Artesia is 10-0 against Lovington since November of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Artesia Bulldogs will be staying on the road to face off against the Lovington Wildcats at 1:00 p.m. Artesia knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past ten matchups -- so hopefully Lovington likes a good challenge.
Artesia is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Mayfield, who was ranked 23rd in their home state at the time (Artesia was ranked ninth). Artesia enjoyed a cozy 42-28 win over Mayfield last Saturday.
It was another big night for Izac Cazares, who rushed for 197 yards and four touchdowns on only 14 carries, and also threw for 156 yards and two touchdowns. He has become a key player for Artesia: the team is 6-1 when he posts at least 80 rushing yards, but 1-2 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Ethan Conn, who picked up 81 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, with a playoff game on the line, Lovington rose to the challenge on Saturday. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 55-21 victory over the Rockets. The Wildcats' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Ondalis Cardenas continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 180 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries. Those 180 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Mathew Prudencio, who rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown on only six carries.
Lovington was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 337 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Artesia's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-3. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 35.5 points. As for Lovington, their victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 7-4.
Saturday's match will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Cazares and Prudencio. Cazares just won't slow down this season and has thrown 34 touchdowns while averaging 257.8 passing yards per game. Prudencio has been a dominant force too and has thrown 33 touchdowns (and and only 6 pick) while averaging 247.5 passing yards per game.
Everything came up roses for Artesia against Lovington when the teams last played back in September, as the squad secured a 57-21 win. In that game, Artesia amassed a halftime lead of 36-13, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Saturday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
