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Count ‘em up. Artesia has piled up an amazing 26 state championships in football. No other school in the state has as impressive a resume in any other team sport decided by a tournament. Yet the Bulldogs have grabbed gold in nearly other sport as well.
Here it comes – in the Roll Call of State Championships below…
Football
2007…For second straight year, Artesia has to go through district rival Goddard to get the Class 4A title. The Bulldogs do it by a 58-31 count.
2006…Artesia finishes perfect 13-0 season by beating Goddard 30-23 to grab the school’s 25th football title
2004…Back-to-back go the Bulldogs after dismantling Silver 42-0 in the 4A championship
2003…Artesia travels to the Four Corners and knock off Aztec 35-14 to get coach Cooper Henderson his eighth crown at the school
2001…First time in three years, ‘Dogs claim the championship with 28-20 win over St. Pius in 4A finale
1998…Culminating an unblemished 13-0 campaign, Artesia knocks off Ruidoso 35-22 for Class 3A crown
1997…Bulldogs nip Silver 34-31 in 3A finale to put finishing touch on a 12-1 season
1996…First of three straight championships as Artesia beats back Raton 35-20 for Class 3A blue trophy
1994…Coach Cooper Henderson and his ‘Dogs upend Lovington 35-21 and finish 12-1 season with another state title
1993…Two straight championships for Artesia, which beats Aztec 28-9 to claim 3A bragging rights
1992…First crown for native son Cooper Henderson as Bulldogs’ coach when four-year slump comes to an end. Final: Artesia 24, Raton 0
1987…A scoreless 0-0 in Class 3A title game between Artesia and Lovington means both are crowned co-champs
1984…Bulldogs and coach T.W. Harvey rout Aztec 33-12 to put wraps on 11-1-2 season – and put another trophy in the case
1983…An 8-5 season record ends with ‘Dogs taking the biggest game of the year. Class 3A title game: Artesia 22, Portales 8
1982…Sixth championship for Artesia under coach Mike Phipps after edging Silver 31-28 in 3A finale
1980…A sparkling 13-1 campaign closes when Bulldogs beat Bloomfield 50-30 for school’s 11th football crown
1978…A 13-0 shutout of Bloomfield in Class 3A championship adds another state trophy to Artesia’s haul
1976…Three straight titles as Bulldogs dismiss Socorro 46-6 to reign supreme on the gridiron
1975…Artesia lose only one game in 11-1 season and it’s not in the championship. Class 3A final: Bulldogs 22, St. Pius 17
1974…A perfect 13-0 season for Artesia ends with a 23-0 shutout of Deming in Class 3A championship
1969…Four straight big school titles for Bulldogs and coach L.G. Henderson after a 21-8 victory over Hobbs
1968…Artesia goes unbeated and tops off 12-0 season with convincing 40-0 rout of Sandia for Class 2A title
1967…A matchup of Bulldogs is no contest as Artesia overpowers Albuquerque High 40-14 for Class 2A honors
1966…Start of four straight titles when Artesia dumps Highland 40-14 to finish perfect 12-0 season
1964…Practically an eternity by their own standards: Bulldogs end six-year championship drought by beating Highland 20-6
1957…Five years after New Mexico institutes playoffs in football, Artesia an coach Reese Smith vanquish Highland 27-7 for first football title. Much more to come…
Baseball
2000…Artesia delivers a fourth state championship for coach Dale Bohannon following a 9-4 victory over Aztec in 3A finals
1996…For third time in four years, Bulldogs have bragging rights in baseball after beating St. Pius 9-3 in championship
1994…Nipping Lovington 4-3 in 3A finale allows Artesia to bring home the blue first-place trophy for second year in a row
1993…Bulldogs beat rival Lovington 6-4 and start a stretch of four championships over the next eight seasons
1987…For first time in over a decade, Artesia is once again baseball champ by winning Class 3A title
1976…First championship on the diamond for Bulldogs, who beat Los Lunas 5-3 in 3A title game
Softball
2001…Artesia, coached by Clendon Kirkpatrick, lay claim to softball championship for second time in three years. Final: Bulldogs 1, Silver 0
1999…’Dogs dethrone three-time defending champion Silver by beating the Colts 2-0 in Class 3A finale
1995…Winning with a vengeance, Artesia smokes St. Pius 17-6 in 3A championship to grab title
1988…First softball championship trophy comes back to Artesia when Bulldogs beat Cobre 5-1
Volleyball
1978…Two-year reign for Artesia atop Class 3A volleyball when Bulldogs beat Portales in three game finale
1977…Bulldogs, coached by Linda Ferguson, sweep Los Lunas in 3A finale for first title in volleyball
Boys Basketball
1997…Two titles in three years for Artesia when Bulldogs beat Albuquerque Academy 86-83 in Class 3A championship
1995…Artesia, coached by Bubba Jennings, seize a basketball title for the first time by knocking off Academy 82-73
Tennis
Artesia once had a terrific reputation on the tennis courts, but it was earned by Bulldogs’ standouts years ago. From 1952 to 1961, when New Mexico had only one classification, the boys singles champ came from Artesia four times: Jerry Williams (1961), John Torres (1960), Jerry Cranford (1955) and Doug Whitefield (1952).
And now, a word from our sponsor…
When in doubt how to keep track of the Artesia Bulldogs, the broadcast crew at KSVP AM 990 will keep you up to date. With legendary Jim Wilburn at the microphone for Artesia football games to lead the way, the entire KSVP staff strives to cover the Bulldogs extensively in all sports.
If the ‘Dogs aren’t on, Artesia residents can keep up with national sports through ESPN Radio weeknights and on the weekend. GameNight starts at 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday while Saturday and Sunday highlight include College GameDay, the Baseball Show and the John Kincade Show. Plus, ESPN Radio at AM 990 keeps you updated with the latest scores from around the country.
