Seesaw affair comes down to last-minute TD
’Dogs win matchup of prime 5A squads
LOS LUNAS — Give the Artesia High School offense two minutes and 21 seconds in a game they’re losing late in the fourth quarter, and it’s hardly a revelation when they produce something approximating Tom Brady.
Down four points late to the host Los Lunas Tigers, Artesia senior quarterback Taylor Null orchestrated a brilliant drive, and his 20-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Greenwood with 33.7 seconds remaining gave Class 5A’s top-ranked Bulldogs a thrilling 30-27 victory on Friday night.
“It’s just about running the right route at the right time,” said Greenwood, who didn’t have a defender on him when he hauled in the go-ahead score. “You’re just thinking, ‘I gotta catch this for my team and make sure we get a win.’ ”
This proved to be a tremendous battle between future playoff teams, and certainly one of the most exciting and fascinating games of the season so far.
There were six lead changes between the Bulldogs (4-2) and the fourth-ranked Tigers (4-2), whose two losses are by a combined eight points.
Los Lunas claimed the first of them, with quarterback Nick Gaerlan — who had an outstanding night, combining for 311 rushing and passing yards — throwing a 23-yard touchdown pass to Joel Avila. Those two also hooked up for a two-point conversion throw with 20 seconds left in the first half, which ended with the Tigers in front 15-14.
Tigers coach Jeremy Maupin bravely went for a fourth-and-5 in his own territory earlier that drive, a decision that paid off in spades.
Null tossed a 27-yard TD pass to Greenwood midway through the third quarter for a 20-15 lead. But the Tigers, in the first minute of the fourth quarter, seized the lead once more as Gaerlan threw 5 yards to Cody Vocu for a slim 21-20 advantage.
J.R. Bustamante added a 30-yard field goal with 7:04 remaining to put the Bulldogs ahead 23-21.
Gaerlan, who rushed for 171 yards as he continuously was too slippery for the Artesia defense, scored on a QB draw with 2:21 left. The Tigers missed a two-point try, leaving them in front 27-23.
Those two minutes and 21 seconds proved plenty for Null and the Bulldogs. Null completed a crucial fourth-down throw — in essence, a game-saving play — to Chaney Hardt to get Artesia to the Los Lunas 25.
“He’s just awesome at running routes,” Null said of Hardt. “He always seems to step up in big moments.”
Three plays later, Null lofted a pass down the middle for the game-winning points.
“I’m real proud of our kids,” Artesia coach Rex Henderson said. “We battled all the way to the end.”
It was a painful loss for the Tigers, who played extremely well, particularly on defense.
“The state had a lot of doubt that we could compete against the No. 1 team,” said Los Lunas coach Jeremy Maupin, an Artesia graduate and a Bulldogs assistant before he took this job. “You better believe now.”