Justin Houghtaling continues family lineage as Artesia High quarterback in New Mexico

Video: Justin Houghtaling QB

If your last name is Houghtaling, you probably have played, are playing or will be playing quarterback for the Artesia football team. At least that's been the case since the early 1990s.

Jeff Houghtaling started the quarterback tradition and helped establish a passing game before graduating in 1992. He still ranks No. 5 (tie) in single-game points (26), No. 8 in career passing attempts (400) and No. 10 (tie) in career completions (206). He later was a standout receiver at the University of New Mexico and served as captain during his senior year.

Jeff's brother, Ty, graduated in 1995 before a distinguished career at New Mexico State. He ranks No. 10 in career passing yardage (3,146) and No. 11 in single-season yardage (2,921). He played on three state championship teams, starting at quarterback only as a senior.

The Bulldogs, by the way, have another tradition - they have won a record 28 state football crowns, 13 under current coach Cooper Henderson. The veteran coach was proud to note that Jeff and Ty have returned to help coach middle school football and Jeff is the current varsity girls basketball coach. Ty runs a Christian City Sports League out of a local church.

That brings us to Josh Houghtaling, the son of Joby, who broke the mold and was a lineman. Josh used his ability as a pocket passer to finish as the No. 2 career yardage leader (5,735) before graduating in 2011. Only current NFL signal caller Landry Jones is ahead of him. Josh also is No. 2 with 66 career touchdown passes and No. 3 in single-season yardage with 3,447.

Josh's brother, Drew, got his name in the record book by throwing six scoring passes in a single game, which is tied for No. 2 in school history.

Finally, we get to the current keeper of the quarterback flame, Justin Houghtaling, who is Jeff's son. The 6-foot-5, 188-pound senior set a pair of school records in his debut as a junior by completing 37 of 58 passes. His 509 air yards were just two short of a third school record. His five scoring passes are tied for third.

To understand how incredible Justin's varsity debut was, we have to visit his freshman year when he was only 5-7 and could throw the ball only about 30 yards.

"I was really weak," he admitted, but pointed out he was able to play due to his accuracy.

During the next year, however, he grew an amazing 9 inches and was ready for a big sophomore season when he suffered a severe elbow injury that sidelined him for the season. He said he believes at least part of the problem came from throwing sidearm as a baseball player.

Justin attributes his "speedy recovery" to a January invitation he received from an elite camp in Los Angeles, pointing out, "That really pushed me to get back."

He said his record-setting debut as a junior "was all a blur because I was so nervous. At the end of the game I was still shaky. I felt a lot of pressure last year. This year hasn't been so bad, because we won the state (12-1 record in Class 5A)."

The Bulldogs have won their first two games this fall, extending their winning streak to 13, and Justin is off to a more confident start. He has completed 38 of 62 passes for 665 yards and five touchdowns with just one interception. He also ran for three touchdowns against Hobbs - two of them which were meant to be passing plays.

Coach Henderson said that Justin "is having the kind of year you'd hope for your quarterback. He understands the offense and leads on the field. We have a lot of young kids and what he does mentally (is very important)."

Justin puts his philosophy on the line when he says, "I love being a leader. I don't like to tell people what to do, but I give advice. I always keep my level head on the field."

With more school records possibly on the horizon, Justin looks forward to helping the Bulldogs repeat as Class 5A state champions and earn a college scholarship. He said he really loves Texas Tech, which operates an offense similar to the one he runs at Artesia. He runs 40 yards in 4.8 seconds, bench presses 250 pounds, can throw 60 yards accurately and has an outstanding 4.17 GPA.

After Justin graduates, there's at least one more Houghtaling waiting to step into the spotlight. Clay, who is Ty's son, is an eighth-grader. Guess which position he plays.