What a week in area football! The Gadsden Panthers played Artesia for the first time, and was given a proper welcome to high-end high school football. The Panthers may have lost the game, but they gained admittance to the wider world of Friday Night Lights.
A Las Cruces Digest Report
Teams from our broader community saw the most consequential action playing away from home. At the college level, the Aggies hit a wall against the Sam Houston Bearkats, and the Gadsden Panthers walked into Bulldog Bowl for a proper introduction to Friday Night Lights style high school football in their first ever game against pigskin perennial Artesia.
NM State 11, Sam Houston 31
| Conference USA Match UP | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 11 |
 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 31 |
Noteworthy
- 7-2 all-time in CUSA play entering today
- 1-0 all-time versus SHSU entering today (0-0 on the road)
- Safety Josiah Cox came up with the first interception of his college career. This also marked the Aggies’ second interception of the year and first since Tayden Barnes in the season opener. Later, Cox would claim his second interception of the night to become the first Aggie to tally two interceptions in a game since Jaden Wright did so at Appalachian State on Oct. 7, 2017.
- Jerry Lydiatt’s touchdown reception in the fourth quarter would represent the first touchdown of his career. This also marked Santino Marucci’s first touchdown pass as an Aggie. Lydiatt finished the day with a career-high four catches for 22 yards and one touchdown.
- Freshman wideout TJ Pride paced the Aggies with five catches for 33 yards. Both were career highs for the Texas-born receiver.
- Dylan Early and Tyler Martinez shared the team lead in total tackles with eight apiece. This also marked the most in Martinez’s career.
- Marucci logged 14 pass completions to mark the most pass completions for any NM State quarterback this season.
- The Bearkats’ 102 passing yards was the fewest by any Aggie opponent this season.
Gadsden 34, Artesia 57
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gadsden | 7 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 34 |
| Artesia | 16 | 20 | 7 | 14 | 57 |
Two centuries of combined football tradition faced off Friday night for the first time–ever. The previously unbeaten Gadsden Panthers traveled to the Bulldog Bowl in Artesia for a proper introduction to true-to-form Friday Night Lights style high school football.
The inaugural meeting provided fans with all the regular pomp and hype surrounding high school homecoming games, but this game had the makings of a made-for-Hollywood showdown. The Bulldogs entered the field of play with their traditional “dog pile”, and the game ball descended from the heavens via helicopter. Having never played before, it is difficult to imagine how Gadsden’s Coach Facio could have better prepared his team for the alien world that is Bulldog Bowl Football.
The Panthers may have taken a loss, but Las Cruces Digest challenges any who follow high school football to watch the game (below), and not be inspired by the sportsmanship, skill and spectacle this game represents.
The final score does not reflect how well the Panthers played–from kickoff to final whistle. Now, it is time to see if the Panthers can rebound from loss, and keep their claws sharp as they host Goddard in their next District 2/5A match on Friday.
A lot can happen in the second half of the season, including the opportunity for a rematch of this epic game. Of course, the ultimate goal is a state championship, and the Gadsden Panthers are still in a position to make a run for it. This loss in the Bulldog Bowl may look like a blight in the record books, but it might turn out to be the kind of experience that lifts a team beyond expectations–and into the history books.
Time will tell.
Alamogordo 10, Organ Mountain 18
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alamogordo | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Organ Mountain | 6 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
Mayfield 52, Santa Teresa 6
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayfield | 16 | 22 | 14 | 0 | 52 |
| Santa Teresa | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Gateway Christian 48, Mesilla Valley Christian 50
The SonBlazers remain undefeated after a close call against conference rival, Gateway Christian. This Friday (September 27), they host their homecoming game against defending state champions, Melrose. [Melrose is currently undefeated and ranked 24th in the nation for 8-man football by MaxPreps.]
Other Scores
SATURDAY
Cloudcroft 68, Dulce 20
Loving 45, Newcomb 6
Manzano 40, Portales 20
Valley 13, Miyamura 6
Volcano Vista 28, Eldorado 8
FRIDAY
Albuquerque High 14, Atrisco Heritage 12
Artesia 57, Gadsden 34
Belen 50, Del Norte 0
Bloomfield 53, Aztec 0
Cleveland 42, EP Pebble Hills, Texas 27
Crownpoint 28, Wingate 12
Dexter 51, Cobre 0
Espanola Valley 27, Moriarty 7
Grady 28, Roy 16
Grants 28, Kirtland Central 19
Highland 42, Rio Grande 13
La Cueva 45, Farmington 13
Las Cruces 44, Hobbs 14
Legacy 54, McCurdy 0
Logan 50, Elida 0
Los Alamos 50, Capital 0
Los Lunas 54, West Mesa 21
Lovington 46, Goddard 6
Mayfield 52, Santa Teresa 6
Melrose 52, Escalante 0
Mescalero Apache 44, Hagerman 8
NMMI 42, Hatch Valley 0
Organ Mountain 18, Alamogordo 10
Pojoaque 54, Hozho 0
Rio Rancho 26, El Paso Eastlake, Texas 21
Robertson 49, Raton 7
Roswell 51, Deming 20
Socorro 35, Hot Springs 0
St. Michael’s 40, Eunice 8
Tatum 36, Lordsburg 26
Thoreau 47, Shiprock 8
Tohatchi 54, Gallup 12
Tularosa 50, Capitan 0
Valencia 17, Silver 6
West Las Vegas 42, Santa Rosa 0
THURSDAY
Centennial 35, Carlsbad 13
Cibola 36, Clovis 12
Floyd 33, Carrizozo 26
Sandia 51, Santa Fe 6
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