Between 7 o’clock Friday night and 3 in the afternoon on Saturday, our local football season ended.


MVCS Football

And Then There Were None: Prep Football Season Ends as Abruptly as it Began

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The five local teams are shown the door at the end of a glorious season, but they should all exit the field with heads held high.

A Las Cruces Digest Report
By Levi Gwaltney
Photos: Via Facebook

It took an entire season for five of our local teams to reach the top of the NMAA State Championship Tournaments, but less than 24 hours to end their climbs just shy of the top.

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Between 7 o’clock Friday night and 3 in the afternoon on Saturday, our local football season ended. La Cueva will play Cleveland in the 6A championship. The 5A championship will be a furtherance of New Mexico’s longest running rivalry with Artesia playing neighbor Roswell. Nationally-ranked Melrose hoisted this year’s “Blue Trophy”. Congratulations, and good luck, to all of these teams.

Our 2024 football season began with a bang, pitting the Las Cruces Bulldawgs against the Mayfield Trojans on the seasons opening night. This storied rivalry traditionally took months to build up to, and often stood as the ultimate game of the regular season. Not so in 2024. This year, prep teams in our broader community were not afforded the grace of growing ganas gradually over the course of the regular season. It was go time from the SonBlazers first onside kick to the Panthers/Lobos “Battle of the Gap” to the Bulldawgs/Trojans “Rivalry Renewed”. No 1-2-3… just GO!

The season was peppered with accomplishments and milestones. The Mesilla Valley Christian SonBlazers raised the “Red Trophy”, finishing the season as NMAA 8-Man Footaball State Championships runners-up. The Gadsden Panthers played the Artesia Bulldogs for the first time in over two hundred years of combined football history. The Panthers also achieved a win over the Mayfield Trojans for the first time… ever. The Trojans rose to the state semifinals after finishing the regular season in fifth place in District 2/5A. The Las Cruces Bulldawgs played their way to the semifinals by defeating a Volcano Vista team they had lost to earlier in the season. The Centennial Hawks were perfect… until they flew into a hundred year storm exemplifying the beauty of high school football in New Mexico–any team can win or lose on any given day.

Collectively, for our broader community, this was not our day.

As fans and coaches are wont to do, performing post-mortem examinations is sure to ensue shortly after the sting subsides. Las Cruces Digest would like to suggest how our local teams lost to some very, very good competition this past weekend. The Cleveland Storm, La Cueva Bears, Roswell Coyotes, Artesia Bulldogs and Melrose Buffaloes are all amazing teams and should be congratulated on their victories–Melrose in particular, having held a top-25 MaxPreps national ranking all season.

Not one game ended with any doubts on the scoreboard. The end of our season was not only abrupt, but decisive. None of the final scores from this past weekend indicates the effort and heart left on the field, and of the five final scores, none should be leveraged by braggarts or critics. Our local teams had spectacular seasons, and the student athletes who competed should be proud of their personal and collective accomplishments this season. While they may not have reached the top of the mountain, they rose close enough to be allowed to enjoy the view.

Well done, one and all!

Friday, November 22, 2024

Centennial Hawks 20, Cleveland Storm 56


Saturday, November 23, 2024

Mesilla Valley Christian SonBlazers 12, Melrose Buffaloes 62


La Cueva 47, Las Cruces 19

Incredible season.

The heart and fight in our Dawgs is unmatched. Thank you to our seniors for their unwavering leadership!! Proud to be a Dawg!! #BeSTRONG#onceadawgalwaysadawg

–Facebook Post


Mayfield Trojans 14, Artesia Bulldogs 50

And just like that – the season is over. We offer our congratulations to Artesia on their win today. Artesia 50, Mayfield 14.

We are so proud of our Trojans and the heart and soul that they brought to the game today. Their brotherhood and drive is unmatched, and it’s been wonderful to watch that develop over the course of the season.

To our Seniors – you left it all on the field, boys. It’s been an honor and a privilege to watch and serve you these past 4 years. Your leadership will help shape the next generation of Trojans, and your legacy will be remembered.

And to all of our fans – WE ARE MAYFIELD!! Until next season….

–Facebook Post


Gadsden Panthers 21, Roswell Coyotes 49


Las Cruces Digest would like to thank all of our student athletes for competing, this year. Your dedication inspires our broader community.

Thank you!

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