Artesia girls’ volleyball coach Alan Williams expected the road to the Class 4A District 4 championship to get a little harder – actually a lot harder – this weekend. As of Sept. 2, the New Mexico Coaches Poll had the Lady ‘Dogs ranked as the No.4 team in 4A behind, St. Pius X, Albuquerque Academy and Hope Christian, all of whom Artesia played in the state tournament in 2024 on the road to the state championship game against St. Pius X. Both teams will face each other again on Oct. 3, at St. Pius X.
On Friday, in the Sweet 16 Tournament held in Las Cruces, the Lady ‘Dogs took down Organ Mountain, 25-21, 25-21 and 25-21 in the Silver Bracket semifinals. Artesia lost in the finals to Centennial, 25-8, 19-25, 18-25, 25-22 and 7-15.
In the Sweet 16 Tournament, Artesia (4-1), was the only non 5A team in the top half of the tournament based on pool play Friday, Williams said.
“During the tournament,” Williams said, “I was really happy with our execution. We played well throughout the tournament, our girls did a lot of things right.”
With nine seniors back from last year’s squad, Williams wants his team to focus on getting better and not on playing for a state championship.
Williams said that in the first two wins against Carlsbad and Alamogordo, the team was making too many errors. Artesia averaged 13 errors a set – and it came down against Alamogordo to 10. He would like to get it down to five or six errors per set.
Artesia’s Jenna Whitmire goes for a kill shot against Carlsbad earlier this season.
“In the game of volleyball, if you can limit your errors, you are going to make runs and score a lot of points,” Williams said. “If your team makes a lot of errors it is going to give the opposing team a chance to score points, and it prevents you from scoring points.”
Williams said he talks to his team about going through struggles. That the team will struggle in volleyball, as well as in life. Williams wants his players to know it is their choice whether it focuses on the negative, choose to look behind them, or if they choose to be miserable. Williams said the choice is theirs, they can also choose to be positive and focus on what is ahead and do their best.
“Competitors compete in the worst of times,” Williams said. “When things are tough, you find out if you are a competitor or not. Competitors when things are tough are going to play their best. When things are tough, people that are not competitors are going to shrink back and be timid and be scared. We want to be competitors. I look forward to the tough times and I am grateful to those games that we have to struggle to win because those are practicing working through the tough time. When we go to state those are going to be the tough times. If you have not practiced that before, you are not going to be ready for it.”
Williams said his team welcomes and embraces the tough times, and uses those times to come together as a team to be there best. Also, mentally tough people work together best in the tough times.
Williams likes to use the regular season to get ready for district play.
Artesia will return to The Bulldog Pit at 6 p.m. Tuesday against Clovis.
Mike Smith
Artesia Daily Press
msmith@currentargus.com
Conservative policy advocates and Republican state lawmakers visited Artesia Aug. 26 to tout tax cuts and other provisions of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” budget law passed by Congress and signed July 4 by President Donald Trump.
Among the speakers for the “Protect Prosperity & Defend Taxpayers” event at the Spark by Hilton hotel were Republican State Reps. Jon Henry of Artesia, who also serves as Artesia’s mayor, and Rod Montoya of Farmington; state Sen. Jim Townsend of Artesia, whose district (34) includes Eddy and Otero counties; and Jeremy Armstrong, southern New Mexico engagement director for conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity.
Americans for Prosperity and conservative Hispanic organization LIBRE co-sponsored the event, which had its roots in Americans for Prosperity’s campaign launched earlier this year in support of extending tax cuts enacted during Trump’s first term in 2017. The extension was a key component of the Republican-backed legislation officially titled “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” until the name was deleted prior to the bill’s approval in the U.S. Senate.
The Artesia event was part of a statewide tour that made previous stops in Farmington and Santa Fe and is expected to include visits to Hobbs, Las Cruces and Albuquerque.
In an interview after the meeting, Armstrong said his organization campaigned to extend the 2017 tax reductions because 2025 “was a bad time for taxes to go up.” Without the extension, he said, Americans making between $11,000 and $93,000 a year would have seen a 3% increase in taxes, and a special deduction for taxpayers with children “would have been cut in half.”
If the “Big Beautiful Bill” hadn’t passed, Armstrong said, the average New Mexico family would have paid an additional $1,800 a year in taxes.
“We don’t think they could afford it,” he said. “Our initial push was to get that extended and once it was passed it was (time) to celebrate that.”
Townsend praised not only continuation of the tax cuts but also the overall policy objectives of the budget bill.
“It was a bill that very specifically itemized promises that the president made to the American people (during the 2024 election) and kept his word,” Townsend said the during the meeting. “He really did exactly what he said he was going do.”
Montoya said the bill would reduce government waste, fraud and abuse.
“If you’re a legal citizen, taxpayer, in America, the One Big Beautiful Bill is tremendous for you,” he said. “If you’re a person who is gaming the system, or who shouldn’t be on the system at all because you don’t have a right to be on the system – the One Big Beautiful Bill, you probably don’t like it as much.”
Democrats see it differently, of course. Asked to comment on the bill the White House calls the “largest middle- and working-class tax cut in U.S. history,” Democratic Party of New Mexico spokesperson Daniel Garcia said the law does more for wealthy Americans than for working people.
“Since the Big Beautiful Bill was signed into law on July 4th, we’ve seen prices increase and the job market decrease,” he said. “The most recent jobs report showed that it’s getting more difficult to get a job and Trump’s clumsy tariffs are only making it harder to get by.”
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 extension-2361.
White Sands National Park was highlighted as one of the best places to visit in America in writer and filmmaker Matt Tory’s new book “Go See America: 118 of the USA’s Greatest Hits (According to a Guy Who Visited Them All).” Tory chose White Sands as one of the country’s “Greatest Hits” after visiting the national park two years ago.
“I was blown away by how beautiful it is,” he said.
Tory noted White Sands’ uniqueness compared to other national parks due to its remote location and its lack of crowds. His favorite part of the visit was seeing the gypsum sands.
“Whenever I tell people about White Sands, it’s not like a normal desert or sands because it’s always cool,” he said. “No matter how hot it is outside, it’s always cool to walk on.”
Tory was also able to take captivating photos of the sunset at the park.
“Stick around for sunset, and you’ll be met with a stunning show as soft pinks and golds ripple across the sand, turning the landscape into a living watercolor,” he writes in the book.
Tory said he enjoyed sledding down the sand dunes and visiting McGinn’s PistachioLand, where he had the best pistachio ice cream he had ever tasted.
Tory noted that his book is not a typical bucket list but one man’s perspective of his tour across the country, complete with personal photos.
His book is now available on Amazon, which you can purchase here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F8H4S8XY.
The Alamogordo Police Department responded to an incident at Alamogordo High School’s football game on Aug. 29 that led to one arrest.
At 9:20 p.m., officers responded to “several disturbances,” where they arrested a 14-year-old female for Battery Upon a Peace Officer and Resisting or Obstructing an Officer, according to an APD press release. A 15-year-old female was also referred to Juvenile Probation Parole for Public Affray and Resisting or Obstructing an Officer.
The press release goes on to state officers were then made aware of potential threats connected to these altercations, which is when Alamogordo Public Schools (APS) made the decision to clear the stadium and order fans and members of the school band to leave the campus. These threats are currently under investigation.
“Our first responsibility is always the safety of students, families, and staff,” Superintendent Michael Crabtree stated in a press release from APS. “When faced with a situation that presented risk and disruption, we acted immediately and decisively. The decision to clear the stadium was not easy, but it was the right one.”
APS reported the evacuation was a coordinated effort between the Alamogordo Police Department, Otero County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Police, APS district security personnel, school leadership and Roswell Independent School District.
The game, which also was delayed several times by rain and lightning, resumed after spectators were evacuated and Alamogordo posted a 27-13 victory over defending Class 5A state champion Roswell in an empty stadium.
In response to the fight and threat response, APS stated it will address the “disruptive behavior,” under the district’s code of conduct, actively communicating expectations with students and fans at extracurricular events and continuing to provide visible security at athletic events.
“Tiger Stadium should always be a place where our community can come together with pride,” Crabtree said. “We stand by our decision, and we will continue to take every step necessary to provide a safe, supportive environment for our athletes, students, and families.”
Todd Fuqua is Sports Editor for the Alamogordo News and can be reached on Instagram at @toadfox1.
Tic-tac-toe is simple enough for anyone old enough to understand the rules. The field of play is nine squares and there are three different choices for the player making the first move: the center, the middle of a side, or a corner. No matter what move is made, the maximum number of choices peaks at seven on the third move and quickly dwindles.
Checkers has thirty-two squares in play. Initially, all the pieces are the same and can move diagonally forward, either to an adjacent square or by jumping an opponent. The number of potential moves grows as the game progresses, but the maximum is two for each non-promoted one, four for each king.
Chess has sixty-four squares and six pieces with different rules for movement. Calculating the number of choices rapidly becomes an overwhelming challenge. After five moves by each player, there are 4.8 million possible resulting positions. There is not even agreement on the number of potential outcomes for all the games that could be played.
Thinking about the number of options in a game with clearly defined rules that may be played in under an hour is humbling. How do we make our way through this life, where there is an infinitude of choices? Often we try to find a way to reduce the number of potential options so we can discriminate between them and choose the best one, as we can with tic-tac-toe. Much like how the meaning of discrimination evolved from seeing differences between things to generally being used in a pejorative manner indicating unjust treatment, considering only a few options is not an exercise of good judgment. When there are a multitude of actions and outcomes, it is through practice, feedback from experts, and the push for improvement that we attain the optimal result.
A family-sustaining career in today’s economy requires this “chess-level” approach. It is why the line between training and education is increasingly blurred. Some have traditionally thought of training as a simple set of rules, practices, and skills to be applied to tasks, while education is a depth of understanding that provides a basis for future learning. It is a false dichotomy. Aristotle recognized this, as his concept of “arete” is about finding excellence and the full potential in all that one might do. His goal was that everyone would be educated in the skills of life. More recently, the Irish philosopher Iris Murdoch came to a similar conclusion, with a slightly different take. She sees a full engagement in one’s craft as a way to learn to focus on something outside of ourselves. In this way, one practices an “attentive love” that becomes the foundation for morality, a “good” unto itself.
Southeast New Mexico College is expanding to include more trades and technical studies, but our focus on the arts and sciences remains. We are committed to an emphasis on excellence in all disciplines and fields, and a holistic education that can transform a life. We lead students through the process of learning how to move from discriminating between “tic-tac-toe” choices to the discernment that comes with the development of expertise under the guidance of professors who care deeply about the success of their students. We will rise to the expectations that resulted in a $10 million investment by the Permian Strategic Partnership in our Trades x Technologies Building, and we will serve as a bridge to a brighter future for the next generation. We look forward to realizing it with you.
Kevin Beardmore, Ed.D., is President of Southeast New Mexico College. He may be reached at kbeardmore@senmc.edu or 575.234.9211
ALBUQUERQUE — On Aug. 13, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr co-led a letter to Instagram regarding its new live location sharing maps feature. Among Torrez and Carr, 35 other attorneys general signed onto this letter, which claimed the feature raised “public safety and data privacy concerns — particularly for vulnerable users, including children and survivors of domestic violence,” the letter reads.
This feature was intended to be a “lightweight” way to connect with each other and is automatically turned off unless users choose to opt in, according to Meta. The feature allows users to share their location with people they follow back. Users can also hide their location from certain people or hide their location when they are in certain places.
There have been reports from some users that their location was shared without their consent, triggering Meta to re-examine how the feature works, according to CBS. Some users found geotagged posts appearing on the maps, even when they have opted out of location sharing, according to NBC.
The letter from the attorneys general outlined three key demands: prohibiting minors from enabling location sharing; providing adult users clear alerts about the feature, its risks and how location data will be used; and allowing adult users who choose to opt in to easily disable the feature at any time, according to the New Mexico Department of Justice.
While the letter does not exert any legal power by the attorneys general over Instagram to make changes to the app, it does include the expectation of “prompt action and response to prevent Instagram from continuing practices that endanger the safety and privacy of its users,” the letter reads.
JT Keith Artesia Daily Press jtkeith@elritomedia.com
The Artesia boys and girls cross country team opened its 2025 season at Lovington on Saturday. Both teams took second behind 6A Hobbs. The Lady ‘Dogs had five girls finish in the top 15 (Jema Molina, Aubrey Allison, Mckenna Drake, Lexi Devenport and Caylee Shockey). Molina was third overall.
Bulldogs cross country coach Nicholas Rivera said that he was really proud of Molina who had been dealing with hip injuries. It has been a long time coming for Rivera to see what she could do when fully healthy.
“I could tell she was a little bit nervous,” Rivera said. “But she rocked out and that was good to see. I expect big things out of her. Now that she has the first thing (race) out of the way. I might have her train with the boys. And Aubrey (Allison) and Alexia (Devenport)are not too far behind.”
Caylee (Shockey) was fighting the whole race to stay close Drake, Devenport and Allison. Rivera said it was fun to watch.
Rivera said to win cross country meets, all five runners need to be close and finish together to help secure the high placing as a team.
Hobbs took home first place in the boys and girls at the Lovington Tournament. Rivera said that all he asked for in his team was to be able to compete against the 6A schools.
“Our teams had a great place and finish,” Rivera said, “I am expecting big things out of our team. I am excited to see where we are. We have trained and I know what we need to work on. We did so many good things and I know what we need to work on individually and as a team.”
For the boys, all five runners finished in the top 25, (Edwin Villarreal, AJ Garcia, Wyatt Knudsen, Hector Arenas Maldonado and Xavian Hernandez), with Villarreal in eighth place and first among the Bulldog boys.
According Rivera, there were five personal best were: Alexis Devenport (23:48), McKenna Drake (23:58, Aria Molina (28:55, Aedyn Moralez (24:56) and Villarreal (19:00).
The ‘Dogs also had nine first-time runners racing in a cross country meet for the girls: Shockey, Drake, Allison, Adianez Renteria, and Eleanor Larsen.
The first time boy was Wyatt Knudsen, who battled injuries through the 2024 track season. Coach Rivera talked him into shutting it down and healing to get ready for this cross country season and track season. Rivera said that Knudsen is healthy and now he (Rivera) wants to work on Knudsen’s mental aspect of the running. and is excited to see him grow from the meet experience at Lovington.
Also making his first appearance as cross country runners were Maldonado and Hernandez, and for junior varsity was Justin Rodriguez and Alexander Molina.
“I know the feeling of training and running,” Rivera said of the first time runners. “I know that you don’t want to go out too fast, but you don’t want to go too slow. I am happy the kids know how they are and can compete against other runners. I did see kids be a little nervous and that is something we can work on. I want my kids to be empty and leave it all on the course during the race.”
Rivera said that he thought it was a great first meet for the team. The team had been working and competing on tired legs, by design, and is executing the plans he set forth at the beginning of the season.
Rivera goal is to get his team to focus on competing while they are tired and working as a group. This is eviednce by how the girls finished 11-12,13 and 15, which is what you he wanted to see his team do in meets.
Rivera said the boys were a little more strung out, but closer together on time.
“Now that we have our first race in and the nerves out,” Rivera said. “We can adjust and keep training hard. I am glad we were able to bring some hardware home. The boys and the girls executed the game plan perfectly. We just happened to run into a good team in Hobbs. I am happy with how we competed today and what we can do.”
The ‘Dogs race at Ruidoso High School at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
ROSWELL — While tourism to Ruidoso has been disrupted by forest fires last year and catastrophic floods this year, two decades-old tourist-oriented shops in west Roswell have seen their traffic affected as well.
Cactus Cave Gift Shop, 530 W. Second St, and Wieland’s Yucca Emporium, 3707 W. Second St, offer tourist traffic passing through Roswell a variety of merchandise such as Mexican imports, Native American art and, of course, alien-themed curio.
Yolanda Cisneros, said she has operated the Cactus Cave Gift Shop for 20 years. She said the shop gets some local business, but most of it is from passing tourists. About 70% of her customers are from Texas headed to Ruidoso.
“We’ve been slow … but July was better,” she said, adding that Ruidoso has “been through a lot.”
Cisneros said her gift shop specializes in Native American items such as jewelry and pottery, as well as textiles, pottery and arts and craft items from Mexico. She has leather moccasins from Wisconsin too. Many items featured in the store were crafted in New Mexico, including decorative crosses made by an artist here in Roswell, and other items made by craftsmen in Las Cruces and Fort Sumner.
Wieland’s Yucca Emporium has been on West Second Street for 37 years, owner Leo Wieland said. His shop features concrete sculptures such as benches, fountains and religious figures which Weiland casts himself, as well as pottery and textiles from Oaxaca, Mexico.
He said among his best sellers are sculpted metal flowers made in Arizona. The emporium also caters to shoppers who want Western memorabilia, such as artwork of Billy the Kid and Doc Holliday. He also creates a variety of sculpted objects from as small as refrigerator magnets to as large as alien five-foot aliens.
“We manufacture a lot of southwest yard ornaments,” Wieland said.
He added that having the Ruidoso Downs racetrack shut down due to the flooding has been especially detrimental to his business. Perhaps the local tourist shops can look to the skies to bring in more customers.
Among Wieland’s most recent creations is a refrigerator magnet with a sculpted airplane with a Zia on the tail and the words “Racing Roswell.” Wieland said he is hopeful the upcoming National Championship Air Races scheduled at the Roswell Air Center in mid-September will lead to more people visiting his shop, but he said he is wary of how that will work out due to the event being in its first year.
In addition, he said he has heard a lot of different figures thrown out on how many people are expected attendance at the air races.
“I have seen Roswell get a lot of shots in the arm,” he said. “But a lot of times it seems to come and go.”
In the meantime, Wieland said he gets customers from all over the world.
“Yesterday I had a guy from Holland,” he said.
The man bought a replica poncho of the one worn by Clint Eastwood in the Spaghetti Western the “Good the Bad and the Ugly,” Wieland said, noting that every year is different as far as who shows up in the shop.
JT Keith Artesia Daily Press jtkeith@elritomedia.com
The Artesia Bulldogs showed put their No. 1 ranking in Class 5A on the line Friday against the invading Centennial Hawks (2-1), ranked as the No. 3 team in 6A. The Bulldogs could not stop the run as the Hawks’ rushed for more than 300 yards on the ground, nor could the ‘Dogs contain Centennial quarterback Ruiz Laborin in a 42-38.
“I thought we came out firing in the first quarter and got up 14-0 on them,” said Artesia football coach Jeremy Maupin. “We did not play very good the second quarter offensively or defensively. We had them in a lot of third and fourth down and longs, but we could not get off the field.”
Maupin said the Bulldog defense was unable to stop third and fourth down Centennial conversions. He said Artesia did not play very well in the third quarter, but got rolling at the end of the third and played well in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs (2-1) had a chance to win the game at the end. Artesia needed a stop and the ball back, but could not stop Laborin for the Hawks, as he converted on fourth down and 6 at the Bulldogs’ 20-yard line and ran out the clock. Centennial was bigger on the offensive and defensive line than the Bulldogs, and their running back and quarterback were bigger as well.
“You what is hard here, we have so many guys that play football, but people forget the schools we have played in the last three weeks (Carlsbad, Hobbs and Centennial) have 1,500-2,000 more kids to choose from a for their team.” Maupin said. “They are going to have bigger kids and more choices to pick from, but I am still taking our guys over any of those guys. Our guys believe and they love football, and they are good kids.”
Artesia got off to a hot start, scoring a touchdown on its first p0ssession when quarterback Derrick Warren threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Jack Byers to take a 7-0 lead with 11:43 to play in the first quarter.
Maupin said Warren made a good throw because it led him (Byers) right up the field, and he (Maupin) scripted the play and thought Centennial would be playing soft against the Bulldogs.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Bulldogs converted an onside kick and recovered the ball at the 41-yard line. Artesia scored again when Warren threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Byers on the right sideline to go up 14-0 with 9:37 in the first quarter.
“They run the starburst,” Maupin said. “We had kicked to Hobbs, and we weren’t worried about the starburst, but the way they aligned, we saw that there were some big gaps in some places and we talked and said, ‘Hey if they give us this gap we are going to go for it.’ Corbyn (Dominguez) is such a good kicker that he has put the ball wherever he wants to. It was a big start to the game.”
Artesia’s Jack Byers scores on a 65-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Derrick Warren to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead over the Centennial Hawks with 11:43 to play in the first quarter at the Bulldog Bowl. JT Keith | Artesia Daily Press
It did not take the Centennial Hawks long to score after that, as running back Dailen Ramirez earned a 46-yard touchdown with 8:12 in the first quarter to make it 14-7.
With 3:40 to play in the first quarter, the Hawks ran a reverse to Anthony Villa, who scampered 20-yards to tie the game at 14-all.
The ‘Dogs used the right leg of field goal kicker Corbyn Dominguez on a 45-yard field goal to take a 17-14 lead with 1:24 to play in the first quarter and lead going into the start of the second quarter.
“If you watched him in the pregame warmups, Corbyn (Dominguez) made three 45-yard field goals and we knew he was feeling it,” Maupin said. “We felt comfortable to give him a shot if we were inside the 40-yard line.”
The Hawks scored again when Laborin threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Mateo Marquez with the Point After Touchdown to give the Hawks a 21-17 lead with 8:40 in the second quarter.
The Hawks would score with 3:25 to play in the second quarter to take a 28-17 lead into halftime.
Maupin said he told his team at halftime they had light up the scoreboard in the first quarter and they let their foot off the gas a little bit. He told the Bulldogs that it was about getting lined up, getting off the field on fourth down.
“Our message the whole week was to elevate the person next to you by your play and by your energy and actions,” Maupin said. “Our defense came out on fire in the second half and our offense really struggled the first two drives. Then our offense found a rhythm, and when our offense is in rhythm, they are hard to stop. Our defense did not have any turnovers tonight, they (Centennial) was wrapping the ball up, but we were right there.”
Hawk Ramirez scored on a 26-yard touchdown pas to score with 2:16 to play in the third quarter. Centennial needed just four plays to cover 50 yards and lead 35-17.
Artesia’s team captains walk to midfield for the coin toss before facing Hobbs on Friday night at the Bulldog Bowl. Artesia won the coin toss and the game, 51-41.JT Keith | Artesia Daily Press
Warren threw an out-and-up to slot back Cael Houghtaling for 17-yards with 3:59 to play in the game. Artesia’s extra point was not good, and the Bulldogs trailed 42-38. It took nine plays and 67-yards with the aid of a pass interference call.
With the momentum on the Bulldogs side, Centennial picked up a bloop kick and Anthony Villa returned the kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown to make the score 42-32 with 7:01 to play in the game.
“The kick return was a big turning point,” Maupin said. “We were trying to onside it there and we give that up. A lot of things we still have to fix if we are going to be the team we want to be at the end of the year. It is good to play those guys tight.”
Artesia held Centennial and forced a turnover on downs for the second time in the fourth quarter. On the first play Warren threw a deep pass, but the Hawks was called for a pass interference moving the ball to the Bulldogs 45-yard line, and then Warren threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Egeland on a post pattern to make the score 35-32 with 7:10 left to play in the game.
With time running out in the third quarter, Bulldogs’ quarterback Derrick Warren had to retrieve a snap over his at the Hawks 17-yard line. Warren running out of bounds threw up a prayer to receiver Trent Egeland who scored a touchdown, and Warren ran in a 2-point conversion to make the score 35-25 at the end of the third quarter.
Artesia travels to Deming for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Friday.
Offensive stats
Derrick Warren was 19-of-35 for 323 yards. He threw for five touchdowns and one interception and had a quarterback rating of 113.5
Cristian Pando had 8 rushes for 33 yards.
Jett Fuentes had one reception for four yards.
Sawyer Whitehead had one reception for six yards.
Cael Houghtailing three receptions for 29 yards.
Trent Egeland nine receptions for 169 yards and two touchdowns.
Jack Byers four receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns.
Defense
Julian Baeza, one solo, six assist.
Tootie McNeil, five solo, two assist.
Miguel Soto, five solo, six assist.
Charlie Campbell IV., one solo, six assist.
Thomas Melendez, four solo, four solo, three assist.
Edel Villa, five solo, two assist.
Marco Soto Jr., six solo, nine assist, and one tackles for loss and one sack.
Daelon Pacheco, three solo, three assist.
Alejandro Ontiveros, two solo, one assist, and one sack.
It is with deep sorrow and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Garrett Walter Romine, who was taken from us far too soon. Although his time with us was brief, his impact on everyone who knew him was immeasurable.
A Celebration of Life will be held for Garrett Walter Romine at 10:00 am on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, at Faith Baptist Church. Officiating the service will be Michael Duff.
Garrett, 24, passed away on August 31, 2025 in Artesia. He was born on October 17, 2000, to Gary and Latisha Romine in Cortez, Colorado.
Cremation will take place under the direct care of Terpening & Son Mortuary.
Garrett a protector by nature and by choice, Garrett lived a life defined by strength, loyalty, and a quiet, unwavering courage. No matter the battle he always came prepared.
To those who had the honor of knowing him, Garrett was a steady presence—a shield in the storm, the first to step in, and the last to leave anyone behind. He stood guard not just with words or action, but with the kind of love that made others feel safe simply by being near.
Whether he was defending a friend, standing up for what was right, or simply offering a steady hand in a moment of need, Garrett gave everything he had to anyone who needed it. His protection came not from duty, but from love—a deep, fierce love for his family, his friends, and even strangers who needed someone to stand in their corner.
Though we feel his absence profoundly, we carry his legacy in the way we look out for one another, in the courage we summon when it’s hard to be brave, and in the love we offer without condition. You were our shield, our strength, and our quiet guardian. You are missed beyond words.
Garrett is preceded in death by Grandma Virgie Romine, Uncle Bo Derrick, His beloved dog Maxine.
Those left to cherish his memory are his mother Latisha Romine; father, Gary Romine; sister Sidney Ryan husband Lance, Brother Tyler Romine girlfriend Ryleigh Kinnibrugh, nephews Augustus, and Calden, baby Tres; Grandparents David Romine, Toni and Scott Robinson, Wayne and Dana Derrick, numerous aunts, uncles and cousins, dearest friends Jessica Hagedorn, Ronnie Ellis, Angela Nelson, and AJ Flores.
