A rematch with more at stake
The road to a 34th state football championship begins with a familiar opponent for the Artesia Bulldogs. Gadsden is coming back to the Bulldog Bowl, and this time, a spot in the semifinals is on the line.
The Bulldogs will host the Panthers at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, in the quarterfinals. Artesia must beat Gadsden for the second time this season to reach the semifinals for the sixth straight year.
Gadsden earned another shot at the Bulldogs with a 50-0 victory over Mayfield on Nov. 7. The first-round playoff game ended under the mercy rule, sending the Panthers into a rematch with the team that beat them in September.
Artesia won the first meeting 57-14 on Sept. 18 at the Bulldog Bowl. The Bulldogs pulled away after halftime and kept the Panthers off the scoreboard in the second half.
Atkins, Egeland led the first charge
The Bulldogs entered that September matchup coming off a 53-0 win over Deming, their first victory of the season. Against Gadsden, Artesia scored 33 points in the first half and took a 33-14 lead into the break.
Senior quarterback Lucas Atkins delivered his best game of the season, completing 20 of 24 passes for 352 yards and six touchdowns. Wide receiver Tyler Egeland had his coming-out party, catching eight passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns.
The win followed a difficult start for Artesia. The Bulldogs opened 0-3 with losses to Class 6A opponents Carlsbad, Hobbs and Centennial. After the Gadsden game, Artesia coach Jeremy Maupin said the matchup would determine whether he had made the right decision to schedule those three teams.
Artesia’s offense set the pace in the first half, and its defense finished the job after the break. The Panthers scored 14 points before halftime but did not score again, leaving the Bulldogs with a convincing win in the teams’ first meeting.
Artesia quarterback Lucas Atkins throws a pass against Mayfield.
Both teams bring momentum
Gadsden enters the quarterfinals at 8-3 overall and 4-3 in District 2-5A. The Panthers have won three straight games, beating Chaparral 29-7 and Deming 12-0 before shutting out Mayfield in the playoff opener.
Artesia is 6-4 overall and finished 6-1 in district play. A first-round bye gave the Bulldogs a chance to rest and heal before returning to the field. They have won two straight and six of their last seven games. Their only loss during that stretch came against Roswell, 62-36, on Oct. 16 at the Bulldog Bowl.
The winner will advance to face either Piedra Vista or Goddard in the semifinals Nov. 21. For Artesia, that next step depends on taking care of an opponent it has already beaten but must defeat again.
The Bulldogs know Gadsden. The Panthers know the Bulldog Bowl. On Saturday, familiarity gives way to the playoff stakes: One team moves on, and the other goes home.
JT Keith can be reached at 575-420-0061, or on X@JTKEITH1.
