JT Keith

Artesia football coach Jeremy Maupin did not have enough on his plate after winning three Class 5A state championships. Instead, he took on the role of the school’s athletic director.

The move emulates former Bulldog legend Cooper Henderson. Henderson previously pulled double duty, serving as the school’s athletic director and head football coach.

During his first year at the helm of the department, Maupin expressed high satisfaction with the widespread success of the school’s athletic teams.

The championship standard remained high on the gridiron and on the links. The football team secured a thrilling state title with a 25-24 victory over Roswell. The boys’ golf team and the girls’ softball team also captured state championships.

Artesia came agonizingly close to adding more hardware to the trophy case. The basketball, baseball and track teams all finished their seasons as state runners-up.

“I am really proud of our coaches and athletes and this entire class of athletes,” Maupin said. “I think our coaches do a really good job.”

The success extended to the pitch as well. The boys’ and girls’ soccer teams both won district titles. Both squads put together the deepest playoff runs in program history. The boys advanced to the state semifinals, and the girls reached the quarterfinals.

Maupin noted that the winter sports maintained a competitive edge. The volleyball team enjoyed a highly successful campaign. On the hardwood, the girls’ basketball team showed steady improvement throughout the season. They put themselves squarely on the bubble for a playoff berth.

In individual sports, the Bulldogs found plenty of validation on the big stage. Both the swimming and wrestling programs produced top-tier athletes. These competitors earned spots on the podium at their respective state meets.

Kirklyn and Breckyn Miller win the doubles at state this year.

The tennis program provided one of the year’s most historic highlights. On the court, Kirklyn and Breckyn Miller captured the school’s first state doubles championship, and the first females to win state in tennis.

Track and diamond sports capped off a stellar spring. The girls’ track team finished third overall at the state meet. In softball, the squad’s resilience particularly impressed Maupin. The Bulldogs bounced back to defeat Aztec for the state crown. This victory came after dropping a tight 6-3 decision in the opening game of the championship series.

“Having to come back and beat Aztec in softball in that second game was big for us,” Maupin said. “I think we had Albuquerque Academy and some of those teams a little worried. If we go compete at the highest level we could, I thought we had a chance to win.”

As the academic year comes to a close, the first-year director is already looking toward the future.

“I am so proud of our teams,” Maupin said. “This community is so good at supporting us. It has been a really good year, and I look forward to more good things happening this summer and next year.”

JT Keith can be reached at 575-420-0061, or on X @JTKEITH1.

JT Keith

The 2026 football schedule is out for the defending Class 5A state champions, and the schedule gods did not do Artesia any favors. If the Bulldogs want to bring home state title No. 34, they are going to have to earn it the hard way — with long road trips, tough turnarounds, and only four home games on the regular-season slate.

A road-heavy path

Artesia opens the season Aug. 21 at home against Carlsbad in the Eddy County War, before hitting the road in back-to-back weeks against Hobbs and Centennial. The Bulldogs return home for consecutive games against Deming on Sept. 11 and Gadsden on Sept. 18, with the Gadsden matchup set to serve as homecoming.

That two-game homestand is about the only extended comfort the Bulldogs will see. After that, Artesia returns to the road for games at Alamogordo and Chaparral before an open date on Oct. 9.

District play closes with Roswell at home, followed by road trips to Goddard and Mayfield to finish the regular season.

That makes for a brutal travel itinerary. Artesia will be on the road for consecutive weeks three different times, starting with Hobbs on Aug. 28 and Centennial on Sept. 3. The Bulldogs hit another two-game road swing with Alamogordo on Sept. 25 and Chaparral on Oct. 2, then end the regular season away from home at Goddard and Mayfield.

For a defending champion, it is the kind of schedule that can harden a team early — but it also leaves very little room to coast.

Realignment impact

Bulldogs coach Jeremy Maupin said the latest football realignment did not drastically change Artesia’s path in southeastern New Mexico, even if it shuffled a couple of names on the schedule.

“We just plugged Alamogordo into Lovington’s spot,” Maupin said. “Also, Chaparral into Santa Teresa’s spot. The north gets a lot more competitive with Cibola, Los Lunas and Piedra Vista coming in.”

“Those are three teams that made the 6A playoffs,” he said. “I think it will make the northern district a lot more competitive when you add in Highlands and Los Alamos and those guys.”

What it means for Artesia

For Artesia, the focus will stay local and immediate. The Bulldogs know every week will bring a target on their back after winning the 5A title, and this schedule gives them plenty of chances to prove they can handle that pressure away from Bulldog Bowl. If they navigate the mileage and come out healthy, the road-tested version of Artesia could be even more dangerous by November.

2026 Artesia Bulldogs football schedule:

Aug. 21 — Carlsbad, 7 p.m.

Aug. 28 — at Hobbs, 7 p.m.

Sept. 3 — at Centennial, 7 p.m.

Sept. 11 — Deming, 7 p.m.

Sept. 18 — Gadsden (homecoming), 7 p.m.

Sept. 25 — at Alamogordo, 7 p.m.

Oct. 2 — at Chaparral, 7 p.m.

Oct. 9 — Open

Oct. 16 — Roswell, 7 p.m.

Oct. 23 — at Goddard, 7 p.m.

Oct. 31 — at Mayfield, 1 p.m.

jtkeith can be reached at 575-420-0061, or on X@JTKEITH1.

JT Keith

You just do not know who you are yet, or what you truly mean to the people of Artesia.
Right now, the Bulldog Bowl sits in a rare, heavy silence. The orange gates are locked, and the artificial turf—this place that Mack Chase helped to build, a ground soaked in championship tradition, is empty.

We miss you on Friday nights just as much as you miss us. This isn’t a ghost story, though the echoes are there if you listen. This is a love letter to a place that shouldn’t be able to love us back, yet somehow, it does. Every Friday night, the Bulldog Bowl opens its arms and reminds us of who we are.

In this town, Friday night isn’t just a date on a calendar; it’s a shared breath. It is the only event in town. If a robber were looking to commit a crime in Eddy County, Friday night would be the time to do it. The Sheriff is at the Bowl. The Artesia Police Department is at the Bowl. They’d probably just look at the crook and say, “We’ll catch you later, the Dogs are in the red zone.” Or perhaps the crooks love the Bulldogs too much to interrupt the game; they’d likely wait until the final whistle to do their deeds.

The outside of the stadium is beautiful in the moonlight, a quiet fortress waiting for its army. There is a specific “Artesia Orange” that seems to glow differently under the stadium lights than any other color in the world, casting a warm hue against the walls. Under the watchful eye, the players compete beneath the gaze of every state title team; their helmets are mounted on the wall, each marked with the year they brought the trophy home. It’s a reminder that 33 times before, the job was finished—and we are looking for No. 34.

We aren’t just waiting for a game; we are waiting for the community to come back together and greet each other as old friends do. We’re waiting for the players to walk up and down the Winner’s Ramp. We’re waiting to see that massive Capital A—the one that requires four people to steady it, with kids climbing onto shoulders just to hold it high enough for the players to jump up and touch. We want to watch them sprint toward those old-school paper signs the cheerleaders spent hours making—the sound of that paper tearing as the team breaks through and the season finally begins.

We cannot wait for that first Dog Pile of the year. We want to see the fans on both sides cheering as players slide through and jump high, fighting to be at the top of the pile. In that moment, we will finally know that football is back.

Pretty soon, on August 21, we will be here for you, and you will be here for us. We will welcome each other back home to the place where we have created—and will create—so many more memories.

Until then, thank you for waiting. We’ll see you under the lights.

jtkeith can be reached at 575-420-0061, or on X@JTKEITH1.

June is here and for many in New Mexico, summer vacation means heading to one of the state’s popular fishing spots.

In eastern and southeastern New Mexico, at Greene Acres Lake near Clovis, fishing for catfish was fair to good using hot dot dogs. Fishing for bass was fair to good using Tequila Sunrise Berkley Power Worms on jig heads.

Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using hot dogs.

In Lincoln County at Bonito Lake, fishing for green sunfish was good using PowerBait.

Along the Pecos River below Sumner Lake, fishing for largemouth bass was particularly good using swimbaits and topwater lures.

At Sumner Lake, walleye fishing was slow to fair when using neon diver lures.

In southwestern New Mexico, fly fishing for trout was good at Whitewater Creek. Bait fishing for trout was slow to fair using PowerBait at Glenwood Pond.

East of Silver City at Lake Roberts, fishing for crappie was fair to good using lures.

At Quemado Lake, trout fishing was exceptionally good using salmon eggs and PowerBait.

In northern New Mexico at Cochiti Lake, fishing for carp was fair to good using corn. Fishing for northern pike was slow to fair using crankbaits and cut bait.

Fishing for rainbow trout was incredibly good using worms, cowbells, and spinners at El Vado Lake.

Along the Rio Grande near Taos, fishing for trout and smallmouth bass was fair to good using PowerBait.

At Ute Lake, fishing for smallmouth bass was fair to good when using shad-colored Bass Pro Shops XPS Staredown jerkbaits.

At Seven Springs Kids Pond, fishing for trout was very good using corn and PowerBait.

This fishing report has been generated from the best information available at the time of publication.

JT Keith

Artesia, football season is coming fast. The Bulldogs will face Carlsbad in just 86 days to start their highly anticipated 2026 season, as grueling two-a-days begin officially on July 6.

The hot summer air will soon carry the familiar sounds of sharp whistles, crashing shoulder pads, and the undeniable energy of a community completely united by a single gridiron goal.

As Artesia chases another blue trophy and adds to its unmatched state title count (33), the Artesia Daily Press is diving deep into comprehensive football coverage this summer.

 We are launching an ambitious project to celebrate the rich, unmatched history of this powerhouse program, and I want your direct help to build a definitive list of the top 100 Bulldogs football players of all time.

The goal here is simple: honor the gridiron icons who built Artesia football’s proud legacy and tell their incredible stories the right way.

This program has spent decades establishing a rigorous standard of excellence. You can see that history plain as day on the facility walls, where a football helmet hangs to honor every single state championship season, proudly displaying the year the Bulldogs brought the blue trophy home.

 We want to celebrate the elite athletes who earned those helmets and defined generation after generation of unforgettable hometown talent. From the fierce defensive stalwarts who completely shut down opponents on Friday nights to the explosive playmakers who lit up the scoreboard and left defenses grasping at air, every single era of Bulldogs football has its unique heroes.

We want to make sure absolutely no deserving player is left behind in this count, which is why this comprehensive list needs to be shaped directly by the diehard fans, families, and community members who witnessed this greatness firsthand from the stands.

Whether it is a star from the historic championship squads of the mid-20th century or a more recent standout who left everything on the field just a few seasons ago, we want to hear from you.

Please send your personal nominations, along with your favorite Friday night memories, key statistics, or brief stories about why these men belong on the ultimate all-time list, directly to my email address.

Let’s work together as a community to create a lasting, definitive tribute to the Bulldogs who defined what it truly means to wear the orange and black. Get your votes in early, let the fierce debate begin, and let’s honor the tradition that makes Artesia the greatest football town in New Mexico.

Let the feedback begin.