After a string of 12 wins dating back to last season, Lovington's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They had to suffer through a 57-21 loss at the hands of the Artesia Bulldogs. The match marked the Wildcats' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Lovington lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Jayden Gutierrez, who picked up 166 receiving yards and a touchdown. Gutierrez was no stranger to the big play, cutting upfield on a catch that went for 57 yards. Another passer making a difference was Mathew Prudencio, who threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns.
Lovington's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Gutierrez and Alex Rivera.
It was another big night for Frankie Galindo, who rushed for 142 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 carries, and also picked up 65 receiving yards and a touchdown for Artesia. That's the most rushing yards Galindo has posted since back in September of 2023. Izac Cazares was another key player, throwing for 174 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 passes.
Having lost for the first time this season, Lovington fell to 5-1. As for Artesia, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 4-2.
Lovington will square off against Mayfield at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Artesia, they will take on Santa Teresa at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Artesia's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
