A tough schedule and six district wins earned the Artesia Bulldogs the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye in the 2026 Nusenda Credit Union State Football Championships.
The Roswell Coyotes are the No. 1 seed, followed by the Piedra Vista Panthers at No. 2.
A familiar opponent awaits
The Bulldogs have a bye this week and await the winner of the Gadsden-Mayfield game. Artesia defeated both teams this season, beating Gadsden 57-14 at home Sept. 18 and Mayfield 49-10 on Oct. 31.
“I figured that is what it would come down to,” Artesia coach Jeremy Maupin said. “I kind of penciled in Gadsden; I was not sure who would get 11.”
Maupin called Gadsden-Mayfield an interesting matchup and said he expects a good game.
A tough road to the postseason
The Bulldogs opened with three consecutive losses, falling to Carlsbad, Hobbs and Centennial. Each reached the Class 6A postseason. Centennial earned the No. 4 seed; Carlsbad earned No. 7 and Hobbs No. 8.
The Bulldogs ran off four straight wins before losing to Roswell, then defeated Goddard and Mayfield to finish 6-4 overall and 6-1 in District 2-5A.
Maupin said he believes the Bulldogs had the highest-ranked strength of schedule, unless something changed. He said Roswell’s strength of schedule also was high.
Getting healthier for the playoff push
“I am excited about where we are,” Maupin said. “I think we are getting healthier.”
Maupin said Goddard is playing its best football after playing the Bulldogs tough and giving Roswell all it could handle. He believes Goddard could give opponents plenty of trouble in the postseason.
Ready for the road ahead
Maupin sent his team a message congratulating the Bulldogs on making the playoffs and earning the No. 3 seed. He said he is excited about what they can do in the postseason.
“The playoffs are going to be fun,” Maupin said. “We are the three-seed, so maybe we will have to travel to Piedra Vista and Roswell because they are above us. We are excited to be in the playoffs, and hopefully, we can go play our best football.”
JT Keith can be reached at 575-420-0061 or on X at @JTKEITH1.
