Prep football: Bulldawgs throttle La Cueva, head to 6A final

Las Cruces’ Bernardo Winnikoff celebrates after the Bulldawgs beat La Cueva in a Class 6A state semifinal game on Friday night at Wilson Stadium.

Las Cruces’ Diego Lopez, center, runs down the field during Friday’s Class 6A state semifinal game against La Cueva at Wilson Stadium.

James Yodice James Yodice James Yodice Journal Staff Writer

Published November 21, 2025 - 10:52 p.m. Modified November 22, 2025 - 8:06 a.m.

No comeback for La Cueva this week. Las Cruces made quite certain there wouldn’t be one.

The No. 1 seed in the Class 6A prep football playoffs rode a momentum-swinging second quarter to a comfortable lead, and the Bulldawgs kept their foots pressed on the gas pedal throughout as they routed No. 5 La Cueva 44-7 in the semifinals on Friday night at Wilson Stadium.

“We’re not done. This team is definitely not done,” said Las Cruces senior running back Danny Amaro, who was very Amaro-esque on Friday, gaining 233 yards on 28 carries with three touchdowns. “We’re one step closer to our goal, and we’re excited to be here.”

Las Cruces (12-0), which now has victories this season against every one of the other seven teams seeded in the top eight in the 6A playoff bracket, advanced into the state final next week against No. 2 Cleveland or No. 3 Hobbs. The Storm and Eagles meet in Rio Rancho at 1 p.m. Saturday in the second semifinal.

“They’re the No. 1 team for a reason,” La Cueva coach Brandon Back said. “They executed better than we did today.”

Las Cruces is in the title game for the first time since losing the 2016 championship game to Rio Rancho. The Bulldawgs last won state in 2013. They were eliminated the last two years in the semifinals by the Bears.

After a competitive first quarter, Las Cruces outscored La Cueva 16-0 over the final 6½ minutes of the first half.

The Bears’ troubles in the second quarter began on special teams, when a punt snap went over the head of Chance Whitmire. He eventually chased it down and picked it up, and even got off a desperation kick, but the ball ended up at the La Cueva 36, which was seven yards behind the line of scrimmage on the punt.

Four plays later, Las Cruces quarterback Gunnar Guardiola made a strong throw down the middle of the field to Jacob Misquez, who caught it at about the 2, then bulled his way into the end zone midway through the quarter for a 14-7 lead.

“Coach (Mark) Lopez always says, you never know which play is gonna make the difference in a game,” Guardiola said. “Looking back, that play probably was the difference in the game.”

Things continued to go sideways for La Cueva (10-3).

Las Cruces forced a punt on the ensuing La Cueva series, and moved 74 yards down the field for another score. Guardiola’s outstanding 46-yard throw down the near sideline to Isaiah Borunda set up a first-and-goal, and Amaro scored on the next play from 2 yards out and a 20-7 advantage after the PAT failed with 2:24 to go until halftime.

Las Cruces got the ball again before the half ended, and, with the assistance of two completions to Francisco Winnikoff totaling 42 yards, the Bulldawgs added a 35-yard field goal from Manny Esparza on the final play of the half, and the Bulldawgs led 23-7 at the break.

“Momentum is a killer, and they got a couple of big rolls that went their way,” Back said.

For La Cueva, its halftime predicament was nearly identical to what the Bears faced six days earlier in Las Cruces in the quarterfinals against Centennial. The Hawks led 21-7 at half, got the ball to start the second half, but the Bears defense tossed a shutout in the second half in what would eventually be a 24-21 walkoff victory for La Cueva.

“That was what we talked about at halftime,” Lopez said. “We were in the stands last week; at no time in our whole offseason did we say, play two quarters.”

To that end, Las Cruces went right down the field and scored on its opening drive of the second half.

Amaro darted 33 yards on the first play of the 80-yard drive, and he went off the right side on the fourth play of the drive, scoring from 31 yards out for a commanding 30-7 lead for the No. 1 seed.

Amaro said he was still stinging from a first-quarter fumble that led to La Cueva’s only points.

“I had to get myself out of that slump, just let loose and be me,” he said.

His final touch of the night was a nifty 53-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

“Hey, he’s the best player in the state, let’s get this guy in the end zone,” Guardiola said of his running back.

Las Cruces and La Cueva traded touchdowns in the first quarter.

The Bulldawgs’ first score came on defense, with Josiah Gutierrez grabbing a deflected pass and going 32 yards for a pick-6 just 50 seconds into the game.

Amaro’s fumble gave La Cueva a short field later in the quarter, and the Bears capitalized when Vaughn Saunders went up the middle and scored from the Bulldawg 15 for a tie game.