PREVIEW: New Mexico 2A State Championship between Texico and Eunice

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Sykotyk | November 18, 2023

Saturday is the state championship game in New Mexico for Class 2A. Unlike Pennsylvania or Ohio, the higher seed hosts in the playoffs. No neutral site games. However, when teams meet a second time, they alternate home sites year-over-year. Since Eunice had hosted the state championship game against Texico in 2019, Texico will be hosting the title in 2023.

The Texico Wolverines enter the game at 10-2 and are playing in their 18th state championship game. They’re 6-11 overall, losing to Jal (41-21) last year. Their last state championship was in 2008 over Dexter (28-26).

Their best championship game streak happened from 1996 to 2008, where the Texico Wolverines appeared in 10 of the 13 state championship games. Winning four of them. Their biggest nemesis, Fort Sumner, defeated them in 1997-98, 2001-02, and 2005. Overall, they’ve defeated Tatum, Hagerman, Jal, Loving, Cloudcroft, and Dexter for state championships since 1978.

Texico State Championship Game History (6-11)
2023 Texico v. Eunice (@ Texico)
2022 Jal 41, Texico 21 (@ Texico)
2019 Eunice 56, Texico 27 (@ Eunice)
2008 Texico 28, Dexter 26 (@ Dexter)
2007 Santa Rosa 46, Texico 7 (@ Texico)
2005 Fort Sumner 14, Texico 7 (@ Fort Sumner)
2004 Texico 35, Cloudcroft 7 (A) (@ Cloudcroft)
2003 Texico 21, Loving 6 (A) (@ Loving)
2002 Fort Sumner 15, Texico 6 (A) (@ Fort Sumner)
2001 Fort Sumner 26, Texico 0 (A) (@ Texico)
1998 Fort Sumner 22, Texico 16 (A)
1997 Fort Sumner 21, Texico 0 (A)
1996 Texico 17, Jal 6 (A)
1990 Texico 28, Hagerman 0 (A)
1983 Texico 23, Tatum 0 (A)
1981 Reserve 14, Texico 8 (A)
1979 Hagerman 9, Texico 7 (A)
1978 Hagerman 35, Texico 19

The Texico Wolverines are from Texico, New Mexico. A small town that shares the state border with Farwell, Texas. The two towns are scrunched next to each other. The two schools’ football fields sit just 1.32 miles apart. Amazingly, though, the two schools didn’t first play each other until 2014. They’ve since played seven times, where Farwell has won all seven games. Their closest game was in 2019, when Texico lost, 29-28 at Farwell.

Border War Between Texico (NM) and Farwell (TX)

2014 Farwell 31-0
2015 Farwell 48-0
2018 Farwell 39-6
2019 Farwell 29-28
2021 Farwell 56-34
2022 Farwell 48-0
2023 Farwell 47-22

Their opponent, the Eunice Cardinals, are no strangers to the state championship game. They hold a 16-8 all-time record in title games. Including four straight from 2017 to 2021 (no title game in 2020 spring season). Their biggest adversary in championship games has been Kirtland, who are 3-0 against the Cardinals. In 2019, Eunice defeated Texico, 56-27 for a state championship.

Eunice Cardinals (16-8)
2023 Texico v. Eunice
2021 Eunice 28, Jal 14
2019 Eunice 56, Texico 27
2018 Eunice 35, Santa Rosa 6
2017 Eunice 34, Capitan 13
2016 Capitan 27, Eunice 26 (3A)
2015 Estancia 50, Eunice 14 (3A)
2011 Santa Rosa 21, Eunice 14
2000 Eunice 9, Tucumcari 7
1999 Eunice 18, Menaul 0
1996 Santa Rosa 27, Eunice 0
1995 Eunice 19, Santa Rosa 0
1994 Eunice 13, Tularosa 0
1978 Eunice 8, Clayton 0
1977 Eunice 20, Jal 19
1975 Eunice 22, Dexter 6
1969 Kirtland 12, Eunice 3
1965 Eunice 20, Tularosa 0 (B)
1964 Kirtland 14, Eunice 0 (B)
1963 Kirtland 32, Eunice 14 (B)
1962 Eunice 6, Bloomfield 0 (B)
1961 Eunice 52, Cathedral 0 (B)
1958 Eunice 21, Aztec 20 (B)
1957 Eunice 37, Aztec 20 (B)
1956 Cathedral 12, Eunice 0 (B)

In the past twenty years, Texico and Eunice are no strangers, despite being 132 miles apart. From 2004 to 2013, Texico won five straight matchups. Even with a 5-year hiatus in the rivalry from 2007 to 2011, Texico added two more to their streak before Eunice took over. From 2014 to 2021, Eunice won 11 straight matchups between the Wolverines and Cardinals. Including two playoff games and a state championship game. In 2021, New Mexico played football in the spring after a postponed 2020 fall season, and Texico and Eunice played in a makeshift ‘final’ at University of New Mexico’s University Stadium, which went the way of the Cardinals. With another win in 2023 at Eunice (21-14), the only blemish in the Eunice streak was a 36-35 victory by Texico at home in the 2022 regular season. Which helped catapult the Wolverines to a state title game against Jal.

Texico v. Eunice

2004 Texico 28-0 (@ Texico)
2005 Texico 35-13 (@ Eunice)
2006 Texico 36-13 (@ Texico)
2012 Texico 23-0 (@ Texico)
2013 Texico 39-7 (@ Eunice)
2014 Eunice 34-15 (@ Texico)
2015 Eunice 48-20 (@ Eunice)
2016 Eunice 19-6 (@ Texico)
2016 Eunice 26-22 (@ Eunice) (PLAYOFFS)
2017 Eunice 42-2 (@ Eunice)
2018 Eunice 52-6 (@ Texico)
2018 Eunice 50-0 (@ Eunice) (PLAYOFFS)
2019 Eunice 34-19 (@ Eunice)
2019 Eunice 56-27 (@ Eunice) (CHAMPIONSHIP)
2020 Eunice 26-19 (@ Albuquerque) (SPRING 2021)
2021 Eunice 43-33 (@ Eunice)
2022 Texico 36-35 (@ Texico)
2023 Eunice 21-14 (@ Eunice)

The New Mexico Class 2A State Championship kicks off at 1pm local time on Saturday, November 18th. It is Mountain Time, and will be starting at 3pm Eastern. Texico’s home field will play host to a state championship game. A relic that very few states still practice. Of hosting state title games at participating schools and not neutral sites. Only Montana and New Mexico still play state championship games at the home field of one of the two teams playing. This stops the state from having a multi-game event as many other states have switched over to. Wyoming was the last state to give up the higher seed hosting formula. When the state moved all state titles to University of Wyoming’s War Memorial Stadium in Laramie starting in 2009. Except for the anomalous 2020 season.

The Texico Wolverines’ home stadium is named the “Field of Hopes and Dreams” and sits in the northwest corner of Texico. Seats 851 fans and many more space to stand. And on Saturday, a state championship will be crowned on its grass field.

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