points for Artesia and Kincaid delivered 10.

The Bulldogs (9-5) will next travel to Albuquerque Thursday, Jan. 16, to kick off the Hope Christian Tournament with a 1:30 p.m. game against West Las Vegas.

STAT BOX

Artesia 72
Belen 56

Artesia (8-5): Clay Kincaid 8, 3-4 19; Charlie Campbell 6, 5-6 17; Braylon Vega 5, 1-2 11; Trent Egeland 3, 2-2 8; Cael Houghtaling 3, 0-0 6; Steven Williams 2, 0-0 5; Jack Byers 2, 0-0 4; Derrick Warren 0, 2-2 2
Totals: 29, 13-16 72

Belen (6-8): Alan Moreno 5, 8-9 18; Damian Avila 4, 0-1 10; Josiah Navarro 3, 0-0 7; Rodney Masterman 2, 0-0 6; Jasode Harris 1, 2-2 5; Dalton Herschberger 2, 0-0 5; Torin Karnes 1, 0-0 3; Daniel Aguilar 1, 0-1 2; Mason Montoya 0, 0-2 0
Totals: 19, 10-15 56

Field Goals: Artesia 29; Belen 19
Three-Pointers: Artesia 1 (Williams); Belen 8 (Avila 2, Masterman 2, Harris 1, Herschberger 1, Karnes 1, Navarro 1)
Free Throws: Artesia 13-16 (81%); Belen 10-15 (67%)
Turnovers: Artesia 13; Belen 11

Artesia 77
Los Alamos 57

Artesia (9-5): Charlie Campbell 7, 3-4 19; Braylon Vega 6, 3-3 15; Trent Egeland 6, 1-1 13; Clay Kincaid 5, 1-2 11; Jack Byers 2, 1-2 5; Corbyn Dominguez 2, 0-0 5; Cael Houghtaling 0, 3-4 3; Jace Deans 1, 0-0 2; Tootie McNeil 1, 0-2 2; Steven Williams 1, 0-0 2
Totals: 31, 12-18 77

Los Alamos (3-12): Lan Frazier 9, 3-4 27; Eddie Gartz 5, 0-0 14; Zachary Morrow 3, 0-2 6; Ben Brousseau 1, 3-3 5; Isaac Manzanares 1, 0-0 2; Moses Ward 1, 0-0 2; Dylan Lovato 0, 1-2 1
Totals: 20, 7-11 57

Field Goals: Artesia 31; Los Alamos 20
Three-Pointers: Artesia 3 (Campbell 2, Dominguez 1); Los Alamos 10 (Frazier 6, Gartz 4)
Free Throws: Artesia 12-18 (67%); Los Alamos 7-11 (64%)
Turnovers: Artesia 17; Los Alamos 15

LADY BULLDOG BASKETBALL

PICTURED: Brookelyn Thacker prepares to defend as Kailee Padilla (20) looks on Dec. 20 against Carlsbad at Bulldog Pit.
(Photo Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

The Lady Bulldog basketball team improved to 3-1 against Class 4A competition Saturday with a dominant 68-31 win over Santa Teresa at Bulldog Pit.

In a game postponed from Friday due to weather, the Lady 'Dogs struggled slightly to get going against a Lady Desert Warrior team they defeated 54-26 in their Nov. 26 season opener. After taking a 4-0 lead on a basket and a pair of free throws from Jenna Whitmire, Artesia fell behind 8-6 with two minutes to go in the first. Another make from the stripe by Whitmire and a bucket apiece from ZaLeigh Greer and Gracen Kuykendall, however, made it 11-8 Lady 'Dogs going into the second.

There, the girls in orange would finally kick start their offense, opening the quarter with baskets by Carmen Harvey, Avery Frederick and Kuykendall, then going on another 10-0 run -- which included a bucket each from Whitmire, Ashton Craft, Peyton Barela, Kuykendall and Greer -- late to lead Santa Teresa by 18 at the half, 31-13.

Four points from Frederick, three from Craft, and two each by Barela, Greer, Whitmire and Kailee Padilla saw the Artesia girls flirting with the mercy rule before the Lady Desert Warriors closed out the third with seven unanswered to make it 48-24. The Lady Bulldogs kept hammering away offensively in the final eight minutes, however, finally hitting the 35-point mark, 66-31, with two minutes to go with help from six points from Brooklyn Fuentes. A Desiray Savoie shot off the glass in the final seconds set the final: 68-31.

Whitmire led Artesia with 15 points on the afternoon, while Craft posted 11.

The Lady 'Dogs suffered a heartbreaker Tuesday against Class 5A Carlsbad, just missing out on a win over the Cavegirls for the second time this season.

Artesia fell to their county rivals in overtime Dec. 20 at Bulldog Pit, 58-49, but for the bulk of three quarters Tuesday, it looked as though things wouldn't be that close this time around. The Lady Bulldogs struggled mightily with turnovers in the first half, which contributed to a low offensive output that included just six points in the opening quarter and four in the second.

That saw them down 25-10 at the half, but a big 10-0 third-quarter run that included six points from Whitmire and four from Padilla had Artesia within five, 29-24, with just over a minute to go in the period. Carlsbad standout Abbey Dugan reeled off seven to close out the quarter, however, and put the Cavegirls back in front by 12, 36-24.

But the Lady 'Dogs refused to quit. A fourth-quarter-opening trey by Jasmynn Gonzales had Carlsbad up by 15, but Carmen Harvey would answer in kind. A drive to the hoop and a three from Whitmire book-ended a Dugan jumper to see Artesia within nine, 41-32, with just under five minutes remaining. The Cavegirls were able to answer both a Frederick basket and a trey by Craft to bump their lead to 11, but a basket by Hattie Harrison and a pair from the stripe by Whitmire cut Artesia's deficit to seven, 48-41, with 3:30 still to play.

Harrison would do the leg work from there, hitting two more buckets and going 1-2 from the line for Artesia in the final moments. But Dugan was a perfect 4-4 from the stripe in the clutch, and Carlsbad was able to hold on for the six-point win, 52-46. Whitmire and Harrison led the Lady 'Dogs with 13 points each.

The Artesia girls (6-7) will be at home again Tuesday, Jan. 14, for a 5:30 p.m. bout with Chaparral.

STAT BOX

Artesia 68
Santa Teresa 31

Artesia (6-7): Jenna Whitmire 5, 5-10 15; Ashton Craft 5, 1-2 11; Avery Frederick 3, 3-4 9; Gracen Kuykendall 4, 0-0 8; ZaLeigh Greer 3, 1-2 7; Brooklyn Fuentes 1, 4-4 6; Peyton Barela 2, 0-0 4; Kailee Padilla 2, 0-2 4; Carmen Harvey 1, 0-0 2; Desiray Savoie 1, 0-0 2
Totals: 27, 14-24 68

AHS SWIMMING

PICTURED: Members of the Bulldog and Lady Bulldog swim teams have fun posing for photos at the Carlsbad Holiday Invite.
(Photos Courtesy Andrea Ciro)

The Artesia High School swim teams opened the 2025 portion of their schedule Saturday at the 26th Annual Academy Invitational in Albuquerque, with the Lady Bulldogs coming in third overall and the Bulldogs fourth out of challenging 18- and 21-team fields.

Despite the long break between the Dec. 14 Carlsbad Holiday Invite and Saturday, the Artesia teams' hard work in the practice pool showed, as the teams combined for 17 state-qualifying swims:

• Girls' 200-Yard Medley Relay
- Artesia "A" (Johanna Padilla, Morgan Fisher, Addisyn Hartman, Sarah Plotner)
2nd, 1:57.91
• Boys' 200 Medley Relay
- Artesia "A" (Layton Whitmire, Eli DeHoyos, Aidan Ciro, Alec Ciro)
2nd, 1:45.48
• Girls' 200 Individual Medley
- Addisyn Hartman, 2nd, 2:23.58
• Boys' 50 Freestyle
- Aidan Ciro, 1st, 21.95
- Layton Whitmire, 4th, 22.71
• Girls' 100 Butterfly
- Addisyn Hartman, 2nd, 1:01.87
• Boys' 100 Butterfly
- Aidan Ciro, 1st, 53.86
• Girls' 100 Freestyle
- Ann Greenwood, 6th, 58.25
• Boys' 100 Freestyle
- Eli DeHoyos, 8th, 51.83
• Girls' 200 Freestyle Relay
- Artesia "A" (Addisyn Hartman, Johanna Padilla, Sarah Plotner, Ann Greenwood)
2nd, 1:47.21
• Boys' 200 Freestyle Relay
- Artesia "A" (Eli DeHoyos, Alec Ciro, Layton Whitmire, Aidan Ciro)
2nd, 1:34.05
• Girls' 100 Backstroke
- Johanna Padilla, 2nd, 1:04.55
• Boys' 100 Backstroke
- Layton Whitmire, 4th, 59.99
• Girls' 100 Breaststroke
- Ann Greenwood, 1st, 1:10.02
- Morgan Fisher, 3rd, 1:13.30
• Boys' 100 Breaststroke
- Eli DeHoyos, 2nd, 1:03.70
• Girls' 400 Freestyle Relay
- Artesia "A" (Johanna Padilla, Morgan Fisher, Sarah Plotner, Ann Greenwood)
4th, 3:59.61

Other results included:

• Girls' 200 Medley Relay
- Artesia "B" (London Acosta, Carly DeHoyos, Anikah Wisen, Tynlee Whitmire)
17th, 2:23.84
• Girls' 200 Freestyle
- Sarah Plotner, 9th, 2:09.06
• Girls' 50 Freestyle
- London Acosta, 35th, 30.89
- Tynlee Whitmire, 50th, 32.54
- Ella Thomas, 88th, 38.92
- Evelyn Yeager, 100th, 41.87
• Boys' 50 Freestyle
- Dylan Florez, 33rd, 26.51
- Alec Ciro, 44th, 27.26
- Chaz Rogers, 53rd, 28.81
• Boys' 100 Butterfly
- Javier Rodriguez, 12th, 1:04.91
• Girls' 100 Freestyle
- Morgan Fisher, 18th, 1:01.22
- Anikah Wisen, 24th, 1:03.80
- Carly DeHoyos, 35th, 1:08.63
• Boys' 100 Freestyle
- Javier Rodriguez, 35th, 1:01.15
- Chaz Rogers, 40th, 1:04.08
• Girls' 200 Freestyle Relay
- Artesia "B" (Carly DeHoyos, Tynlee Whitmire, London Acosta, Anikah Wisen)
17th, 2:03.96
• Girls' 100 Backstroke
- Tynlee Whitmire, 28th, 1:26.84
- Ella Thomas, 43rd, 1:44.27
- Evelyn Yeager, 44th, 1:54.24
• Girls' 100 Breaststroke
- Carly DeHoyos, 14th, 1:23.50
- Anikah Wisen, 18th, 1:25.84
• Boys' 100 Breaststroke
- Dylan Florez, 18th, 1:17.49
• Boys' 400 Freestyle Relay
- Artesia "A" (Alec Ciro, Chaz Rogers, Dylan Florez, Javier Rodriguez)
8th, 4:02.31

The AHS swimmers will next host the Artesia Invitational Jan. 17-18 at the Artesia Aquatic Center. Come out and support your Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs!

AHS WRESTLING

PICTURED: Bulldog and Lady Bulldog wrestlers finishing in the top three at the Sierra Blanca Invite pose with their medals.

The Artesia High School wrestling teams went on a tear Saturday at the Sierra Blanca Invitational in Ruidoso.

The Lady Bulldogs got a trio of top-three finishes at the meet, with Isabel Irvin taking top honors in the 100-pound weight class and Peyton Stone and Esmeralda Sorrells coming in third in the 126- and 120-pound divisions, respectively.

The Bulldogs had four athletes in the top three, with Rylee Kelley (160-pound class) and Ethan Shannon (285-pound class) both taking second overall, while Alejandro Ontiveros (215-pound class) and Edel Villa (172-pound class) finished third.

In the girls' 100-pound division, Irvin defeated Chaparral's Candy Casas (1:57) in the opening round and Mayfield's Adylenne Marquez in the semifinals (1:02) to reach the championship match, where she came out on top in a battle over Carlsbad's Andrea Ramirez (3:41). In the 120-pound class, Sorrells got an opening-round win over Hobbs' Emmaline DeAguero (1:53) to reach the quarters, where she topped Roswell's Brittney Macias (4:46). Sorrells fell to Goddard's Esmerelda Meraz-Ortiz in the semis (:34), putting her in a consolation match against teammate Pearl Bruton, which Sorrells won (1:57). She then won a rematch with Lady Coyote Macias to take third place (4:26). Stone, meanwhile, made her way through Centennial's Ayla Hernandez in the first round (:24) before coming up short of Carlsbad's Ellianna Campos (3:43). She then defeated Roswell's Amanda Skipper (:15) to reach the third-place match, which she took over Hernandez (:10).

Shannon got his runner-up finish among the 285-pounders with an opening-round win over Chaparral's Martin Morales (1:11) and a semifinal victory over Centennial's Keegan Engel (:49). He came up short of Roswell's Noah Lynn in the final (1:04). In the 160-pound class, Kelley bested teammate Deion Loya in the opening round (:56) and Roswell's Daniel Guevara in the semis (4:51) before falling to Santa Teresa's Isaiah Sanchez in the championship (2:35). Ontiveros got past Hobbs' Jon Jaramillo in the first round of the 215-pound weight division (1:04) before falling to Roswell's Matthew Avitia. He then topped Goddard's Benjamin Ruiz (:52) before taking the third-place match over Rocket Raes Nunez (1:40). And in the 172-pound class, Villa got a bye through the first round before defeating Roswell's Jesus Leyva in the quarters (:32). He came up short of Hobbs' Aidan Gluhm in the semifinals but bested Carlsbad's Eddie Lopez (:32) to reach the third-place match. There, he defeated Chaparral's Jule May (2:38).

The Lady Bulldogs were coming off a 30-9 win over Roswell and 48-18 loss to Hobbs Tuesday in Artesia during their first duals of 2025. The Bulldogs came up short of both the Coyotes (53-12) and Eagles (47-24). Next on the teams' schedule is the Joe Vivian Classic Friday, Jan. 17, in Albuquerque.

AHS BOWLING

PICTURED: The Artesia #2 team, at top, poses following their Advanced Division Win. Artesia #1, center, came in second in the Advanced Division, while Artesia #3, above, took second in the Intermediate Division.
(Photos Courtesy Ken Clayton)

The Bulldog bowlers continued their dominant runs through this season's New Mexico High School Bowling Association tournament Saturday in Albuquerque, taking the top two spots in the Advanced Division and the runner-up spot in the Intermediate Division at Silva Lanes.

The Artesia #2 team placed first in the Advanced Division Saturday with a team 3,256 over their Artesia #1 teammates (3,062). Jace Miles led Artesia #2 with 212 and 222 games, followed by Chase Collins (203-198), Maggie Morris (155-210), Damian Lopez (214-143) and Mason Jeter (127-207). For Artesia #1, it was Hagen Murph leading the charge with 202 and 234 games. Ayden Gomez posted scores of 192 and 223, Kambry Collins 187 and 172, Payton DeMerritt 167 and 184, and Brent McIntire 163 and 161.

In the Intermediate Division, Artesia #3 came in second just behind Atrisco Heritage Academy (2,872 to 2,831), with Talyn Pacheco rolling games of 187 and 190, Axel Hartley 176 and 157, Ayden Huffman 134 and 196, Sebastian Gonzalez 153 and 159, and Gael Ruiz 114 and 161.

Elsewhere in the Intermediate Division, Artesia #4 and Artesia #5 finished sixth and ninth, respectively:

• Adam Longoria: 191-180=371 (185)
• Diego Molina: 181-165=346 (173)
• Darius Mendoza: 127-211=338 (169)
• Grant Johnson: 168-126=294 (147)
• Ayden Dean: 139-153=292 (146)

• Jody Roberts: 149-206=355 (177)
• Elliott Gonzales: 143-171=314 (157)
• Alejandro Bahena: 165-148=313 (156)
• Destiny Powell: 143-155=298 (149)
• Ricardo Huerta: 166-119=285 (142)

And in the Novice Division, Artesia #6 came in seventh:

• Mia Campbell: 153-146=299 (149)
• Mia Duran: 139-129=268 (134)
• Sophie Kitchen: 146-122=268 (134)
• Edwin Villarreal: 127-129=256 (128)
• Kaine McCall: 105-122=227 (113)

The AHS teams are now gearing up to host their home tournament Saturday, Jan. 18, at Artesia Lanes. Be sure to turn out and support your Bulldog bowlers!

AHS CHEERLEADING

PICTURED: The AHS cheerleaders pose with their trophies Saturday at Goddard High School.
(Photo Courtesy Artesia Cheer)

The Artesia High School cheerleaders opened their competition schedule Saturday at Goddard High with the Rocket Spirit Blast, coming away with some impressive results!

The varsity cheerleaders took first place in Cheer with Music and second place in Game Day Cheer, while the junior varsity cheerleaders were the runners-up in the Game Day Cheer competition. Way to go, ladies!

The cheer squads' next competition will be a big one Saturday, Jan. 25: the NMSU State Spirit Championship at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces.