PREVIOUS WINTER SPORTS WRAPS
• Basketball teams finish first, fourth at Hope Christian; wrestling, bowling shine in home events
• Hoops teams sweep Eddy County War Part II; swimming, wrestling, bowling, cheerleading start 2026 on high note
• Runnin' 'Dogs finish third in Hobbs Holiday Tournament; Lady Bulldogs kick off new year with 4A win
• Hoops teams pick up pre-holiday wins; swimmers racking up state qualifications; wrestling starts season strong; bowlers back on track for big year
• Fall sports go out with a bang as hoops season kicks off with City of Champions Classic

BULLDOG BASKETBALL

vs. Roswell High

When a team is on in its home gym -- and particularly when those confines are hostile -- there's not much the opponent can do, other than hang on and try to give themselves a chance at the end. If we're talking REALLY on, it can render even the most worthy efforts futile. So while the Bulldog basketball team's performance Jan. 20 at the Coyote Den would've been plenty to come away from most outings with a W, there were two insurmountable obstacles in the way on that given night: 11 three-pointers and 33 points from a single player.

In a contest that saw Class 5A Roswell High scarcely miss from beyond the arc and junior Jeremy Sambrano become a one-man wrecking crew, the Runnin' 'Dogs came up 10 points short, 76-66, and saw a nine-game winning streak end with their first lost since Dec. 30. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the boys in orange, who struggled at times with their own accuracy from the field. But there was no question it was simply the Coyotes' night.

The Bulldogs charged out of the gate with 22 points, including four longballs of their own -- two apiece from the dynamic duo of Charlie Campbell and Braylon Vega. But with five treys and 11 points from Sambrano, the Coyotes were able to take a one-point lead into the second. And despite not faring much better than Artesia from the field in that quarter, they'd expand it to five at the break, 37-32, with a late shot off the glass by Trent Egeland and breakaway layup from Vega helping to keep the 'Dogs close.

The Coyotes' seventh three-pointer of the evening came early in the third, but Campbell would go on a tear of his own in that quarter, starting with two breakaway layups off steals and a trey that made it a one-point game, 42-41, midway through. Roswell responded with 13 unanswered, however, with 10 of those points coming from Sambrano, six from three-point land. And despite a 4-4 showing from the stripe by Campbell and a Vega and-one, another trey in the final seconds of the period, this time by Ezekiel Barrientos, bumped the Coyotes' lead to double digits, 59-48, heading into the fourth.

There, the boost the Bulldogs needed never really came. Campbell, Egeland and Jack Byers all posted buckets in the first four minutes that were answered by Roswell High, and while two more shots in the paint by Egeland and a pair of layups by Vega -- the second with an and-one attached -- brought the 'Dogs back within six, 70-64, there was too little time to do further damage. Artesia was forced to begin fouling, and the Coyotes weren't missing much from the line, either. Sambrano went 4-4 and Laj Cheadle 2-2 in the final seconds to round out the 76-66 final.

In addition to Sambrano's 33, the Coyotes had three other players in double digits in the game: Trey Burrola with 12, Cheadle with 11, and Debrise Ashung with 10. Campbell finished with 24 for the Bulldogs, followed by Vega with 16 and Egeland with 12.

STAT BOX

Roswell High 76
Artesia 66

Artesia (14-4): Charlie Campbell 7, 7-9 24; Braylon Vega 6, 2-2 16; Trent Egeland 6, 0-0 12; Jack Byers 2, 2-4 6; Corbyn Dominguez 2, 0-0 5; Cael Houghtaling 1, 1-2 3
Totals: 24, 12-17 66

Roswell High (11-9): Jeremy Sambrano 13, 4-4 33; Trey Burrola 4, 0-0 12; Laj Cheadle 2, 6-6 11; Debrise Ashung 4, 2-4 10; Tony Serrano 2, 0-0 6; Ezekiel Barrientos 1, 0-0 3; Gabe Cordero 0, 1-2 1
Totals: 26, 13-16 76

Field Goals: Artesia 24; Roswell High 26
Three-Pointers: Artesia 6 (Campbell 3, Vega 2, Dominguez 1); Roswell High 11 (Burrola 4, Sambrano 3, Serrano 2, Barrientos 1, Cheadle 1)
Free Throws: Artesia 12-17 (71%); Roswell High 13-16 (81%)
Turnovers: Artesia 20; Roswell High 17
Fouls: Artesia 14; Roswell High 15
Fouled Out: Artesia 1 (Tootie McNeil, :52-3Q); Roswell High 0

Regular Season Finale vs. Hobbs

PICTURED: Braylon Vega cruises in for a layup ahead of Hobbs' Malakhi David.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

Coming off of their loss to Roswell, the Bulldogs were focused on one thing Jan. 22 at Bulldog Pit: making the most of their 2025-26 regular-season finale against their eighth Class 5A opponent of the season, the Hobbs Eagles. It was a chance to close out their pre-district campaign with some fast-paced fun in front of an enthusiastic home crowd -- and the Runnin' 'Dogs took full advantage. Competing a day sooner than expected due to the impending winter storm, the Artesia boys jumped on the 5A sixth-ranked Eagles and never let up, using big offensive quarters in the first and third to create distance they'd maintain throughout in a 65-53 victory.

A quick 6-0 start that consisted of a pair of Trent Egeland offensive putbacks and a Cael Houghtaling layup were followed by a solo run by Charlie Campbell, who bookended a three-pointer at the 3:30 mark with 2-2 showings from the line and completed an and-one with 1:07 to go in the first. Corbyn Dominguez tacked on a putback at the buzzer to make it 18-8 Bulldogs going into the second. On consecutive baskets by Braddock Beaty and Josiah Clay and a Lyric Soria trey, the Eagles were able to cut their deficit in half early. But the 'Dogs did a solid job of spreading their scoring around in the quarter, getting buckets from Egeland, Dominguez, Braylon Vega, Jack Byers and Campbell -- the latter with another and-one attached -- to bump their lead to 13-, 30-17. Soria would trim that back to 10 at the break with a last-second longball.

PICTURED: Trent Egeland puts up a jumper in the early goings of the second quarter.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

Hobbs had its best showing from the field in the third, spurred by seven points from Clay and four each by Soria and Beaty. But so did the boys in orange. Vega drained a pair of treys in the quarter amidst 10 points and Campbell, Houghtaling and Egeland all added four of their own to keep Artesia in the driver's seat, 52-39, going into the final eight minutes. There, Clay did his best to put the Eagles on his back, and with help from a Malakhi David three and a dunk by Adrian Mora, Hobbs was suddenly back within four, 52-48, with six minutes still to go. The Bulldogs would regain their composure and right the ship, however, ending the game on a 13-5 run that included five points -- three from the stripe -- by Campbell, four from Houghtaling, and a shot off the glass each by Dominguez and Clay Kincaid.

Campbell closed the book as high point with 22, followed by Vega with 13 and Egeland and Houghtaling with 10 each. Clay posted 20 for the Eagles. With the win, Artesia ended their pre-district campaign with a record of 15-4.

PICTURED: Charlie Campbell dribbles around Hobbs' A'Darius Proby.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

STAT BOX

Artesia 65
Hobbs 53

Artesia (15-4): Charlie Campbell 5, 11-15 22; Braylon Vega 5, 1-4 13; Trent Egeland 5, 0-2 10; Cael Houghtaling 4, 2-2 10; Corbyn Dominguez 3, 0-0 6; Jack Byers 1, 0-0 2; Clay Kincaid 1, 0-2 2
Totals: 24, 14-25 65

Hobbs (12-8): Josiah Clay 8, 3-5 20; Lyric Soria 5, 0-0 12; Adrian Mora 4, 2-2 10; Malakhi David 2, 0-0 5; Braddock Beaty 1, 2-2 4; A'Darius Proby 1, 0-0 2
Totals: 21, 7-9 53

Field Goals: Artesia 24; Hobbs 21
Three-Pointers: Artesia 3 (Vega 2, Campbell 1); Hobbs 4 (Soria 2, Clay 1, David 1)
Free Throws: Artesia 14-25 (56%); Hobbs 7-9 (78%)
Turnovers: Artesia 10; Hobbs 5
Fouls: Artesia 10; Hobbs 20
Fouled Out: Artesia 0; Hobbs 1 (Beaty, 2:09-4Q)

LADY BULLDOG BASKETBALL

vs. Roswell High

Something the Lady Bulldogs learned about themselves -- if they didn't know already -- at the Hope Christian Tournament is that they're capable of competing with any team in the state, even if it's an off night. So when their Jan. 20 outing against Roswell High in the Coyote Den began shaping up to be a low-scoring one, there was only one thing left to do: persevere.

Down by just one at the break, 18-17, the Artesia girls would take the lead five times, lose it once, and thrice find themselves in a deadlock with the Lady Coyotes, all within the span of the third quarter. By its end, however, the Lady 'Dogs had turned the tables, up 30-29. And that turned out to be just enough of a spark to keep them going through a fourth quarter that saw the squad play a bit messy but twice as motivated on their way to a 40-37 win over the Class 5A Coyotes.

It started with a drive to the hoop for a layup by Jenna Whitmire nearly two minutes into the fourth that made it 32-29. Turnovers were proving an issue for both teams, but amidst them, Roswell was twice sent to the free-throw line for touch fouls. The Coyotes missed all four attempts, however, while the Lady Bulldogs got one from Zaleigh Greer, and following an Avery Frederick jumper, Artesia finally had two shots' worth of breathing room, 35-29. Roswell got a bucket from Adamaris Vasquez -- who'd been their lifeblood on the night -- coming out of a time-out that was answered by two from the stripe by Gracen Kuykendall, but Vasquez immediately hit a trey that brought the girls in red back within three, 37-34.

Just as quickly, Kuykendall would crash the offensive boards to put a miss up and in, but after Jovianie Martinez went 1-2 at the line for Roswell, a turnover led to a short-range jumper for Vasquez and a time-out by Artesia head coach Candace Pollard with her squad clinging to a two-point edge, 39-37. Another turnover gave the Lady Coyotes a chance to tie or go ahead, but they'd miss their attempt from the field and were forced to foul Craft with 12 seconds remaining in the game. The senior converted her second attempt to force Roswell High into a beyond-the-arc situation, and Vasquez's contested try came up short as the girls in orange hung on for a hard-fought 40-37 victory.

Vasquez had been the difference-maker throughout for the Lady Coyotes, opening the game with back-to-back buckets on two straight Lady Bulldog turnovers, then adding a jumper late to -- combined with a trey and a drive in for a layup by Abigail Morales -- give Roswell an 11-6 lead. Whitmire posted Artesia's first field goal at the 5:04 mark and added a pair of free throws, but that would be it for the Lady 'Dogs' scoring until Frederick tacked on a bucket in the paint with under a minute to go in the period. The teams would very nearly swap tallies exactly in the second, with the Lady 'Dogs getting a shot off the glass and a three from Whitmire, four points in the paint from Peyton Barela, and a Craft layup to outscore Vasquez -- who logged all of Roswell's points in the quarter -- 11-7. That single extra points, however, was enough to give the Coyotes a slight lead at the half, 18-17.

Artesia came out strong with an old-fashioned three-point play from Zaleigh Greer and a Craft offensive putback, but the buckets were countered by Vasquez and Martinez. Vasquez also had an equal response to a pair of free throws each from Whitmire and Craft, but a Frederick basket and two from the stripe by Barela sandwiched an Ariana Ortega and-one to give the Lady 'Dogs their one point to grow on, 30-29, as they headed into the dramatic fourth. Vasquez led all scorers on the night with 26, while the Artesia girls were led by Whitmire with 13. The Lady Bulldogs also saw the payoff to their improved free-throw shooting, going a near-perfect 13-15 in the bout to Roswell's 8-14.

STAT BOX

Artesia 40
Roswell High 37

Artesia (11-7): Jenna Whitmire 4, 4-4 13; Ashton Craft 2, 3-4 7; Peyton Barela 2, 2-2 6; Avery Frederick 3, 0-0 6; Zaleigh Greer 1, 2-3 4; Gracen Kuykendall 1, 2-2 4
Totals: 13, 13-15 40

Roswell High (8-11): Adamaris Vasquez 9, 6-7 26; Abigail Morales 2, 0-0 5; Jovianie Martinez 1, 1-2 3; Ariana Ortega 1, 1-1 3; Mireya Patino 0, 0-2 0; Jasmine Weathersby 0, 0-2 0
Totals: 13, 8-14 37

Field Goals: Artesia 13; Roswell High 13
Three-Pointers: Artesia 1 (Whitmire); Roswell High 3 (Vasquez 2, Morales 1)
Free Throws: Artesia 13-15 (87%); Roswell High 8-14 (57%)
Turnovers: Artesia 20; Roswell High 15
Fouls: Artesia 13; Roswell High 14
Fouled Out: None

Regular Season Finale vs. Hobbs

PICTURED: Jenna Whitmire dribbles upcourt out of the press-breaker.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

Winter weather wasn't the only ominous thing moving in Jan. 22 at Bulldog Pit. The Lady Bulldog basketball team knew whom they were welcoming to their home court in a game bumped up a day due to the forecasted snowstorm: the top-ranked team in Class 5A. But while the Lady Eagles of Hobbs undoubtedly played like it in the contest, the Artesia girls were never too far behind until a disastrous second half turned a ridealong into a runaway, 62-30.

Hobbs wasted no time introducing their heavy hitters in the opening quarter, with Xoey Ross posting six points and Matysen Zepeda and Zaylee Hardison five apiece. It took the Lady 'Dogs a while to get going, but once they did, a pair of shots in the paint and a free throw from Gracen Kuykendall and a bucket each by Ashton Craft and Brooklyn Fuentes saw Artesia down by just nine, 18-9. A 6-0 run to start the second saw the Lady Eagles pulling away, but the girls in orange continued to fight. Craft followed a pair from the stripe by Kuykendall with a basket off the dish from Jenna Whitmire, Jordan Rone hit a trey with just under five minutes remaining in the half, and Kuykendall, Avery Frederick and Whitmire would all contribute buckets in the latter moments. So while Hobbs' 17 expanded their advantage, the gap was not unbridgeable at the break, 35-22.

PICTURED: Ashton Craft prepares to put up a jumper over Hobbs' Zaylee Hardison during the first quarter.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

Unfortunately, however, it would become so in the third. The Lady Eagles had their lowest-scoring period of the night coming out of the locker room, but it would come in a quarter that saw Artesia manage just a single field goal in the form of a long jumper from Frederick. That sent the shell-shocked Lady 'Dogs into the final eight minutes down by 23, 47-24, and things would barely improve from there. Amidst a rash of turnovers that brought their second-half total to 19, the girls in orange wouldn't score again until the final two-and-a-half minutes of play after an opening jumper from Kuykendall. In between, the Eagles tacked 10 more to their tally, with two late buckets from Peyton Barela helping to fend off the running clock in the 32-point defeat.

Ross finished with 28 to lead all scorers on the night, while Kuykendall had 11 for Artesia.

STAT BOX

Hobbs 62
Artesia 30

Artesia (11-8): Gracen Kuykendall 4, 3-4 11; Peyton Barela 2, 0-2 4; Ashton Craft 2, 0-0 4; Avery Frederick 2, 0-0 4; Jordan Rone 1, 0-0 3; Brooklyn Fuentes 1, 0-0 2; Jenna Whitmire 1, 0-2 2
Totals: 13, 3-8 30

Hobbs (18-2): Xoey Ross 9, 9-10 28; Matysen Zepeda 5, 1-2 12; Zaylee Hardison 3, 0-0 7; Aliana Armitage 3, 0-0 6; Kacelynn Muniez 1, 2-2 4; Arelie Navarro 1, 1-2 3; Audree Mackey 1, 0-0 2
Totals: 23, 13-16 62

Field Goals: Artesia 13; Hobbs 23
Three-Pointers: Artesia 1 (Rone); Hobbs 3 (Hardison 1, Ross 1, Zepeda 1)
Free Throws: Artesia 3-8 (38%); Hobbs 13-16 (81%)
Turnovers: Artesia 32; Hobbs 12
Fouls: Artesia 13; Hobbs 12
Fouled Out: Artesia 1 (Whitmire, 2:19-4Q); Hobbs 0

AHS WRESTLING

Hobbs Dual

The Artesia wrestlers followed their big weekend at home with their fifth dual of the season against Class 5A competition Jan. 20, travelling to Hobbs to take on the Eagles. In the boys' competition, Hobbs came out on top 71-12, gleaning 30 of their points via forfeit. Apart from a forfeit in favor of freshman Ayden Carnero in the 106-pound weight class, the Bulldogs won just one match in the 215-pound class, with sophomore Ethan Valencia taking a marathon over Hobbs' Jon Jaramillo by fall at 5:46. In the 285-pound match, junior Sergio Ortega also took his opponent, Omar Menchaca, to 4:36 before falling, and Artesia had solid three-plus-minute matches in 132 and 138 pounds, respectively, from junior Colt Moziejko and eighth-grader Tristan Shannon. In the girls' dual, the Lady Bulldogs competed well but were unable to pick up a win in their seven matches, with Hobbs getting 18 points via forfeit.

Boys' Results vs. Hobbs
• 106 Pounds
- Ayden Carnero, fr.
def. by forfeit
• 113 Pounds
- Jayce Herron, fr.
fell to Erasmo Madrid, TF 18-2
• 120 Pounds
forfeit
• 126 Pounds
forfeit
• 132 Pounds
- Colt Moziejko, jr.
fell to Joshua Regalado, 3:09
• 138 Pounds
- Tristan Shannon, 8th
fell to Mavrick Tillman, 3:23
• 144 Pounds
forfeit
• 150 Pounds
- Jaedon Smith, so.
fell to Dominic Chavez, 1:10
• 157 Pounds
- Braxton Norman, fr.
fell to Grady Vaughn, 1:12
• 165 Pounds
forfeit
• 175 Pounds
forfeit
• 190 Pounds
- Evan Heald, jr.
fell to Ewan Jaco, 2:00
• 215 Pounds
- Ethan Valencia, so.
def. Jon Jaramillo, 5:46
• 285 Pounds
- Sergio Ortega, jr.
fell to Omar Menchaca, 4:36

Girls' Results vs. Hobbs
• 110 Pounds
- Anna Lee Sorrells, so.
fell to Allyson Teel, 2:52
• 115 Pounds
- Alayna Petersen, so.
fell to Brooklyn Moore, 2:29
• 120 Pounds
- Lyla Woolsey, fr.
fell to Emmaline DeAguero, :52
• 125 Pounds
- Kylie Rodriguez, fr.
fell to Jadyn Dyer, :30
• 130 Pounds
forfeit
• 135 Pounds
forfeit
• 140 Pounds
forfeit
• 145 Pounds
- Leila Irvin, fr.
fell to Mayte Trevizo, 1:23
• 155 Pounds
- Katie Dowell, fr.
fell to Annika Villanueva, 1:21
• 170 Pounds
- Fatima Alonso, sr.
fell to Abigale Snell, 1:21

Oil Patch Invite

PICTURED: The Bulldog and Lady Bulldog junior varsities pose for a photo at the Oil Patch Invite in Hobbs. The tournament was rescheduled from Jan. 23 to Jan. 22 due to the winter forecast, and the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs competed well, bringing home a host of hardware.