Roswell gains its revenge on Artesia; Texico completes a perfect season

The Roswell Coyotes scored 74 seconds into the game and never looked back Saturday.

Class 5A’s top-seeded prep football team led rival Artesia from start to finish at Wool Bowl on Saturday afternoon, and won the 5A title, 41-22 over the second-seeded Bulldogs.

A year ago, it was the Bulldogs who beat the Coyotes in the title game.

“It was very gratifying (today), just super proud of our kids, and our community,” Roswell coach Jeff Lynn said. “It takes a lot for a football team to win. It’s the biggest sport. Our team and our kids were resilient.”

Roswell quarterback Jacob Palomino scored on a 62-yard run in the early going to set the tone for the Coyotes (11-1).

Artesia QB Izac Cazares’ 80-yard run seconds later cut the deficit to 7-6 after a missed PAT, but Palomino added a short scoring run midway through the quarter. Cazares added a second touchdown of his own later in the quarter, but a 2-point try failed and Roswell led 14-12.

Palomino threw a TD pass to Mason Greathouse, and he added a third rushing score — after the Roswell defense turned Artesia over on downs at the other end — in the final minute of the first half, which ended with the Coyotes in front 28-15.

“The first half, we did what we wanted to on the ground,” Lynn said.

The late score in the second quarter, he added, “was huge.”

Artesia lost Cazares to an injury (on a sack) just before halftime and he did not return, a difficult loss for the Bulldogs to overcome.

Roswell scored on a reverse pass, with Abey Toscano throwing 40 yards to Kolby Sanchez barely a minute into the third quarter, and the Coyotes were fully in control, with a 35-15 lead.

Lynn boasted about his defense, which he said forced a potent Artesia offense to turn the ball over on downs five times Saturday.

The Bulldogs did get within 13 at 35-22 midway through the third quarter on a long touchdown run by Frankie Galindo, but got no closer.

It’s Roswell’s third championship since 2018. The Coyotes went back-to-back in 2018 and 2019.

Artesia (9-4) was seeking a 33rd state title.

CLASS 2A: Unbeaten No. 1 seed Texico (12-0) capped its perfect season with a near-perfect performance, as the Wolverines swarmed No. 2 Santa Rosa 50-0 in the 2A title game Saturday on the Lions’ field.

It was the ultimate bookend victory for Texico, which beat the Lions (9-4) by this same 50-0 score in Week 1.

Alex Fuentes rushed for four touchdowns for Texico, and the game ended by mercy rule early in the fourth quarter.

“You know, it took us a little while to get going offensively, but defensively, we were just relentless,” Texico coach Bob Gilbreath said. Santa Rosa, he said, managed just one first down the entire game.

“Our front guys are so big and stout, they presented a real problem,” Gilbreath said. “They had nothing all day long. We just stuffed them.”