Championship Saturday: Recaps and Highlights (5A-2A)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Five state championship football games were played Saturday afternoon throughout New Mexico, from the Four Corners to Santa Fe to Albuquerque to Roswell to Santa Rosa. We've posted the video and comprehensive recap of the 6A championship game between Cleveland and La Cueva at Wilson Stadium. Here are the recaps and highlights from the 5A-2A championship games:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 5A: Roswell 41, Artesia 22 (at Wool Bowl)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Roswell head coach Jeff Lynn told his team following the semifinal victory over Gadsden that last year's loss to Artesia in the title game had bothered him all year and he wanted redemption. He got it. The Coyotes upended rival Artesia to deny the Bulldogs a three-peat. Long TD runs by both quarterbacks in the first two minutes of the game (<strong>Jacob Palomino</strong> 62 yards run for Roswell; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1432984' first='Izac' last='Cazares']</strong> 80 yard run for Artesia) gave Roswell an early 7-6 lead. Palomino added a 6-yard run before the midway point of the 1Q for a 14-6 lead. Cazares matched him with a 4-yard run with just over 2 minutes left in the 4Q. Roswell led, 14-12, after the 1Q. In the 2^nd quarter, Palomino tossed a 6-yard TD pass to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1118051' first='Mason' last='Greathouse']</strong> and ran for his 3^rd TD of the 1^st half from 1 yard out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Those scores sandwiched a 32-yard FG by Artesia PK <strong>Corbyn Dominguez</strong>. Roswell led, 28-15, at halftime. Cazares did not return for the second half because of an injury, replaced by backup QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672571' first='Derrick' last='Warren']</strong>, next season's probable starter. Roswell started the 3Q scoring quickly with a 40-yard TD pass from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1258088' first='Abey' last='Toscano']</strong> to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1750777' first='Kolby' last='Sanchez']</strong> just 61 seconds into the quarter, giving the Coyotes a 35-15 lead. [player_tooltip player_id='1118283' first='Frankie' last='Galindo'] cut the deficit to 2 scores with a 5-yard TD run midway through the 3Q. But that would be the final tally of the day for the Bulldogs. <strong>Toscano</strong> scored the final TD of the game on a 21-yard run early in the 4^th quarter.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/YToGK-h98ZE?si=MqKhCyafa2zT8dr7","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/YToGK-h98ZE?si=MqKhCyafa2zT8dr7 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 4A: Bloomfield 62, St. Pius X 28 (at Bloomfield HS)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bloomfield won its second Class 4A championship in three seasons with a dominant 2H performance. The Bobcats pulled away from a 22-22 halftime tie by outscoring the Sartans, 40-6, in the second half, including 26-0 in the second half. Bloomfield's senior class won two state titles and reached the 4A semifinals last year during their prep careers. The Bobcats have lost just one game since the middle of the 2022 season. They outscored their three playoff opponents by 177-42, which mirrored the regular season when Bloomfield won 6 of 9 games by the 50-point mercy rule.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bloomfield's defense helped swing the momentum in the 3^rd quarter. A pair of interceptions led directly to touchdowns. The first pick by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594644' first='Elias' last='Johnson']</strong> (team high 13 tackles) led to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853022' first='Peyton' last='Duncan']</strong>'s TD run. Soon thereafter, [player_tooltip player_id='1594669' first='Hunter' last='Samora'] had a Pick-6 for the Bobcats. Bloomfield's special teams blocked a pair of punts in the second half, the second of which was scooped up by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615690' first='McKell' last='Colbert']</strong> and returned for a TD to give Bloomfield an insurmountable 55-22 lead. Duncan finished with 131 yards rushing on 11 carries, while QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='615635' first='Blake' last='Spencer']</strong> completed 13-of-22 passes for 150 yards and rushed for 105 yards and 3 TD. He finished his career with about 4,000 passing yards and over 50 TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/f_Jcwl2iy2c?si=KOcbEMOHCwuQIWVV","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/f_Jcwl2iy2c?si=KOcbEMOHCwuQIWVV </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 3A: St. Michael's 28, Dexter 26 (at Ivan Head Stadium, Santa Fe)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Michael's won back-to-back titles for the first time in program history by driving 61 yards in the final minutes of the contest for the game-winning 6-yard TD run by RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613193' first='Cole' last='Sandoval']</strong> with 35 seconds left. During the march, the Horsemen converted a pair of clutch fourth-downs, one on a gutsy screen pass from QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119628' first='Reed' last='Bass']</strong> to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119160' first='Soren' last='Annon']</strong> on 4^th-and-12 over a leaping Dexter defender to the Demons 6-yard line. Dexter overcame a 22-8 deficit by scoring three TD within a 6-minutes span in the fourth quarter. The first TD came on a 66-yard pass from Demons QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155032' first='CJ' last='Granados']</strong> to <strong>Isaac Ramirez</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The pass was tipped by a St. Michael's defender but landed in Ramriez's welcoming arms. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137901' first='Garet' last='Gonzalez']</strong> sliced the deficit to 22-20 on a 1-yard TD run with 4:12 left. The Demons took a stunning 26-22 lead with a 27-yard Pick-6 interception by DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155310' first='Fernando' last='Prieto']</strong> with 2:32 remaining. It marked the first time St. Michael's trailed in the fourth quarter this season. However, Dexter's PAT and two 2-point conversion attempts were stopped after each 4^th quarter TD as the Demons left 5 points on the table. The Demons also gave up an 88-yard kickoff return for a TD by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853063' first='Isaiah' last='Dominguez'] </strong>and come up empty on two drives inside the St. Michael's 5-yard line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/b72lr4bGH-8?si=dpXRy6qi66e9UI4V","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/b72lr4bGH-8?si=dpXRy6qi66e9UI4V </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 2A: Texico 50, Santa Rosa 0 (at Santa Rosa HS)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Texico capped off a perfect 12-0 season and their second straight Class 2A championship with a thunderous road victory over Santa Rosa. Texico built a 36-0 halftime lead and cruised to the win, which ended by mercy-rule early in the 4^th quarter. RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119205' first='Alex' last='Fuentes']</strong> rushed for 4 TD to lead the Wolverines' offense. The relentless (and big) Texico defense allowed just one Santa Roda first down the entire game as their extremely physical defensive line dominated the game from start to finish. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/CAJOX6Odqn4?si=GYmEN2ytbzffiDsW","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/CAJOX6Odqn4?si=GYmEN2ytbzffiDsW </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bloomfield wins the 2024 Nusenda Credit Union 4A State Football Championships over St. Pius X, 62-28. Congratulations to both teams on a fantastic season. <a href="https://twitter.com/nusendacu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nusendacu</a> <a href="https://t.co/61Yj2VulDH">pic.twitter.com/61Yj2VulDH</a></p>&mdash; NMAA (@_NMAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1863031832536641612?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨STATE CHAMPIONS🚨<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TEAM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TEAM</a> <a href="https://t.co/VzQSpR2kS2">pic.twitter.com/VzQSpR2kS2</a></p>&mdash; Coyote Football (@CoyotesRising) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoyotesRising/status/1863090059093881173?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">6 YEARS!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/elilynn109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elilynn109</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/n0ahlynn17?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@n0ahlynn17</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/lynnluke27?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lynnluke27</a> <br>PROUD OF YOU!!! <a href="https://t.co/yFTDWIf175">pic.twitter.com/yFTDWIf175</a></p>&mdash; jeff lynn (@JeffJefflynn1) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffJefflynn1/status/1863336246904308174?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TraditionProtected?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TraditionProtected</a> <a href="https://t.co/zeWKy0LxxO">pic.twitter.com/zeWKy0LxxO</a></p>&mdash; Heath Ridenour (@Coach_Ridenour) <a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_Ridenour/status/1863069565875339686?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Score Update presented by the <a href="https://twitter.com/BGCSFDN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BGCSFDN</a> ! <a href="https://twitter.com/StMikesHorsemen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StMikesHorsemen</a> [player_tooltip player_id='853063' first='Isaiah' last='Dominguez'] runs it back for a touchdown! @saintmichaelshighschool up 8-13! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dontwaitvaccinate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dontwaitvaccinate</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_NMAA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KSWVradio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KSWVradio</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/baronabeyta?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@baronabeyta</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamDiehl15?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AdamDiehl15</a> <a href="https://t.co/SvwPnzf6KO">pic.twitter.com/SvwPnzf6KO</a></p>&mdash; Sports Primo (@sportsprimo2) <a href="https://twitter.com/sportsprimo2/status/1862967399860830273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Enjoyed watching you play, you were exciting to watch these past few years! <a href="https://twitter.com/cazares1710?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cazares1710</a> <a href="https://t.co/4pOazIXyBc">pic.twitter.com/4pOazIXyBc</a></p>&mdash; BulldogFootball 🏈🏆x32 (@artesiafootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/artesiafootball/status/1863285606937485695?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BACK TO BACK STATE CHAMPS 🏆 <a href="https://t.co/TkCy3NEyuf">pic.twitter.com/TkCy3NEyuf</a></p>&mdash; JJ Herrera (@Coach_Herrera3) <a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_Herrera3/status/1863057767176520009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Your 2024 Football State Champions:<br><br>6A: Cleveland<br>5A: Roswell<br>4A: Bloomfield<br>3A: St. Michael&#039;s<br>2A: Texico <a href="https://t.co/m5o637j0cW">pic.twitter.com/m5o637j0cW</a></p>&mdash; Prep Redzone New Mexico (@PrepRedzoneNM) <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1863046364231319575?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/lvHwqcE3Bm">pic.twitter.com/lvHwqcE3Bm</a></p>&mdash; Bobcat sports fanatic (@FanaticBobcat) <a href="https://twitter.com/FanaticBobcat/status/1863033835916796341?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Perfect season!!! <a href="https://t.co/RW3hgKNhbd">pic.twitter.com/RW3hgKNhbd</a></p>&mdash; Bobcat sports fanatic (@FanaticBobcat) <a href="https://twitter.com/FanaticBobcat/status/1862996457583788434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Cole. Stud. Sandoval. <br><br>35 seconds left, he puts St. Mike's back in front 28-26 <a href="https://t.co/AiBVY1W3ek">pic.twitter.com/AiBVY1W3ek</a></p>&mdash; New Mexican Sports (@sfnmsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/sfnmsports/status/1862992078604791912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fourth town, season on the line, down by four points in the state championship game. What do you call? A screen pass, of course. <a href="https://t.co/RDTZWfS3fU">pic.twitter.com/RDTZWfS3fU</a></p>&mdash; New Mexican Sports (@sfnmsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/sfnmsports/status/1862991713075384623?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->