PICTURED: Bryce Parra heads into the end zone with a 40-yard touchdown run as the Sea of Orange cheers him on.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
For the boys of fall, it still felt like summer Friday at Ralph Bowyer Stadium in Carlsbad.
But despite the heat, all other signs pointed to the changing of the seasons. The stands were jam-packed full of orange- and blue-clad fans, all clamoring for county bragging rights. Bands struck up the fight songs as the teams charged onto the field and the Bulldogs into the first Dog Pile of 2025. The aroma of popcorn filled the air, and stadium lights shone above Southeast New Mexico.
Nothing welcomes high school football back to New Mexico quite like the century-old Eddy County War. And for the fourth consecutive year, the Bulldogs won the battle, defeating Class 6A rival Carlsbad 48-24.
Season openers aren't supposed to be pretty. They're a time for working out the kinks and gaining general insight into what sort of team a group has the potential to grow into. But in the grand scheme of things, the boys in orange couldn't have done much better.
Artesia's first-string offense scored to cap six of their eight drives through three quarters of play, racking up 329 total yards on the night. Three of those touchdowns came courtesy of senior running back Bryce Parra, who came just three yards shy of 200 while also passing for a TD. Defensively, the Orange Crush held the Cavemen to just a single touchdown in the first half. Their remaining TDs came following a Bulldog turnover just outside the red zone and in trash time. The Artesia D forced a trio of turnovers -- one of which resulted in points -- and had two sacks, four tackles for a loss, and five tackles for no gain in the contest.
The Bulldogs showed poise out of the gate, converting on fourth and 10 in their opening series on an 11-yard pass from senior quarterback Derrick Warren to classmate Jack Byers. They'd then score on third and 25, as Parra burst up the middle and left the Carlsbad defense behind on a 40-yard run that made it 7-0 with 8:54 to go in the first.
After forcing a quick Caveman three-and-out, the 'Dogs got back to business, needing just five plays to hit the red zone and scoring from the six on a direct snap to Byers, who took a trio of Carlsbad defenders along for the ride to put Artesia up 14-0.
PICTURED: Jack Byers hauls a trio of Carlsbad defenders over the line for a six-yard touchdown run.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
Following a Sergio Robles sack of Caveman QB Eloy Lopez on second down, it looked as though another punt might be in order. But a personal foul on Artesia propelled Carlsbad to the Bulldog 14, and Lopez was able to win a foot race to the corner of the end zone to put the boys in blue on the board as the second quarter began, 14-7.
Caveman fans were back on their feet a few minutes later when, on second and 13 from the Artesia 28, linebacker Ivan Solorzano pounced on a Bulldog fumble to set Carlsbad up at the 31. After being bumped back by a hurdling penalty, the Cavemen were looking to convert on third and short at the 24 when Lopez found himself in a scrum of 'Dogs. As it happened, the ball didn't exit with him and was scooped up instead of senior defensive end Marco Soto, who motored 86 yards to the house to spark a permanent momentum shift.
A three-and-out later, Parra was back to the races, carving up the Caveman defense on Artesia's first play from scrimmage and going over 100 yards on the night with a 71-yard score that made it 27-7 with seven minutes to go in the half. Edel Villa ended Carlsbad's next possession with an interception and 39-yard return to the Caveman 37, and the Bulldogs once again needed just one play from there. Warren found Trent Egeland as he stepped over the goal line for Artesia's fourth touchdown of the night.
PICTURED: Bryce Parra speeds into the end zone ahead of the Caveman defense to cap a 71-yard TD run.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
PICTURED: Trent Egeland brings in a seven-yard touchdown pass from Parra in the final seconds of the first half.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
They'd have time for one more when, following Soto's second fumble recovery of the evening, a pitch out to Parra resulted in a touchdown pass to Egeland from the seven with 30 seconds on the clock to set the halftime tally: 41-7.
Carlsbad's workhorse RB Brock Wright would pass the 100-yard mark in the first series of the second half, and while the Crush ultimately halted the drive, the Cavemen were able to secure their first points since the opening seconds of the second quarter on a 43-yard field goal from Lennon Ananins. They'd be gifted their first TD of the half one play later when Matthew Romo snatched up a fumbled exchange by Artesia to give Carlsbad the ball at the Bulldog 23. Lopez scored from the one three plays later to make it 41-17 with five minutes to go in the third.
The Cavemen tried an onside kick that was recovered by Soto, and the 'Dogs essentially put the game out of reach in the final minutes of the third when Parra sped 35 yards up the visiting sideline to put Artesia up by 31, 48-17.
PICTURED: Marco Soto hits the end zone, flanked by Charlie Campbell (25) and Miguel Soto (23), following an 86-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
Ivan Chavez sacked Lopez for a loss of eight to help end Carlsbad's final drive of the third, and the Bulldog back-ups entered the fray as the fourth quarter began. The teams traded punts as time continued to tick away, but Lopez was able to hit Robert Castaneda for a 39-yard touchdown as the contest fell under one minute to round out the final score: 48-24.
Parra finished his night 11-197 with three touchdowns, while Warren was eight of 14 for 109 yards and one TD in his first varsity start under center. Egeland led the receiving corps with four catches for 60 yards and two TDs, and Corbyn Dominguez was 6-7 on PAT.
The Bulldogs now prepare to take on Hobbs in their 2025 home opener at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29, at Bulldog Bowl.
STAT BOX
SCORING SUMMARY
FIRST QUARTER
Artesia- Bryce Parra 40-run (Corbyn Dominguez kick good), 8:54
Artesia- Jack Byers 6-run (Dominguez kick good), 3:30
SECOND QUARTER
Carlsbad- Eloy Lopez 14-run (Lennon Ananins kick good), 11:53
Artesia- Marco Soto 86-fumble return (kick failed), 10:04
Artesia- Parra 71-run (Dominguez kick good), 7:10
Artesia- Trent Egeland 37-pass from Derrick Warren (Dominguez kick good), 4:33
Artesia- Egeland 7-pass from Parra (Dominguez kick good), :30
THIRD QUARTER
Carlsbad- Ananins 43-field goal, 6:33
Carlsbad- Lopez 1-run (Ananins kick good), 5:06
Artesia- Parra 35-run (Dominguez kick good), 2:35
FOURTH QUARTER
Carlsbad- Robert Castaneda 39-pass from Lopez (Ananins kick good), :58
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING
Artesia- Parra 11-197; Warren 6-18; Tyler Egeland 1-8; Byers 2-4; Cael Houghtaling 1-0; Ray Ray Cano 2-(-2); Jaime Madrid 1-(-4); Lucas Atkins 3-(-15)
Carlsbad- Brock Wright 21-132; Lopez 17-39; Marley Munoz 2-5; Steven Larez 1-3
PASSING
Artesia- Warren 8-14-109-1-0; Atkins 3-3-10-0-0; Parra 1-1-7-1-0
Carlsbad- Lopez 8-16-124-1-1
RECEIVING
Artesia- Trent Egeland 4-60; Parra 2-36; Byers 2-16; Cano 1-7; Sawyer Whitehead 1-4; Layton Whitmire 1-3; George Blackburn 1-0
Carlsbad- Castaneda 3-57; RJ Hernandez 3-57; Wright 2-10
TEAM STATISTICS
FIRST DOWNS
Artesia 10; Carlsbad 12
RUSHING YARDS
Artesia 27-206; Carlsbad 41-179
PASSING YARDS
Artesia 126; Carlsbad 124
TOTAL YARDS
Artesia 329; Carlsbad 303
PENALTIES
Artesia 10-110; Carlsbad 6-81
TURNOVERS
Artesia 2; Carlsbad 3