2023 Team Preview: Artesia Bulldogs
Photo: Twitter
In this article:
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>2023 Artesia Preview</strong></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>Head Coach</strong>: Jeremy Maupin </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>Mascot</strong>: Bulldogs </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>Twitter</strong>: @artesiafootball</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>Colors</strong>: Orange and Black </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>2022 Record</strong>: 11-2 (Class 5A Title) </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>Overview</strong>: How dominant was Artesia last season? Both losses came to Class 6A schools – Hobbs and Cleveland – meaning they were 11-0 against 5A and 4A competition and most of the games weren't close. They made the long trip to the Fours Corners Thanksgiving weekend and defeated Piedra Vista, 27-14, in the 5A championship game. It was the 31<sup>st</sup> state championship for Artesia, by far the most of any school in New Mexico. Scary part for the rest of 5A? Many of the Bulldogs' top players are back, making Artesia the clear-cut favorite to repeat as state champions.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590681' first='Nye' last='Estrada']</strong> returns after throwing for nearly 3,500 yards and 42 TD as a junior in 2022. He seized the starting QB job in Week 1 with a strong relief appearance against Carlsbad and never lost his grip on the job. Estrada is extremely accurate on deep throws, has a quick release and makes good decisions on where to throw the football. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119239' first='Izac' last='Cazares']</strong> will be the backup QB.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='850276' first='Jesse' last='Leroch']</strong>, last season's leading rusher with 629 yards and 10 TD, is also back, giving the Bulldogs a talented and experienced offensive backfield. Leroch, who has been offered by Eastern New Mexico, camped at North Dakota State and University of the Redlands in California. Leroch seems poised to have a huge season. Leroch is a major reason Artesia runs the ball more than they have under previous head coaches. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1118283' first='Frankie' last='Galindo']</strong> is the likely No. 2 RB after gaining varsity experience in 2022. Galindo will also line up at receiver. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Peyton Greathouse had one of the best seasons by any New Mexico prep receiver in 2022 (79 receptions for 1,309 yards) but he moved to Tennessee a few months go, so Artesia is looking for a new No. 1 WR. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590308' first='Matthew' last='Saiz']</strong>, the hero of the Eddy County War win over Carlsbad, is being eyed as the new No. 1 WR. Senior speedster <strong>Juan Diego Duran</strong> should see his numbers increase significantly. He was one of the fastest runners in the 100 meters at the state track and field meet in May. Duran has also been offered by ENMU. Galindo and Cazares will be the slot receivers. Juniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1118257' first='Ethan' last='Conn']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680164' first='Diego' last='Lopez']</strong> are emerging as receivers ready to contribute in a big way.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>The offensive line is anchored by versatile 6-foot-3, 300-pound senior <strong>Enrique Armendariz</strong>, who can play nearly every position on the O-Line. New Mexico Highlands and NMMI have already offered. The returning center is senior [player_tooltip player_id='590679' first='Omar' last='Salais']. Senior <strong>Garret Fisher</strong> is back too. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Defensively, Artesia must replace four seniors on the defensive line. <strong>Dylan Fisher</strong> (brother of Garret) returns to lead the group, which also includes junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1052441' first='Kaden' last='Grantham']</strong>, a strong breakout candidate, and <strong>Kellen Worley</strong>. The linebacker unit is spearheaded by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590673' first='Diego' last='Wesson']</strong> (team-leading 107 tackles in 2022) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1258077' first='Grant' last='Johnson']</strong>. <strong>Josiah Rodriguez</strong> (64 tackles) played mainly safety last season but he's being moved to OLB.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>The secondary returns everybody, with two-year starter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590700' first='Jesse' last='Armendariz']</strong> (60 tackles, 6 INT) as the leader of the unit. <strong>Philip Finlay</strong> is back to play cornerback. <strong>Jaren Wadkins</strong> emerged late last season as a solid contributor. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590702' first='David' last='Hammond']</strong> (48 tackles) returns after starting all 13 games at cornerback in 2022. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>2023 Schedule</strong>: As always, Artesia opens the 2023 slate with the Eddy County War against local rival Carlsbad. Non-district play features home matchups with Hobbs, Cleveland and Lovington along with road trips to Belen, Deming and Santa Teresa. District play begins Oct. 13 with a trip to the Wool Bowl to face Roswell. Home games against Goddard and Mayfield conclude the regular season.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Aug. 18 at Carlsbad</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Aug. 25 HOBBS</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Sept. 1 at Belen</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Sept. 8 at Deming</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Sept. 15 CLEVELAND</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Sept. 22 LOVINGTON</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Sept. 29 at Santa Teresa</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Oct. 6 Bye</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Oct. 13 at Roswell*</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Oct. 20 GODDARD*</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Oct. 27 MAYFIELD*</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>* District Game</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>Coach's Comments</strong>: “Our guys really bought into the weight room during the spring and summer. We did a lot of things different there this year. Our kids were excited and hungry when we started workouts. We played well in 7-on-7 and our linemen competed well in their challenges. Nye had some growing up to do last year but he has done that this year. He has come in and been our leader. He does a great job with our guys. The best word to describe Nye is smooth. He gets rid of the ball quickly and he makes reads quickly. He took only 5 sacks all of last year, which tells you our O-Line had a good year. But Nye also did a good job reading things pre-snap. We're excited to having him back this year and leading the squad.” – Artesia head coach Jeremy Maupin. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/artesiafootball/status/1652497281680285697?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} -->
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://twitter.com/artesiafootball/status/1652497281680285697?s=20
</div></figure>
<!-- /wp:embed -->
<!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/MatthewSaiz10/status/1613722052044914690?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} -->
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://twitter.com/MatthewSaiz10/status/1613722052044914690?s=20
</div></figure>
<!-- /wp:embed -->
<!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/nmmibroncos/status/1679980279228960769?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} -->
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://twitter.com/nmmibroncos/status/1679980279228960769?s=20
</div></figure>
<!-- /wp:embed -->
<!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/jesse_leroch24/status/1674234018307485698?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} -->
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://twitter.com/jesse_leroch24/status/1674234018307485698?s=20
</div></figure>
<!-- /wp:embed -->
2023 Artesia Preview
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue Reading
Already a subscriber?
Log in
