This story has not been released until kickoff. It is a bonus to our readers and subscribers. The Artesia Daily Press will update the score and football coverage at halftime of the Lovington football game.
For Lovington football coach Josh Bailey, the Wildcats’ game against the Artesia Bulldogs has ties that cross. at 7 p.m. at the Bulldog Bowl. This game – kicking off tonight at 7 p.m. at the Bulldog Bowl – is not only about beating their rivals down the road. It’s also about breaking a 23-game losing streak to the Bulldogs that includes Bailey’s time as a player for the Wildcats, a 49-27 loss in his senior year.
“We were playing them pretty tough,” Bailey said about playing Artesia in 2009. “We were at the top of our class (3A), and they were at the top of their class (4A), and we played them the first game of the season at Lovington. Artesia was the measuring stick for where we were as a program. We always felt like we wished we could have played them later in the year. Now we get to. It is a district opponent, and there is a lot more at stake than when we were playing. I think coach Maupin has continued the great legacy that the Hendersons (L.G., Cooper, and Rex) have done.”
3 keys for Lovington to win
Bailey said the three keys to breaking the losing streak will be: 1. The Wildcats need to control the football on offense. 2. Limit the Bulldogs’ explosive plays in all three phases of the game (offense, defense, and special teams.) 3. Play fearlessly. Forget about not beating Artesia in 23 years – just play football.
The Henderson factor
Bailey parlayed a successful high school career into a scholarship to Wayland Baptist, where he spent five years as a player and then coached under Butch Henderson – brother to Cooper. Bailey was part of Wayland’s inaugural season in 2012, when the college revived its football program after a 72-year hiatus.
“Butch is a powerful Christian man,” Bailey said, “he does things the right way. He taught me a great deal about organization. He was very organized and very prepared. I liked the way that he led by example. Coach Henderson would always jog everywhere that he went. He lived his life by example rather than speaking his mind. I always appreciated that about him. There is a lot of pressure in our job, and he always kept his composure, and that is a lesson that I learned from him for sure.”
Complex offense
Bailey said Artesia does so much stuff, and they want to kill opponents on the preparation side of things, starting with the kickoff and starburst.
“I think their aggressiveness starts with the kickoff,” Bailey said. “They are trying to recover the football most of the time. They try to get you to make mistakes on your kickoff return. On the starburst, you have to be creative unless you can kick the ball out of the end zone every time.”
Bailey said that on offense, the Bulldogs have an answer for everything, and defensively, Artesia moves around all the time and give offenses different looks, which makes teams overanalyze and overprepare. Bailey said Artesia does that by design to try to get teams to slow down and think too much instead of just playing.
“You have to prepare for everything Artesia does or could do,” Bailey said, “and that’s a tall task. Artesia has one of the best coaching staffs in the state, and I have to tip my hat to them.”
Rough district start
The Wildcats come into the game at 2-3 overall, 1-1 in 2-5A after beating Goddard 44-26 at home on Sept. 19.
“We feel like we let a couple of games get away from us,” Bailey said. “We did not play very well against Hobbs, obviously. That game was not close. In the other two, we let Roswell and Carlsbad get away from us. We have to make the plays to win the games. We think our football team is pretty good, and we are getting better.”
Bailey said the Wildcats have all the respect for Artesia and that they do it right and have done it right forever. One of the key things Bailey said he is looking for is fearless play and hard work.
Replace quarterback
The Wildcats have put Jayden Gutierrez in at quarterback, replacing starter Justin Allen. Bailey said he made the move because he felt that Gutierrez is explosive and gives Lovington the ability to put more stress on defenses.
“He is capable of making plays with his legs and throws a perfect deep ball,” Bailey said of Gutierrez.
Due to his athletic ability, Gutierrez was moved to safety as a sophomore, as the team had other quarterbacks who could effectively get the ball to him. Gutierrez ended up an All-State selection at receiver and safety that year.
“We always want our offense to be super complex to the teams that we play,” Bailey said. “But we want it to be super-easy for our kids. We have to be coaching it simple, because those kids are playing super-fast.”
This game is the 80th meeting between Lovington and Artesia. The two teams met at Brainard Park in 1932 and have played every year since 1974, excluding the 2020 COVID year. The last Lovington win over the Bulldogs was a 34-28 decision in 2001 at Wildcat Stadium, now known as Brian Urlacher Field.
“I have all the respect for Artesia, but I want to get our kids to stop looking at the pressure of not beating them in 22 years. I told our team that the Lovington team that just goes and plays our game will be the first Lovington team that gets it done,” Bailey said. “I don’t know if that will be this year, but we have to get over the thought that this will be special, and the town will burn down if we win. We just have to go play football.”
According to New Mexico Activities Association records, Lovington has the second-most state championships in the state with 20 and trails only the Bulldogs (32).
Artesia holds the series lead with 60 wins, 15 losses, and three ties, including a scoreless affair in the Class 3A state title game in 1987 which went into overtime before the teams were declared co-champions.
