ARTESIA — The Roswell Coyotes football team overwhelmed Artesia 62-36 Friday, Oct. 16, at the Bulldog Bowl.
Roswell (7-1, 5-0 District 2-5A) was led by a balanced offensive attack, as linebacker Jonathan Ellis, running back Luis Rodriguez and wide receivers Izaic Gonzales and Danny Castro scored two touchdowns each.
“We’re really hard to defend,” Coyotes head coach Jeff Lynn said. “We’ve got some talented receivers and we’ve got good running backs. There’s not just one guy to focus on, so that applies pressure.”
Artesia (4-4, 4-1) won the coin toss and elected to receive, but the decision quickly backfired. On the opening play, Bulldogs quarterback Lucas Atkins threw an interception to Ezequiel Barrientos, handing Roswell an immediate opportunity to strike.
Quarterback Andruw Fuentez then connected with Gonzales for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 10:30 remaining in the first quarter, putting Roswell ahead 7-0. The Coyotes struck twice more in the opening quarter, building a 21-0 cushion and putting Artesia in an early hole.
The Bulldogs found their footing midway through the second quarter, however, as linebacker Logan Rodriguez powered in from 3 yards out to make it 21-7.
It didn’t take long for Roswell to respond. Just one minute later, Barrientos switched from defensive playmaker to offensive weapon, breaking loose for a 46-yard touchdown run to push the Coyotes lead to 28-7.
Roswell wasn’t done scoring in the first half yet. On the Coyotes’ next offensive possession, Fuentez launched a 57-yard touchdown pass to Castro to stretch the advantage to 35-7.
Artesia refused to go quietly. Rodriguez punched in his second rushing touchdown of the half from 2 yards out with 16 seconds remaining before the break, trimming the Coyotes’ lead to 35-14 at halftime.
But Roswell responded once again, scoring two touchdowns in the first three minutes of the second half to extend the lead to 49-14.
The Bulldogs then answered with a big play. Rodriguez broke free for a 59-yard rushing touchdown and added a successful two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 49-22.
But the Coyotes continued to answer every challenge, keeping their offense rolling as the team traded scores down the stretch. Roswell pulled away for the 26-point victory, finishing an offensive performance that left Artesia chasing the game from the opening snap.
“It was a good win,” Lynn said. “I thought we played well overall on offense, defense and special teams.”
The Coyotes will be back in action against the Mayfield Trojans (2-6, 2-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Field of Dreams in Las Cruces.
Marshall Mecham can be reached at (915) 232-1793 or on X @mecham_marshall. Mecham serves with the New Mexico Local News Fellowship, which places emerging journalists in newsrooms across the state. Learn more at www.newmexicolocalnewsfellowships.org.
